Emily Creek claims No. 3 singles title at state tennis championships

Decorated Niwot athlete Emily Creek called it a career at the Class 4A state tennis tournament on June 12, but not before adding one more trophy to her impressive collection. With a 7-5, 6-3 win over freshman Taylor Stadjuhar of Cheyenne Mountain, the senior claimed the championship at No. 3 singles, and led the Cougars to third place overall in the team standings, an ending that seemed out of reach a few short weeks ago.

"Everyone's really motivated," Creek said of the upstart Cougars, who started the 2021 season with a 4-3 loss to Berthoud. "Everyone's out there to be the best version of themselves that they can be on the tennis court."

It was Creek's second trip to the top of the Class 4A tennis podium, but her first as a singles player. As a freshman in 2018, she claimed a No. 4 doubles title during Niwot's state championship run, and, a year later, was state runner-up at No. 1 doubles. She was moved to No. 3 singles midway through the 2021 season, and went 5-1 in six matches, with her only loss to Kent Denver. Despite that, Creek admitted she was nervous about competing at state in the new role.

"I'd always played doubles, and I knew how to perform at state when I was playing doubles," she said. "I like to volley. That's the one thing I would say I'm good at is volleying. And when you're playing singles, you don't really volley as much, so I was kind of scared that a strong suit of mine was being taken away."

But the four-year veteran had the advantage of hard-won experience over most of her opponents, and managed to keep her focus throughout the two-day tournament, a skill that was especially useful during the championship finals when a broken blister slowed her down in the first set.

"The girl that I played in the finals plays the same style of tennis as me, but I'm a couple of years older," she said. "My nerves were under control, which was really good, because you could tell that the other girl was missing shots because she was extremely nervous. So in a way, I was stronger because I've been doing it longer."

As for the success of her less experienced teammates, Creek said that the Cougars' unusually strong team bond during the 2021 season reduced off-court tensions, and made them a stronger team for it.

"We've had drama in the past, and it's not just a waste of time, it's also not fun," she said. "This year, we kept each other motivated, and I think that really helped."

Creek's title sealed the top-three finish for Niwot, but wasn't the only highlight on the day. At No. 2 singles, junior and third-year varsity veteran Anna Sallee battled senior Tessa Rothwell of Palmer Ridge for three sets before falling 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 in the championship finals and taking the runner-up trophy.

Elsewhere for Niwot, sophomore Alys Pop lost in the No. 1 singles semi-finals (7-5, 6-1) to the eventual state champion, Lauren Manwiller from Mullen. In doubles action, juniors Caitlyn Fong and veteran Georgia Lang posted two wins at No. 1 doubles, before dropping their semi-final match to Cheyenne Mountain (6-3, 6-4), while the teams at No. 2 (Teyha Laughlin and Tracy Yu) and No. 4 doubles (Claire Butcher and Harper Behmer) were ousted in the first round.

Creek may be leaving Niwot behind, but she still has athletics in her future. In August, she is heading to the University of Northern Michigan to continue her alpine skiing career. When she wasn't on the court during her four years as a Cougar, Creek was up on the slopes for Nederland, and even won the state slalom championship as a freshman. As of now, she has no formal plans to continue playing competitive tennis, but hasn't completely ruled it out either.

As for Niwot tennis, seven of the nine 2021 state qualifiers will be back for at least one more season, and Creek sees nothing but good things in the team's future.

"They're going to be a force to be reckoned with for years to come," she said.