19 June 2013

Boys Tennis: A rewarding spring

Bennett Lagro: MVP and Missota Conference honorable mention
The final numbers weren't dazzling but all things considered, Tiger coach Jack Olwell said the weather-ravaged  2013 spring season was a positive one.

"This was a rewarding season that just flew by," Olwell said. "Although we did not advance past the first round or advance individuals at our sub-section, I can see it is going to happen with this group of players. They are still going to the courts on their own even though the season has ended."

Farmington finished the year with a 3-9 dual meet record and ranked seventh in the Missota Conference with a 1-6 mark.

The team's youth is illustrated by the fact it had only three seniors among its 13 letterwinners: Austin Rau, Drew Corraro and Chris McGlauchlen.

Others earning varsity monograms included juniors Austin Tremmel, Trent Kortenbusch, Jon Zakoski, Ivan Rodriguez and Jake Spindler; sophomore Garrett Brown; freshmen Grady Hauswirth and Cooper Ericksen and seventh-grader Jake Bauer.

Senior ShyAnne Spurzem and junior Megan Stivers, both members of the Tiger girls' team, served as managers this spring and also received letters.

Other team members included junior Nick Makhoul; sophomores Chris Makhoul, Matt Iung and Alex Poirer and freshman Sam Nagle, Anthony Rattana, Zach Knutson, Hunter Kelzenberg, Cole Watson and Derek Cole.

Jake Bauer: Player of the Year
Lagro, an all-Missota Confeernce honorable mention selection, was named the team's Most Valuable Player while Bauer earned Player of the Year honors. Rodriguez won the Tiger Award for attitude and work ethic and Rau was an Academic All-State performer. Zakoski and Kortenbusch shared team captain duties.

"We won more matches than we did last year," Olwell said, "and that's with half of our team being new. We showed great improvement from the beginning of the season to the end."

Olwell said the only disappointments came from the weather that condensed the season and necessitated almost a match-a-day schedule over the final two weeks.

As for the future, Olwell said things are looking up.

"We are going to be much stronger and deeper next year," he said.  "Many players have tennis plans for the summer, fall, and winter - the time when players are made."