Sehome is sending four tennis players to the state tournament in May 2023 following the conclusion of the 2A District 1 tournament. The Mariners also took home the district team championship with their performance as a group.
Calvin Kraynak and Whitt Gresham lost 7-5, 6-3 in the district championship doubles match on Oct. 17, before bouncing back to win the consolation final on Oct. 18 at the Bellingham Training and Tennis Club.
The duo defeated Anacortes pair Matthew Rutz and Sawyer Nichols 6-1, 6-1 to secure their spot in the 2A state tournament.
“We’ve worked [for this] for four years, so it feels really good,” Gresham said.
It will be both Kraynak and Gresham’s first trip to state. Kraynak said he and Gresham had to focus after losing in the district championship if they wanted to achieve the goal they had been working so hard for.
“For me, it was just trying to start this match like the other one didn’t happen,” Kraynak said.
Sehome’s Nathan Gruman also advanced to the state tournament following a bounce-back win. Gruman lost to teammate Zach Chai in the singles district championship on Oct. 17 and capitalized on his second opportunity to continue playing in the spring.
Gruman defeated Bellingham’s Jacob Kuhn 6-1, 6-1 on Oct. 19 in the consolation final.
The boys tennis 2A state tournament will be held at the Nordstrom Tennis Center in Seattle May 26–27, 2023.
