MORGANTOWN — Out of nearly 45 matches in the Class AAA Region I tournament Thursday and Friday on the boys’ side, it wasn’t until the next to last match for the championship to be decided between University and Morgantown.
A win by UHS’s No. 2 doubles Jameson Walters and Jack Giobbia finally clinched the team title for the Hawks, but it was a battle that proved Monongalia County is climbing the ranks as one of the top tennis powers in West Virginia.
Of the 14 championship matches between boys and girls, nine were between MHS and UHS with the Mohigans girls having the upper hand, while the Hawks held the advantage for the boys.
“On the boys’ side, it was maturity all year,” UHS head coach Tom McClellan said. “Overall, it was a great year for maturity and growth for the boys this year.”
To claim individual titles for the Hawks were single No. 1 Andre Barcinas, No. 3 Walters, doubles No. 1 Barcinas/Tommy McClellan and the previously mentioned No. 2 doubles.
No. 2 singles Tommy McClellan was the runner-up and also qualified for the state tournament, schedule for June 3-5 in Charleston.
For the Mohigans, singles No. 2 Max Phillips-Hartley, No. 4 Bennett Hall and doubles No. 3 Dake Lasala/Doug Liu claimed titles.
No. 1 singles Ataes Aggarwal, No. 3 singles Adien Aggarwal, No. 1 doubles, Ataes Aggarwal/Phillips-Hartley and No. 2 doubles Hall/Adien Aggarwal were runners-up in their respective brackets, also qualifying for states.
With the rise in success across boys’ and girls’ tennis at both schools, McClellan believes it may be time to visit the idea of public tennis facilities to continue to grow interest in the sport locally.
“I think we have a good tennis community, but it needs to get better,” he said. “I come from Charleston where the tennis community is very strong. There is a lot of core support, but we need better courts. When you travel to Parkersburg and the Eastern Panhandle, the courts are amazing. We really need an investment from the community level to take tennis to the next level.
“We have the athletes here and we have the kids interested in playing. We have the interest, now we need the support from the community. I hope that resonates with some people in the local government.”
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