Congratulations TO OUR
STATECHAMPS
A State Championship is a big deal on its own. A championship signifies you, as an individual or team, reached the top of the game; you dominated competition over the course of the season and showed up when it counted, too. Now let’s talk about TEN State Championships… in a row! That is what our Girls’ Tennis program achieved just this past year! Coach Dave Hawley celebrated his 52nd State Title in October, 10th in a row coaching our Girls’ Tennis program, and the six players who sealed the deal are all top players in their own right with a combined 70+ years of experience.
Hannah Geoffroy and Sydney Lair knew heading into last season that this State Championship could be a special one. “We wanted to win no matter what – it didn’t shape how we played but it was more of a push to win. We would’ve played the same tennis, but the 10th in a row was an extra reward at the end,” Geoffroy said. Lauren Shea Conrad, Riley Ruffin, Stephanie Gentile, and Sallie Lair operated all season with their typical drive, too. “We always wanted to win,” Ruffin said. With a deep bench, though, any prospect of a State Championship “pushed all of us to work harder to earn those spots” in the top six.
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Heading into the State Tournament, all six players said, of course, their mindset was “to win!” And win they did. Now on the other side of that 10th championship in a row, the girls are thankful to have been part of Collegiate’s and Coach Hawley’s legacy. Collegiate is fortunate to have a strong pool of players, but Coach Hawley elevates top talent year after year to bring home trophy after trophy.
“It was cool that we got to be on that team for him,” Ruffin said. “I really enjoyed playing for Coach Hawley. He’s one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met. Very funny,” Conrad said. Conrad, Geoffroy, Sydney Lair, and Ruffin are all seniors, while we still get Gentile and Sallie Lair for another season next year. Regardless of class, though, each player (and countless more, undoubtedly) thanked Coach Hawley for her time at Collegiate and time at State. It’s special to bring home a championship, and especially so for a coach as decorated and yet down-to-earth as Hawley. Here’s to the next ten championships and beyond for our tennis programs. Go Spartans!
