Niwot takes second at state championships

Niwot tennis coach Miikka Keronen normally isn’t one to be content with a second-place finish, but even he had a hard time finding fault with the Cougars’ performance at last weekend’s Class 4A state tournament in Pueblo. Niwot placed a finalist in five of the seven championship matches and had two more in Saturday’s playback finals. Unfortunately, they ran up against an opponent that came within one match of making it into the Class 4A tennis record books.

“I felt like we did not underachieve,” Keronen said. “The Colorado Academy team that won it was amazing, and we were right there with them, so we were happy.”

Niwot ended the weekend with 71 team points, and finished as runner-up to the historically dominant Mustangs, who claimed individual titles in six of seven positions and came within one game of a sweep.

Niwot players claimed the second spot in five of those lines, including at No. 2 singles, where Riley Black was a state runner-up for the second time in his career. Black dropped just two games in the early rounds, but had to work a little to beat Oliver Greenwald of Kent Denver in the semi-finals (6-2, 6-3). He fell to CA’s Clark Steinhauser (6-2, 6-0) in the finals, and ended his impressive high school career with three top-three finishes at the Class 4A state championships.

Seniors Manas Saini and Riley Mulshine capped off their high school tennis careers with second-place finishes at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles (with Sam Keronen and Anton Lavrouk, respectively). as did senior Jon Lee at No. 4 doubles, with partner Xavier Moy. Making his second appearance in the state championships, but his first for Niwot, junior transfer Ben Bicknell claimed second at No. 3 singles.

Niwot fell short of the finals in just two brackets: No. 3 doubles, where senior Sam Bickham and sophomore Ivan Calderon finished fourth overall, and No. 1 singles, where sophomore Neil Wilcox fell to eventual state champion Richter Jordaan in the semifinals, but came back to win the playback round to claim third overall.

“Having 11 guys standing on the podium on seven different spots is unbelievable,” Keronen said. “Nobody folded like a chair. Everybody played good. Usually, always somebody folds like a chair and that’s kind of too bad, but it happens. That’s just how sports works.”

After a fourth-place finish at the 2017 state championships, Keronen and the Cougars stepped up their off-season training and set their sights on powerhouse teams CA and Kent Denver. That hard work paid off during the regular season, which saw a disciplined Niwot squad go 10-1 and pick up its first-ever win at the Kent Denver Invite, an elite late-season tournament that serves as a warm-up to state.

“The team unity was amazing this year,” Keronen said. “It’s the best I’ve seen in 29 seasons coaching boys and girls.”

Though they fell short of their ultimate goal of a state title, Keronen said this year’s squad lived up his high expectations and left a strong blueprint for future success.

“I think everything went according to plan,” Keronen said of the 2018 season. “You also need a little bit of luck, and for everyone to stay healthy and focused. Obviously we would have liked to win some of those Saturday finals, and we had some opportunities there. But that didn’t happen this time, so we’ll be happy with this right now and start back soon.”