Daily Newsletters
Account
Washington Evening Journal
111 North Marion Avenue
Washington, IA 52353
319-653-2191
Panthers, Trojans earn SEC tennis honors
Mt. Pleasant’s Vansickel, Fairfield’s Flanagan and Hannes named SEC Champions
FAIRFIELD — The boys Southeast Conference tennis season reached its climax on Thursday afternoon as SEC individual and doubles competed for the chance at conference champion.
For Mt. Pleasant and Fairfield it was a pretty successful day to say the least.
As a team, Mt. Pleasant finished atop the regular season standings with an overall record of 11-0.
The Panther’s Owen Vansickel entered the SEC tournament as the No. 1 seed.
Vansickel showed why he was given the top seed.
The Panther senior downed Keokuk’s Brendon Worster 6-3 and 6-1 to move into the semifinals.
Vansickel then dismantled Burlington’s Carson Ziegler 6-3, 6-1 to earn a spot in the final.
His opponent, No. 2 seeded Hunter Ford of Burlington.
The pair battled back and forth, but when all was said and done, Vansickel earned the title of conference champion with a pair of set wins 6-4 and 6-3.
In other singles bouts, Elliot Cook just missed a third-place finish and had to settle for fourth after a 6-4, 6-2 loss to Burlington’s Ziegler.
In doubles, Jake Ensminger and Phoenix Watson, who were the No. 2 seed, scraped and clawed their way to a spot in the finals.
The pair met up with No. 1 seeded Garrett Flanagan and Jace Hannes. The Trojan pair have been one of the best duos in the conference.
Ensminger and Watson gave it all they had, but fell to Flanagan and Hannes 6-4, 6-3.
Mt. Pleasant’s Gavin Ross and Lou Schimmelpfennig had a chance for third as well.
The pair came up short in the third-place match to Shaye Stringer and Thomas Fell of Burlington.
For the Panthers, Vansickel, along with Ensminger and Watson all claimed All-Conference honors.
For Fairfield, Flanagan and Hannes ran through the opening rounds on their way to the SEC doubles title.
The Trojan tandem won their opening match 6-1, 6-2. They followed up with another victory over Mt. Pleasant’s Schimmelpfennig and Ross 6-0, 6-4 in the semifinals.
That victory set them up with a match against Ensminger and Watson, who they eventually topped for doubles crown.
They were the lone Trojans to earn All-Conference honors.
Fairfield’s Ethan Cass and Rylan Anderson bounced back after an opening round loss.
Cass and Anderson finished fifth overall after a dominating 8-0 victory.
In singles for Fairfield, Niko Emerson finished eight overall and Rocky Galusha placed 10th.
