Trojans, Panthers compete in SEC boys tennis meet

FORT MADISON — All five of the Southeast Conference’s boys tennis teams were in Fort Madison Thursday morning for the conference meet. Fairfield and Mt. Pleasant each sent two players into the SEC singles tournament and two teams into doubles competition.

The top Union area team was Fairfield’s top doubles squad of Blake Holden and Jeremy Goodale. The Trojans’ No. 1 duo was seeded No. 3 in the bracket and finished the meet in third place.

Holden and Goodale won the third-place match in a thrilling 10-point tiebreaker against Mt. Pleasant’s top squad of Jack Schimmelpfennig and Owen Vansickel, which was the No. 4 seed. Fairfield’s top team ousted Mt. Pleasant’s 4-6, 6-3, 10-5.

Holden and Goodale went 1-1 leading up to the third-place match. They beat Fort Madison’s second team 6-0, 6-3 in the quarterfinals but fell to Keokuk’s top team 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals.

Mt. Pleasant’s top doubles team had a similar ride. Schimmelpfennig and Vansickel beat Burlington’s top team 7-6, 6-4 before falling to eventual champions Jason and Vasin Thurman of Fort Madison 6-0, 6-0 in the semifinals.

Mt. Pleasant’s second doubles team was made up of Lincoln Henriksen and Jake Ensminger. That squad ended the meet in sixth place, falling to the second Burlington squad 1-6, 6-3, 10-5 in the fifth-place match.

Fairfield’s second doubles team of Garrett Flanagan and Jace Hannes went 1-1 on the day. After losing their first match, Flanagan and Hanes ended the day with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Keokuk’s second team to take ninth.

The top area singles competitor was Mt. Pleasant’s David Nguyen, who finished fourth overall.

Nguyen was the No. 2 seed coming into the singles tournament. He defeated Fairfield’s Tristan Paton 6-1, 6-3 in the quarterfinals but was upended 6-0, 6-4 by Keokuk’s Ivan Lopez in the semifinals.

Nguyen faced Burlington’s Brendon Hale in the third-place match. Hale escaped with a 6-4, 6-4 victory.

Fairfield’s Brecken Courtright finished sixth in the singles tournament. After falling 6-4, 6-1 against Hale in the quarterfinals, Courtright outlasted Mt. Pleasant’s Levi Graber 6-3, 7-6 to advance to the fifth-place game. There he was defeated 6-1, 6-1 by Burlington’s Rich Bliesner.

Fairfield’s Paton and Mt. Pleasant’s Graber met in the seventh-place game. Graber won a thriller, taking the match 3-6, 6-1, 12-10.

Abbot Haner of Keokuk was the SEC singles champion. He beat teammate Lopez 6-1, 6-1 to claim the crown.