There were plenty of familiar winners Saturday at the Alaska State Tennis Tournament.
West High continued its dominant run of state titles by taking the team competition. The Eagles’ top girls player, Lana Cebrian, notched her second state singles title.
Likewise, the Chugiak girls doubles team of Mary Jo Landon and Timber Fleischhacker repeated as champions.
But several newcomers joined the winners circle as well.
Juneau-Douglas senior Elliot Welch used a straight set victory to become the first boys singles champion in the history of the school.
And the mixed doubles team of Evan Dimmick and Emery Bryan earned the first state tennis title of any type for the Wolves.
Welch had to win a battle with West’s Boden Mason in the quarterfinals before topping Dimond’s Todd Debenham in straight sets for two straight matches to take the title.
“Everyone that made it to state made it for a reason, so everyone’s really good,” Welch said.
While Juneau-Douglas has produced state champions before, it never had in the boys singles competition.
“Already winning it is cool,” he said. “I didn’t know going through the whole season that it would be the first. My coaches did know, they just didn’t want to tell. Probably a good thing but it’s really cool.”
The scrappy Eagles team of Dimmick and Bryan cruised in the first set against Marais Anderson and Leif Anderson of Lathrop but needed a tiebreaker in the second set.
The team erupted into cheers after taking the final point.
“We came into regionals and state just trying to do our best, diving for balls, bleeding, sweating, just giving it everything we got,” Dimmick said.
Bryan said the team’s ability to stay in the present helped them to the state title.
“Just keeping each other positive is the best thing,” she said. “Making sure none of us hangs our head. Just focus on this point and have fun.”
Cebrian battled Chugiak’s Emerson Sims in a pair of epic matches over the course of the tournament.
In the semifinals, Cebrian won 5-7, 6-4, 1-0 (10-3) to advance to the final. But in the double elimination tournament, the two seniors met again with another competitive battle.
Cebrian won that one as well, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4.
She said the two battles drained her.
“I’m tired,” she said, adding with a laugh. ”I want to go to sleep. I didn’t drink enough electrolytes.