CHAMPS CROWNED AT 18U JUNIOR TEAM TENNIS NATIONALS

Another year of Junior Team Tennis is in the books as the USTA 18U Junior Team Tennis National Championships wrapped up Sunday at the USTA National Campus, with two champions being crowned.
 

The Southern Reign from USTA Southern won the advanced title and the Laguna Creek Racquet Club from USTA Northern California took home the hardware in the intermediate division.
 

The Southern team, which captured its second consecutive national championship, is from Atlanta. The team is coached by Kerri Magee, Stephen Diaz and David Drew, and features team members Carly Briggs (Calhoun), Andrei Duarte (Atlanta), Anders Fry (Roswell), Hanna Giddings (Alpharetta), Colton Gromley (Duluth), Ava Hrastar (Duluth), Hannah Hutchings (Woodstock), Jonathan Mascagni (Alpharetta), Juliana Mascagni (Alpharetta), Brandon McKinney (Marietta), Nicholas McKinney (Marietta) and Grant Williford (Woodstock).
 

The Laguna Creek Racquet Club team is from Elk Grove, Calif., and is coached by Jesse Pangilinan and Mark Fairchilds and features team members Alex Fung, Luke Gravel, Kiya Jackson, Kyla Jackson, Jeremy Schubert, Jaylynn Tan, Patrick Wall and Hallie Wilson. All of the players, with the exception of Schubert (Sacramento) are from Elk Grove.

Southern defeated Bay Club Courtside, from USTA Northern California, by a score of 54-32 in the final, while Northern California prevailed over Berry Creek from USTA Texas, 49-36.
 

In third-place matches, the ATA Dream Team from USTA Texas defeated the Island Grinders from USTA Eastern in the advanced division. Two-time defending champions Tennis Addicts from USTA Mid-Atlantic came in third in the intermediate division, taking down iStringing Team Tenacity from USTA Southern California.

Also honored at the awards ceremony following the conclusion of play were winners of the Sportsmanship Awards, Team Spirit Award, and Best Banner Award.
 

The Sportsmanship Awards are given to one boy and one girl from each division who received the most votes from his/her opponents throughout the tournament for displaying good sportsmanship. Connor Aulson from USTA New England’s North Shore Legends and Emily Even from USTA Southwest’s Team ATA earned the honors from the advanced division. They were joined by Jason Boucher from USTA New England’s New Hampshire Rogues and Aidan Kwong from USTA Eastern’s Island Grinders, who tied, as well as Mikaela Hinton USTA Northern California’s Stonegate Tennis Academy.
 

The Best Banner Award went to USTA Middle States’ Delaware Nightmare and USTA Northern California’s Laguna Creek Racquet Club. The Team Spirit Award went to USTA Southwest’s Team TCA.