By Chris Bennett
Correspondent
Matt Nelson as a singles player and the doubles duo of Drayke Webster and Noah Lindenberg earned Second Team honors on the 2015 All-Southern Lakes Conference boys tennis team.
Westosha Central’s Hunter Herman, Waterford’s Harry Soeder, Burlington’s Jacob Ludwig and Badger’s Liam Bailey earned First Team singles honors.
Wilmot’s Collin Robinson and Gavin Hammond, Badger’s Josh Bakken and Mitch Dunay and Union Grove’s Kyle Maurer and Owen Rabe earned First Team honors as doubles tandems.
Hermes is the SLC Player of the Year.
Westosha’s Josh Teumer and Luke Andrekkus and Union Grove’s CJ Maurer earned Second Team singles honors.
Central’s George Capelli and Lucas Gravely and Wilmot’s Brandon Zastrow and Mason Kawik earned Second Team honors as doubles partners.
The Elks also announced their team awards. Nelson earned Most Valuable Player honors.
“He came into the subsectionals and sectional with a winning record,” co-coach Donna Neshek said. “He will be a huge asset for our upcoming year.”
Webster and Lindenberg earned varsity Most Improved Honors. Lindenberg graduates and Webster will return as a senior.
“He does a lot out of season to improve his game,” Neshek said of Webster. “I see great things from him senior year.”
Griffin Sweeney, Aaron Wales and Carter Olson won the Robert Christensen Leadership award. The award is bestowed on those who make a significant leadership impact to the Elks’ squad. It is named in honor of Robert Christensen, a long-time supporter of area tennis.
“Aaron and Carter were our end of the year No. 1 Doubles (team), and showed leadership,” Neshek said. “They finished very well at sub-sectionals and faced a tough opponent at sectionals.”
Sweeney played at No. 1 singles for the Elks this past season. Sweeney faced the opponent’s toughest player in each meet, and Neshek said he improved continually over the course of the season.
“He walks away from his four years as a great tennis player, and will find that he stacks up among really fine players he will meet over the years,” Neshek said.
Brant Christensen earned junior varsity MVP honors, and Seth Kirkpatrick earned junior varsity Most Improved Player honors.
No one from the Elks advanced to state this season, but Neshek said the team performed well May 29 in a WIAA Division 1 sectional meet at Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison.
Madison Memorial hosted the sectional meet. The top four finishers in Flight 1 and the top finisher in Flight 2 in both singles and doubles competition at each sectional advance to the state tennis meet.
Elkhorn won the Badger subsectional meet May 27 at Badger High School. Those who reach the semifinals in Flight 1 in singles and doubles play and those who reach the finals in Flights 2, 3 and 4 in singles and Flights 2 and 3 in doubles advanced from the subsectional to the sectional meet.
The Elks finished fifth in the sectional with a total of 21 points. Elkhorn finished third this season in the SLC.
“Like always, we seem to finish strong, which tells us, as coaches, that the boys have a real commitment to the team to improve and to be competitive,” said Neshek, who co-coaches the Elks with Mark Mergener and Nancy White.
