The Laramie Plainsmen Are State Tennis Champions Again
Thanks to titles at three positions in their line-up, the Laramie Plainsmen tennis team won their second straight State Championship last Saturday in Gillette.
LHS head coach Carlos Mellizo said it was amazing,
"These kids stepped up and played so hard. Just getting to the finals, there were a lot of tough moments for us; challenging matches."
Laramie was able to score 51.5 team points over the three days of the 2014 Wyoming High School State Tennis Championships. They topped runner-up Gillette (48) by 3.5 points. Cheyenne Central was a distant third with 31.5 points.
In 2013, the Plainsmen won the team title by 15 points and had four positions in their line-up win a state title.
This year, senior Robin Drummond and junior Dalton Bainer won individual singles crowns, while the doubles tandem of senior Andrew Barnes and junior Matt Moran won the title at number one doubles. The three wins on Saturday at those spots enabled the repeat.
Drummond won a pair of three-set matches just to reach the finals. He defeated Chase Anderson of Central by a score of 6-3, 6-1. He said it felt awesome.
"I've been working really hard for really long, and the fact that me doing this means we get back-to-back state titles, is awesome. It's just amazing. I can't believe it," said Drummond.
Bainer didn't drop a set during the state tournament. He beat Alex Corbin of Cheyenne East, 6-3, 6-1, in the championship match.
Barnes and Moran teamed for a title at the top doubles position in the LHS line-up. They produced a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Okray and Vetter from Gillette. It was the second title for both in doubles, but they had different partners and played in a different double position last year.
Mellizo said it all came down to Saturday and in particular with Barnes and Moran.
"Well, we knew going in, that we were gonna have to be competitive; especially in that number one doubles match, cause we had a head-to-head with Gillette, who was also right there with us. Matt and Andrew just came out firing. They were so sharp and so intense."
The weekend was somewhat of a struggle for the Laramie Lady Plainsmen, as they finished in fifth place with 20 points. Sophomore Lucia Cho lost the final at number one singles, 6-1, 6-1, to a three-time champ. Cho was the only squad member playing on the last day.
Mellizo added, "It was definitely a tournament of ups and downs for us, but the girls played hard... Lucia played really well throughout the tournament... we're just going to keep working hard and trying to get better."