By Mark Gregory
@Hear_The_Beard
When Maddie Bauer and McCoy Hutchison were in eighth grade, the friends decided they wanted to play high school tennis together.
“We asked the coach we had freshman year if we could play doubles together and he let us,” Hutchison said.
That decision made in junior high school culminated last weekend with an IHSA Class 1A doubles state championship.
“It feels awesome,” Bauer said. “It is a great feeling to be state champions.”
The duo defeated the Benet team of Katie Telford and Pauline Neubert 6-4, 6-1 for the title – the only team that had handed the Angels a set loss all season.
“We were nervous,” Hutchison said. “They were the only team that we lost a set to all season. It really could have gone either way. We knew how they played but they knew how we played.”
Bauer and Hutchison opened their state run with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Candy Leti and Erin Wright of Urbana. They then defeated Sarah Diederich and Nicole Plumley of Marion 6-0, 6-2 before beating Kelly Rentfrow and Claire Wortman of Effingham St. Anthony’s.
In the matches leading up to the finals, JCA beat Eleanor Ruscitti and Maya Seymore of Chicago Latin 6-1, 6-3 and Emma Melichar and Madelyn Skinner of Belleville Althoff 6-1, 6-3.
The perfect run at state capped off an undefeated season for the Angel pair.
“To be undefeated and win state title was great,” Bauer said. “There was a lot of pressure in conference, sectional and state, but Maddie and I play better under pressure.”
The title also helped JCA take second place in state with 21 points, falling to Benet by one.
“We worked hard for this and to get that and to get a team,” Bauer said. “It was great to be able to compete with schools our size this year. This will be something that will always be there when we come back and visit.”
The doubles team was not the only ones that helped JCA to the state trophy as freshman Mia Bertino went 4-2 at the state meet.
Bertino opened with three wins in a row, starting with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Laurynn Mize of Sycamore.
She then defeated Emilee Mossman of St. Anthony’s, 6-0, 6-1 and Haley Fakouri of Fenwick 6-3, 6-2.
Bertino’s first loss came at the hands of Madison Tattini of Bloomington Central Catholic 6-2, 6-0. She then defeated Kylie McCarthy of Troy Triad 6-2, 6-1, before being eliminated 7-6 (5), 6-2 in a second match with Fakouri.
“It is crazy,” Bertino. “Tennis isn’t popular and people don’t alwaya pay attention to it, but we showed we are good and brought more attention to our sport.”
In Class 2A, Joliet’s Eileen Carney went 3-2 in the meet, while Lockport’s Tomi Jo Mansel and Mary Kate Bucheitt went 2-2, while the team of Kaitlyn Graves and Brianna Hillock were 1-2.