Schweikert takes third for Kats at state tennis tourney
Columbia Falls' John Gilk hits a return in a boys' doubles consolation match with teammate Camryn Lingle in the Class A State Tennis Tournament at Flathead Valley Community College on Friday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Columbia Falls' Hannah Schweikert hits a return in a girls' singles match against Miles City's Emily Toennis at the Class A State Tennis Tournament at Flathead Valley Community College on Thursday. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Hannah Schweikert fought her way back from a second-round loss to earn third place at the Class A state tennis tournament over the weekend while the boys doubles team of John Gilk and Camryn Lingle earned sixth place.
Schweikert closed out the tourney by downing defending state champion Shea McGuinness of Polson 6-0, 6-2 in the consolation final.
Schweikert opened the tournament with a hard-fought win over Emily Toennis of Miles City in the opening round Thursday, 7-6 (9), 7-5 before falling to eventual runner-up Bobbi Lima of Livingston in the second round, 6-3, 6-4.
Undeterred, Schweikert closed out the opening day with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Belgrade’s Hannah Stokke.
Schweikert picked up three more wins Friday, opening with a 7-6 (7), 6-0 win over Hamilton’s Eliana Foss before defeating Butte Central’s Tricia Joyce 6-1, 6-1 to advance to the third-place game against McGuinness.
The third-place finish for Schweikert comes one week after she fought her way to a second-place at the Western A Divisional Tournament, also in Kalispell.
Gilk and Lingle opened the tournament with a three-set win over Jaymark Liedele and Ryan Hubbard of Corvallis, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 before falling to Havre’s Tommy Brown and Tyrel Kjersen, 6-3, 6-2. They bounced back with a 6-4, 7-6 (7) win over Polson’s Anton Lefthand and Trevor Shultz.
Gilk and Lingle defeated Butte Central’s Aidan Petritz and Guido Ossello 6-4, 6-4 to open play Thursday before falling to Whitefish’s Mark Anderson and Colter Upton 6-3, 6-2. Gilk and Lingle lost in a rematch with Liedle and Hubbard in the fifth-place match, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.
Gilk and Lingle, who finished second at the divisional tournament, went 1-2 at the state meet last season.
Niels Getts was also in action at the tournament, falling Hardin’s Famous Lefthand in the opening round, 6-1, 6-3.