West Texas tennis athletes delivered an outstanding performance at the University Interscholastic League state tournament in San Antonio last week, bringing home seven gold medals and showcasing the region's deep talent pool.
Leading the charge was Wall sophomore Ameila Taylor, who successfully defended her Class 3A girls singles state title with a commanding 6-0, 6-3 victory over Honda's Ava Lowe. Taylor's repeat performance cements her status as one of the top young players in the state.
Christoval senior Zoe Askins captured her first gold medal after years of persistence, defeating Mason's Georgia Hicks 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 in a hard-fought 2A girls singles final. The victory was especially sweet for Askins, who had previously earned three bronze medals in her four consecutive state tournament appearances.
Mason High School dominated the 2A division, reaching the state final in all five categories—boys singles, girls singles, boys doubles, girls doubles, and mixed doubles—and claiming gold in four of them. Russell Watson powered through the boys singles bracket with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Reagan County's Gunnar Stroud, while the girls doubles duo of Taylor Bierschwale and Kinley Wenzel defeated teammates Chloe Swan and Sophie Ahlschede for the title.
In boys doubles, Mason's Keltan Jordan and Cade Dudney showed their chemistry with a 6-3, 6-0 win over teammates Keegan Ratliff and Cooper Ratliff. The mixed doubles bracket saw Corbin Martinez and Heidi Smith edge past teammates Jaxson Holbrook and Camille Schmidt 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 in a thrilling three-set match.
The final gold medal came in Class 1A, where Garden City's Presley Jost and Lacy Seidenberger outlasted Knippa's Madison Speer and Cameron Santon 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 in the mixed doubles final, capping a week of exceptional tennis across all divisions.
Additional medalists included Wall's Ava Duncan and Evelyn Itz, who earned silver in girls doubles, while Kymbree Hirt and Ella Bowman took third place. Olfen's Grant Halsell secured bronze in the 1A boys singles bracket, and Irion County's Baylee Rainey finished third in the 1A girls singles competition.