From May 1-3, freshmen Chase Atkins, Maria Navarro, and Milana Ronert, and sophomore Ishe Makoni all competed in the 2024 Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) 1A tennis state tournament.
During the district tournament on April 16th and 17th, both the girls’ and boys’ tennis teams emerged victorious, securing Atkins and Makoni’s automatic berths in the FHSAA 1A individual doubles tournament as the top-seeded doubles pair for the boys’ team, while Navarro and Ronert also earned their spots in the same event. Additionally, Atkins and Navarro earned automatic bids for the FHSAA 1A individual singles tournament by holding the #1 seed for their respective teams and by winning the individual district tournament.
Although both the girls’ and boys’ teams fell short in winning regionals to qualify as a full team for the FHSAA 1A overall tournament, Atkins, Makoni, Navarro, and Ronert as the top seeds in singles and doubles, had the opportunity to compete individually.
In the state tournament, the #1 singles player on each of the four complete teams participated in a bracket, with the winners advancing to the FHSAA 1A overall singles tournament. Similarly, the top doubles teams competed, with the champions progressing to the FHSAA 1A overall doubles tournament.
As the top singles seed, Atkins competed in the 1A individual singles tournament but lost in the quarterfinals. Similarly, Makoni and Atkins competed in the 1A individual doubles tournament, where they were also eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Navarro emerged victorious in the individual singles tournament, subsequently advancing to the overall singles tournament but lost in the finals. Ronert and Navarro won the individual doubles tournament but fell short in the overall doubles tournament finals.
Winning the individual singles and doubles tournament is no small feat: it takes talent, teamwork, and an unwavering drive to excel at every serve, volley, and match point.
Navarro is thrilled to have won the individual state tournaments and is excited to continue to improve in the upcoming years.
“It feels awesome to know that you have a state title under your belt. It’s a really nice feeling. The team was always supporting me and texting me good luck, asking for updates which meant a lot to me. I’m really looking forward to next tennis season and getting even better,” Navarro expressed.
