Back-to-back for the Sugarbeeters

Winning one team state championship in anything is hard enough. Winning two, well that’s a rare feat. The same goes for the individual side of high school tennis.

But, on a rainy weekend in Great Falls, all of that came together for the Chinook girls tennis team.

On the back of a second consecutive state singles championship from Mariah Swank, the Chinook girls dominated the field at the Class B-C state tennis tournament, scoring 52 points to win a second consecutive state championship.

“These girls, top to bottom, are just outstanding kids,” Chinook head coach Thom MacLean, who has now led the Sugarbeeters to three state championships, said. “They are hard workers, they get along great and this group is just a coach’s dream.

“Also, the 52 points we scored, that tied the state record,” MacLean added. “And every girl on our team scored points to get there. So that’s really special to me. It was a big weekend for us.”

Indeed, every Beeter who played in the state tournament won at least one match, including freshmen Sierra Swank and Megan Pruttis in singles, as well as the doubles tandem of Hattie Niederegger and Stella Rigg, who reached the quarterfinals before losing twice. But it was Chinook’s big guns that allowed the Beeters to crush the competition, as Cut Bank finished a distant second with 28 points and Baker was third with 24.

Swank completed a perfect season with a straight set win over Lone Peak’s Luisa Locker, 7-6, 7-6 in the championship match. Swank had cruised into the final, including an easy win over Cut Bank’s Dakota Dosch in the semifinals, and besides Locker, only teammate Brooke Nicholson even pushed her this season.

And while Nicholson didn’t get the chance to push Swank in Great Falls, she did max out on points following a loss to Locker in the semifinals. The junior came right back and won twice, including a 6-4, 6-1 win over Chester/J-I’s Lauren Stewart, another local product, in the consolation match. Nicholson’s third-place finish earned her B-C All-State honors for the second straight season.

“Mariah didn’t surprise anyone this year,” MacLean said. “She was the top player in our division all year long, and she just played great. She was really only tested in three matches all season, but in every one of those matches, she would just kick it into another gear. She’s just a great player and she has an incredible ability to will herself to win.”

While Swank and Nicholson both won their last matches of the year, the same couldn’t be said for Chinook’s top doubles tandem of Lauren Harshman and Cortney Gunderson. However, they sure came close, and they were a huge reason why the Beeters were so dominant. The duo cruised to the state championship match, before losing in three sets to Cut Bank’s Alex Kraft and Duana Gobert. Still, the loss didn’t overshadow how well the duo played in Great Falls.

“They were great,” MacLean said of his top doubles team. “They kind of rolled to the championship, and they won that first set. So they were just awesome. I knew they could place this year, but I can’t say I expected them to get to the championship match. So they were a big reason why we rolled up as many points as we did.”

And Chinook did roll up the points, and for the second year in a row, the Beeters brought a state tennis championship back to the Hi-Line.

“It’s special,” MacLean said. “Again, it’s so nice when all of your kids score points and really contribute. It’s really fun that way. We had it wrapped up by Friday afternoon, and that sure makes it easy on me. So it’s special and I’m just really proud of these kids.”

State B-C Tennis

In Great Falls

Meadow Lark CC

GIRLS

Chinook 52, Cut Bank 28, Baker 24, Townsend 22, Lone Peak 15, Chester-Joplin Inverness 13, Choteau 11, Conrad 9, Jefferson 9, Missoula Loyola 7, Fairfield 7, Bigfork 6, Wolf Point 4, Philipsburg 3, Darby 2, Whitehall 2, St. Ignatius 2, Troy 1, Valley Christian 1

SEMIFINALS

Luisa Locker, Lone Peak, def. Brooke Nicholson, Chinook, 6-4, 6-1; Mariah Swank, Chinook, def. Dakota Dosch, Cut Bank, 6-2, 6-0

Championship

Mariah Swank, Chinook, def. Luisa Locker, Lone Peak, 7-6 (10-8), 7-6 (14-12)

Consolation semifinals

Lauren Stewert, CJI, def. Dakota Dosch, Cut Bank, 6-3, 6-1; Brooke Nicholson, Chinook, def. Kylie Hadley, Baker, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2

Fifth Place

Kylie Hadley, Baker, def. Dakota Dosch, Cut Bank, 6-3, 7-5

Third Place

Brooke Nicholson, Chinook, def. Lauren Stewert, CJI, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2

DOUBLES

Semifinals

Kraft-Gobert, Cut Bank, def. Sparrow-Yancy, Broadus, 6-1, 6-2; Harshman-Gunderson, Chinook, def. Bullock-Vossler, 6-2, 6-4

Championship

Kraft-Gobert, Cut Bank, def. Harshman-Gunderson, Chinook, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0

Consolation Semifinals

Sparrow-Yancy, Broadus, def. Gramm-Hodgkiss, Choteau, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2; Hickey-Wyrick, Baker, def. Bullock, Vossler, Jefferson, 6-2, 6-4

Fifth Place

Gramm-Hodgkiss, Choteau, def. Bullock-Vossler, Jefferson, 7-5, 6-3

Third Place

Hickey-Wyrick, Baker, def. Sparrow-Yancy, Broadus, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1