By Kevin Cunningham
Sports Correspondent
Last week, the Whitewater High School boys tennis team participated in sub sectional and sectional matches with the right to advance on to the state meet. For the Whippets, No. 1 singles player, Brodie Runez, advanced on to the state meet after winning his first match at sectionals.
Runez clinched making state by winning his first match against a player from Ripon. After winning the subsectional and then winning his first match in the sectional, he then ran into last year’s state runner-up from Madison Edgewood, where he lost, 6-0, 6-1.
Runez then faced a player from Monroe and lost again, but his fourth-place finish at sectionals was good enough to advance and compete at the state meet on June 2. Because of seeding, the top-four finishers at No. 1 singles get to move on to state.
In No. 2 singles, players had to win both their sub sectional and sectional in order to advance. For No. 2 singles player, Jan Maroske, he ended up advancing to the sectional but finished in third place after fighting back with an arm injury.
Lastly in No. 3 singles, it’s very rare according to Whippet head coach Alex Mory, for a player to get into the state meet. For the Whippets, Dineth Gunawardena was the team’s No. 3 singles player and cruised through his sub sectional according to Mory.
Gunawardena then reached the final in his sectional against Madison Edgewood and the match went down to the final third set, ending in a 7-6 tiebreaker loss.
“I was extremely proud of the way he [Gunawardena] played and his incredible attitude and willingness to stay in every point throughout the tournament,” Mory said.
“The Whippets all played some incredible tennis this past week and showed so much improvement throughout the whole year. I am so proud of the guys and the way they played as we get ready for the state tournament and tennis for next year,” Mory added.
As a team, Whitewater finished in fourth-place in the sectional, which Mory called a great accomplishment. He also talked about Runez and how it has been a goal of his since the start of the season to make state. Runez has now fulfilled that goal, as the state tournament begins play at 5:30 p.m. on June 2.
