Glacier boys, girls division champs
The Daily Inter Lake
The divisional titles continue to pile up for Glacier’s tennis programs.
The boys captured their ninth straight and the girls their seventh overall on Friday on the final day of the Northern AA Divisional at Flathead Valley Community College.
“We had a really good tournament,” Glacier coach Josh Munro said.
“The kids played their best tennis. That’s what you want at this time of the year.”
The Glacier boys finished with a two-day score of 46. Flathead, 40, was second and Great Falls C.M. Russell, 19, third.
The Glacier girls had a much easier time, amassing a 51 point total. CMR, 27, was second and Flathead, 25, third.
The last time Glacier swept divisional titles was 2017 in Great Falls.
With the top four singles and doubles teams advancing from divisionals to state, Glacier will be sending three in singles — divisional champions Rory Smith and Maria Frampton and fourth-place finisher Maggie Rudbach. Wolfpack doubles teams advancing are: (girls) Hannah Nikunen/Ashlyn Sliter — first; and Regin Koester/Katie Lessmeier — second; (boys) Ben Desmul/Ethan Purdy — second; Kyle Buckingham/Akhil Patel — third; and Drew Engellant/Micah Heil — fourth.
“Really impressed with play of boys doubles for sure,” Munro said.
“Our No. 4 boys doubles picked up a lot of important points.”
Glacier’s divisional singles champions were dominant. Smith won 6-1, 6-0; 6-1, 6-2; 6-1, 6-0; and Frampton’s scores were 6-1, 6-0; 6-2, 6-1; and 6-3, 6-2.
Flathead, which had no state qualifiers in 2017 and one last year, continues to build on that. It qualified two in singles — runner-up Joston Cripe and fourth-place finisher Brett Thompson — and three doubles teams — division champs Nolan White/Ethan Hawkins along with Emma Hawkins/Kendall Pyron and Sierra Dilworth/Marcella Mercer, who played for third and fourth.
Hawkins finished fourth last year in singles at the divisional.
The Flathead girls doubles team of Tess Huckaba/Olivia Mohatt, which was seeded second, had to default a first-round match because of International Baccalaureate testing at FHS during divisional play on Thursday. A second-round match for Dilworth/Mercer also ended in default because of that testing. Flathead had to default three matches total, two of those to Glacier and one to CMR.
“It was a very unfortunate situation,” Munro said.
“The Montana High School Association is very specific in their postseason guidelines. It’s unfortunate that tennis is impacted heavily. It’s unfortunate how much it affects IB schools like Flathead, Missoula Big Sky and Missoula Hellgate.”
Class AA state tournament action begins Thursday in Great Falls.
Frampton finished third at state a year ago.
Northern AA Divisional
At Flathead Valley Community College
Friday’s Results
Boys
Team Totals
Glacier 46, Flathead 40, Great Falls C.M. Russell 19
Singles
Semifinals
Rory Smith, Gla, def. Shane Kujala, CMR, 6-1, 6-2; Joston Cripe, Fla, def. Brett Thompson, Fla, 6-4, 6-4
Championship
Smith def. Cripe, 6-1, 6-0
Consolation
Quarterfinals
Ryan Thomsen, Fla, def. Gabe Felton, Fla, 6-1, 6-3; Michael Mickolio, CMR, def. Chris Skelton, Gla,6-0, 6-3
Semifinals
Thompson def. Tomsen, Fla, 6-4, 6-3; Kujala, def. Mickolio, 6-0, 6-3
Third/Fourth
Kujala def Thompson, scores not available
Doubles
Semifinals
Ben Desmul/Ethan Purdy, Gla, def. Zach Stimac/Tristan Krum, CMR, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2; Nolan White/Ethan Hawkins, Fla, def. Kyle Buckingham/Akhil Patel, Gla,7-6, 6-3
Championship
White/Hawkins def. Desmul/Purdy, 6-2, 6-1
Consolation
Quarterfinals
Kyler Turner/Logan Samples, Gla, def. Carter Corn/Carter Phillips, CMR, 6-4, 6-0; Drew Engellant/Micah Heil, Gla, def. David Marburger/Brian Wells, 6-3, 7-5
Semifinals
Buckingham/Patel def. Turner/Samples, 6-0, 6-2; Engellant/Heil def. Stimac/Krum, 6-2, 6-2.
Third/Fourth
Buckingham/Patel def. Engellant/Heil, scores not available
Girls
Team Totals
Glacier 51, Great Falls C.M. Russell 27, Flathead 25
Singles
Semifinals
Maria Frampton, Gla, def. Ally Dube, CMR, 6-2, 6-1; Gail Parambi, CMR, def. Maggie Rudbach, 6-0, 6-0
Championship
Frampton def. Parambi, 6-3, 6-2
Consolation
Quarterfinals
Mason Moore, Fla, def. Shelly Thompson, CMR, 6-3, 6-1; Nina Friedman, Gla, def. Avery Cherot, Fla, 6-3, 6-4.
Semifinals
Rudbach def. Moore, 6-1, 6-0; Dube def. Friedman, 6-2, 6-0
Third/Fourth
Dube def. Rudbach, no scores available
Doubles
Semifinals
Hannah Nikunen/Ashlyn Sliter, Gla, def. Kendall Pyron/Emma Hawkins, Fla, Regin Koester/Katie Lessmeier, Gla, def. Sierra Dilworth/Marcella Moore, Fla, no scores listed
Championship
Nikunen/Sliter def. Koester/Lessmeier, 7-5, 6-4
Consolation
Quarterfinals
Kennedy Crook/Hannah Bingham, CMR, def. Liv Wilson/Kirsti Ericksen, Gla, 6-2, 6-7, 6-1; Allison Will/Madison Hill, CMR, def. Tess Huckaba/Olivia Mohatt, Fla, by default
Semifinals
Dilworth/Mercer def. Crook/Bingham, 6-2, 6-7, 6-1; Pyron/Hawkins def. Will/Hill, no scores listed
Third/Fourth
Dilworth/Mercer vs. Pyron/Hawkins, no scores listed