Student-Athlete of the Week: Sam Keronen

Captain Sam Keronen has one goal for his upcoming senior tennis season: win the elusive Class 4A state championship for Niwot.

"I want to win it individually and I want to win as a team," he said. "I think this could be the year we take it home."

Cougar tennis has long been considered one of the elite high school programs in Colorado, but the boys have yet to claim the sport's top prize. Both Keronen and the Cougars have come close before, most recently in 2018, when Niwot finished second overall at the state meet, behind a historically dominant Colorado Academy team. Keronen, a sophomore at the time, also finished in second to CA, at No. 1 doubles with partner Manas Saini.

In 2019, Niwot finished third overall at the state meet, thanks to a win at No. 1 singles by Keronen's senior teammate, Neil Wilcox. Keronen, on the other hand, lost in the first round of the No. 2 singles bracket, and was forced to daydream about 2020 while watching his teammates compete for two more days.

Needless to say, 2020 hasn't exactly turned out like Keronen expected either. But that hasn't lessened his dedication to regrouping and making a final run at the Class 4A title. So far, he's off to a great start, with four straight wins in a week and some interesting competition coming up on the schedule.

"I was fortunate enough to get to play every day," he said of his off-season schedule. "I really just worked on everything because last year I was just kind of weak all over. This year I've tried to polish things that really needed some polish. I definitely made good use of my time."

Of course, it's easy to make good use of your off-season time when your head coach is also your father. Miikka Keronen, a native of Finland and former competitive tennis player, is now in his 18th year as head coach at Niwot. He said it's "fun" to coach his son rather than frustrating, a comment that prompted a knowing chuckle from Sam.

"I think it's more frustrating for me," Sam said. "Sometimes it can be hard to listen to him on the court, but I just have to remember that on the court he's my coach, and off the court he's my dad. But I do love him being my coach."

Miikka Keronen shares his son's outlook for the Cougars in 2020, especially after the work Sam and teammates put in over the summer.

"He's at a totally different level this year," the coach said.

Through his father, Sam has had the opportunity to play extensively in Finland and other European venues, which benefited his game immensely over the years, he said.

"In Europe, I trained on clay, which helped my stamina and also helped me get a little quicker."

Sam Keronen wasn't quite sure how to answer when asked what he does when he's not on the court for Niwot, but one thing he isn't doing is attending classes there every day. He still has tennis, but the isolation has been an adjustment for the affable 12th-grader.

"I'm happy to be a senior, but at the same time it's just super weird not being able to see my friends at school. This whole online thing, it's just hard to get used to."

He is in the early stages of planning for life after high school, which he fully intends will include tennis, ideally at the Division I level. He is still formulating his career aspiration, and hopes to work in a field related to sports.