PREP TENNIS: Rickert rolls to title, Sandpoint finishes eighth at Inland Empire Tourney
MAX OSWALD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 7 months AGO
Sandpoint's Pepper Rickert receives her first-place medal after winning the No. 1 girls singles division at the 77th annual Inland Empire tennis tournament.
(Courtesy Photo)
From left, Nathan Duke, Ethan Ballard, Colby Dyk, Elly Tutin, Aubrey Knowles, and Sydney Webb are all smiles after fighting their way through various consolation brackets this past weekend.
I grew up in the small town of Orwigsburg, Pa., where I resided all of my life before moving to Sandpoint. I attended Blue Mountain High School, where I participated in cross country and track and field, a sport that I ended up falling in love with. I went on to attend and run for DeSales University (with other brief stints at Susquehanna University and Elizabethtown College) and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sport communication with a minor in sport management. I remember just how great it made me feel when I was mentioned in my hometown newspaper. I want to be able to give that feeling to every athlete in Bonner County, no matter how big or small their accomplishments are. As an athlete myself, I know how many hours of work are put in on a daily basis, and that hard work deserves to be recognized. It is my goal to cover as much of the Bulldogs, Spartans and Wampus Cats as I can. I want to work with every athlete, parent, coach, administrator and the community to ensure the best stories are published. | April 29, 2024 1:45 PM
MEAD — Pepper Rickert was named the No. 1 girls singles grand champion, and all Sandpoint players who participated won at least one match as the Bulldogs placed eighth at the 77th annual Inland Empire Tournament, the largest high school tennis tournament in the nation, held April 26-27 at various Spokane area parks and high schools.
Rickert, a freshman, was perfect in four of her five matches and only lost one game en route to the title. Rickert defeated the following, in order, to claim the championship: Annie Camp, Gonzaga Prep (6-0, 6-0); Lauren Lubbe, Lewis and Clark (6-0, 6-0); Danielle Cozzetto, Shadle Park (6-0, 6-0); Avi Sahota, Chewelah (6-1, 6-0); and Maddy Nesbit, Lake City (6-0, 6-0). Rickert is now the No. 1 ranked tennis player in Idaho across all divisions.
In the No. 1 girls doubles consolation bracket, Aubrey Knowles and Sydney Webb took second place. Ethan Ballard and Nathan Duke took third in the No. 1 boys doubles consolation bracket. In No. 2 mixed doubles, Elly Tutin and Colby Dyk tied for third (match rained out) in the consolation bracket.
There was a total of 57 schools and 860 athletes who participated at this year’s tournament. Sandpoint finished eighth with 79 points. Mead won the overall team title with 196 points.
Sandpoint hosts Lake City on Tuesday.
TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS
GIRLS SINGLES — No. 1 Pepper Rickert, Sandpoint, d. Maddy Nesbit, Lake City, 6-0, 6-0. No. 2 Simi Sahota, Chewelah, d. Madison Orr, University, 6-3, 6-0.
BOYS SINGLES — No. 1 Matthew Morrison, Richland, d. Adam Tan, Hanford, 6-3, 6-2. No. 2 Emerson Leong, Hanford, d. Samuel Mandel, Coeur d'Alene, 6-3, 6-3.
GIRLS DOUBLES — No. 1 Lexi Mattox/Josie Kellogg, Mead, d. Ivy Tweedy/Zanna Orvalo, West Valley (Yakima), 6-0, 6-1. No. 2 Kiera Hayes/Devyn Hoppe, Mead, d. Daphne Rabinovitch/Charlotte Burns, Lewis and Clark, 6-3, 6-2. No. 3 Jaycee Oglesbee/Addison Oglesbee, Mead, d. Maria Longo/Stella Taylor, Ridgeline, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.
BOYS DOUBLES — No. 1 Will Rojan/Pete Kegley, West Valley (Yakima), d. Bryce Lynd/Charlie Ring, Mead, 2-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(2). No. 2 Will Barclay/Robbie Wrigley, Mead, d. Kairos Kolarsky/Jaden Walter, Lewis and Clark, 6-2, 7-6(3). No. 3 Josh Knaggs/Nate Shannon, Mead, d. Josh Raj/Mikah Gilroy, West Valley (Yakima), 6-2, 6-3.
MIXED DOUBLES — No. 1 Amelie Gregoire/Caleb Dickinson, Moses Lake, d. Addison Mills/Josh Mullings, Ephrata, 7-6(4), 6-3. No. 2 Macie Ladd/Benjamin Michael, Selah, d. Joseph Nixon/Liliana Campos, Mt. Spokane, 6-0, 6-3.
TEAM SCORES — 1, Mead 196; 2, Lewis and Clark 146; 3, West Valley (Yakima) 135; 4, Hanford 134; 5, Richland 109; 6, University 108; 7, Coeur d'Alene 92; 8, Sandpoint 79; 9, Chewelah 75; 10, Central Valley 71; 11, Mt. Spokane 67; 12, Lake City 65; 13, Ferris 59; T14, Ridgeline, Wenatchee 57; 16, Gonzaga Prep 54; 17, Pullman 50; 18, East Valley 48; 19, Selah 46; 20, West Valley 46; 21, Moses Lake 45; T22, Chelan, North Central 44; 24, Chiawana 43; T25, CDA Charter, Post Falls 42; 27, Ellensburg 40; 28, Shadle Park 39; 29, Cheney 38; 30, East Valley (Yakima) 38; 31, Ephrata 37; 32, Walla Walla 36; T33, Newport, Royal City, Toppenish 32; 36, Rogers 31; 37, Othello 27; 38, Davis 26; T39, Connell, Prosser 25; 41, Medical Lake 23; 42, Lind-Ritzville-Sprague 19; 43, Naches Valley 19; 44, Lakeland 18; T45, Kennewick, Omak 17; T47, La Salle, Lakeside, Moscow, Riverside 16; 51, St. George's 15; 52, Colville 12; 53, Wapato 9; T54, Deer Park, Grandview 8; 56, Kettle Falls 7; 57, Clark Fork 6.
From left, Nathan Duke, Ethan Ballard, Colby Dyk, Elly Tutin, Aubrey Knowles, and Sydney Webb are all smiles after fighting their way through various consolation brackets this past weekend. ARTICLES BY MAX OSWALD
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