4 minute read
3 MAC Teams Win USTA League Sectional Championships
Stand proud, MAC Tennis! Of the five 40+ teams that qualified for the PNW Sectional Championships, three of them made it to the cherished finals on Sunday, Aug. 27.
The men, captained by Patrick Herbst and Joe Conyard, and the women, captained by Linda Lovett and Shannon Bilstrom, showed that MAC’s 4.0 level tennis is some of the best in Portland. But it was not to be in getting all five teams to the last day.
Finals Sunday started off bright and early with the 2.5 women, led by Laurel Soot. The women battled hard and clinched the match with the first two doubles to come off the court. Singles was a tightly contested match ending a 10-point tiebreaker. MAC was kept from a clean sweep of all three matches, but the title is in the hands of: Laurel Soot, Nancy Yen Shipley, Anne Mangan, Andria Shirk, Grace Hahn, Heather Edwards, Erin Dineen, Sarah Fredericks, and Milenka Coltman.
Unfortunately, the USTA does not have a national championship for the 40+ 2.5 division, so these women will have to settle for “only” being the best in the Pacific Northwest. Congrats to everyone on the team. Great effort all season!
Next on the docket for finals Sunday was Charlie Adams’ 3.5 team. After a dominant start in pool play, the men showed the value of a deep roster as they rested some gents to be ready on Sunday. And ready they were! Facing off against fellow Portlanders from The Irvington Club, MAC men put on a performance that captivated onlookers. These gentlemen will be the first team to head to Arizona and try to bring back a national championship. Good luck to: Charlie Adams, Ernesto Bruce, John Convery, Matthew Casimo, Michael Doherty, Chris Hasle, Freed Buckman, Jeremy Fields, Michael Lee, Devin McMasters, Brian Clare, Scott Vanderhoff, James Thomas, Fenn Bourland, Derek Lamprecht, and Jonathan Howe.
The last MAC match of the day were the big hitters of the 4.5 division. The all-MAC team, captained by Andrew Nilsson, faced off against a team of top players put together from throughout Portland. With a truly gutsy effort by the entire squad, these men had the
Charlie Adams, Ernesto Bruce, John Convery, Matthew Casimo, Michael Doherty, Chris Hasle, Freed Buckman, Jeremy Fields, Michael Lee, Devin McMasters, Brian Clare, Scott Vanderhoff, James Thomas, Fenn Bourland, Derek Lamprecht, and Jonathan Howe crowd hanging on every point. As the tension mounted, MAC only looked stronger. They may have been the underdogs, but there are reasons tennis is played on the court and not on paper. In a huge upset, MAC won! Hats off and good luck to: Andrew Nilsson, Dirk Koopman, Greg Masson, Ben Yang, Jimmy Crumpacker, Todd Siegel, Dan Larsen, Brad Miller, Bryan Ward, David Squire, David Wiley, and Doug Post.
It was a great weekend for MAC Tennis, and with three teams winning championships, there will be a few banner ceremonies at the Holiday Smash in December. Truly, though, it was the MAC Tennis community and camaraderie that really stood out. There was not one match with a crowd larger or louder than the MAC fanbase. The MAC community should be proud of the tennis that fellow members played and prouder of the community here at the club!
