Guilford wins only its second girls tennis sectional title in 20 years

Guilford: Reigniting Tennis Greatness in the NIC-10

Guilford High School has a storied tennis legacy in the NIC-10, but its recent triumphs have propelled them back into the spotlight. Over the past two weekends, Guilford secured their 13th girls tennis sectional title, a remarkable feat considering they had only won one in the past two decades. With a total of 28 points, the entire team has qualified for the state championships, with Auburn placing second at the Class 2A Guilford Sectional with 24 points, and Hononegah a distant third with 14.

According to Guilford coach David Woosley, the team’s victory carries immense significance for the school. “We have a long, illustrious history of tennis success, but it has been quite some time since we last won. It is truly gratifying to bring the title back home,” Woosley expressed.

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In the past, Guilford’s boys teams dominated the sectional tournaments, winning an astonishing 28 out of the first 29 titles since its inception in 1982. However, their last victory occurred in 2010. The girls team experienced more recent success, winning their last title in 2014.

Mackenzie Larson, who teamed up with Laci Belknap to secure a second-place finish in doubles, expressed her elation: “It’s truly amazing. None of us expected this level of success when the season began. Experiencing this journey together as a team has been incredibly fulfilling. We’re like one big family.”

Auburn displayed remarkable talent, with Avery Trapp claiming victory in singles and Addysen Feng and Rebecca Wang achieving the same in doubles. However, Guilford’s depth shone through, with Habiba Kamel finishing third in singles and Yeva Ksenafontova coming in fourth. Both doubles teams also qualified for state, with Lexi Whitham and Amelia Runne securing a third-place finish.

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Larson shared, “We’re incredibly proud of our teammates and their accomplishments. It was an intense experience watching them compete.”

Other notable participants at the state championships include Hononegah’s Elle Loch, who secured a second-place finish in singles, and Belvidere North’s Elizabeth Abbott and Leilani Mora, who finished fourth in doubles.

Class 1A Rochelle Sectional

Melissa Hillman from Rockford Lutheran qualified for state in singles, along with the doubles team of Katelyn de Guzman and Megan Hillman, sisters of Melissa Hillman. Both entries from Lutheran finished second. In doubles, Boylan’s Elizabeth Fitzgerald and Isabelle Grisanzio triumphed over Lutheran with a 6-4, 6-1 victory to win the doubles title. Boylan (16 points) and Lutheran (18 points) finished third and fourth closely behind Sycamore (22 points) and Dixon (20 points) in the team competition.

Contact: [email protected], @matttrowbridge or 815-987-1383. Matt Trowbridge has covered sports for the Rockford Register Star for over 30 years, after previous stints in North Dakota, Delaware, Vermont, and Iowa City.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Guilford, once a tennis dynasty, back on top of NIC-10 and sectionals