The 2010’s was the greatest decade in the history of Edwardsville tennis. As we turn our sights to new frontiers, it’s worth remembering how much those within the program accomplished during the last 10 years.
TEAMS
Both the boys and girls teams saw great success in the 2010s. The girls dominated Southwestern Conference play, taking nine titles. They added 7 IHSA sectional titles to this impressive tally as well. The girls also finished in the top 10 at state four times this decade, after historically having only three top-10 finishes. The best was a 5th place mark in 2016 behind the stellar doubles play of Morgan Colbert and Grace Desse, who became the first EHS girls doubles team to advance to the state semifinals. Their individual 4th place was not only the highest individual finish in school history, but also secured the girls best-ever team finish. The Tigers had matched their previous high of 7th place the year before.
Not to be outdone, the boys team outstripped any of their past accomplishments, continuing an unbroken streak of conference titles stretching back to 2001, currently numbering 19 consecutive years. They claimed the IHSA sectional title in 9 of the decade’s ten years (only 2018 escaped their grasp). After only finishing in the top 10 at state twice in their previous history, the Tigers managed it six times in the 2010s, with a 6th place finish in 2013 their highest of the decade and 2nd highest all-time. Due to their spring season, the boys also began competition in the DecoTurf High School National Championships, held first in Louisville and then Chattanooga. EHS’s patience was rewarded in 2018, when they captured the C Division title to earn the program’s first national championship, with Zach Trimpe named the C Division’s Most Valuable Player (an honor he repeated in 2019).
By far the highlight for the boys’ program this decade was sustained success in doubles. In 2012, Justin Leskera and Cameron Randall claimed 4th place at the state tournament, the highest individual finish in school history. Four years later, the sophomore-freshman duo of Alex Gray and Zach Trimpe matched that mark with a 4th place finish of their own. The next year, on Saturday May 27, 2017, Alex and Zach made history when they won the 2A doubles state tournament, giving Edwardsville tennis its first-ever state title. It was the first state title by any players south of Chicago since 1923.
PLAYERS
Edwardsville players soared to new and historic heights in the past decade. For the first time, several Tigers were selected to play at the Div. I level, with Brandon Harris, Jack Desse, Zach Trimpe, Callaghan Adams, and Emily Lombardi breaking into new atmospheres.
Nearly every individual high school record was also shattered during the 2010s. On the girls’ side, Callaghan Adams claimed the no. 1 place in all-time wins, with teammate Morgan Colbert behind her at no. 2. Adams' standing is more impressive by her playing no. 1 singles all four years in dual matches and tournaments. The all-time boys wins list changed hands several times, with Justin Leskera and Cameron Randall claiming the 1-2 spots when they graduated in 2012. By decade’s end, however, Zach Trimpe stood atop the standings; like Adams, Trimpe also played no. 1 singles the entirety of his career. For both the boys and girls teams, the majority of the top-10 all-time wins list consists of players from the 2010s.
Numerous Tigers earned all-conference and all-state honors this decade. Two doubles teams, Morgan Colbert and Grace Desse, and Abby Cimarolli and Natalie Karibian were 1st-Team all-state for the girls. In addition to being the Tigers' all-time wins leader, Callaghan Adams also shined brighter than any girl in the program at the state level, twice reaching the main draw 3rd round in singles, and the 6th round consolation in singles her junior year. Both are girls singles program highs, and only two boys players have ever finished higher. Adams was also a 3-time all-state honoree, and would have been the first EHS girl to be all-state all four years had the state tournament not split into two classes her senior year. As it stands, her 3rd-team all-state award is the highest honor for any Tigers girls singles player, and capped a historic career that included 4 singles sectional championships.
The boys counted Justin Leskera, Cameron Randall, Alex Gray (2x), Zach Trimpe (3x), Seth Lipe, and Gabo Montanari as 1st-Team honorees. In addition to his doubles title, Zach’s 7th place singles finish in 2018 was the 2nd-highest finish by a Tigers singles player all-time (his 9th place finish in 2019 is the 3rd-highest). In the summer of 2019, Zach was named a High School All-American, the first EHS tennis player to receive such an award.
The following Edwardsville players competed in college tennis during the 2010s (Div. 1 starred):
Callaghan Adams (SIUE)*
Paige Bequette (Millikin)
Casey Bonham (Lindenwood)
Tim Bryant (UMSL)
Tess Butler (nee Severin) (Truman State)
Michael Chamberlain (Olivet Nazarene/SIUE)
Emily Cimarolli (McKendree)
Morgan Colbert (Illinois Institute of Technology)
Alicia Cullen (Olivet Nazarene)
Greg Czajowski (University of Illinois-Springfield/Northern Illinois)
Jack Desse (SIUE)*
Alex Gray (Wisconsin-Whitewater)
Brandon Harris (SLU)*
Austin Highley (SIUE)
Sara Janulavich (McKendree)
Stephanie Lee (nee Clark) (SIUE)
Justin Leskera (McKendree)
Seth Lipe (Occidental)
Emily Lombardi (Fairfield)*
Maddie Lombardi (Augustana, where she is the all-time leader in doubles victories)
Annie McGinnis (Quincy)
Morgan McGinnis (Quincy)
Cameron Randall (McKendree)
Kirk Schlueter (Truman State)
Drake Schreiber (Guilford)
Madyson Schreiber (St. Mary’s/Guilford)
Mark Sturley (Truman State)
Jared Smith (Lewis and Clark)
Zach Trimpe (Butler)*
Erik Weiler (Quincy)
Logan Ware (McKendree)
The 2010s also saw the foundation of the Edwardsville Tennis Alumni Association, dedicated to helping former and current Tigers stay in touch. Helped by Coach Lipe’s stellar social media presence, the alumni group helps everyone remain a part of Edwardsville tennis no matter where they travel (and our alumni have done some traveling). The highlight each year is the Holiday Alumni Match, held the week of Christmas at the Edwardsville YMCA.
COACHES
Coach Lipe hit historic marks as the decade closed, securing 400 career girls wins in the fall of 2018 and 400 career boys wins in spring 2019 for a career wins total surpassing 800 victories.
Two assistant coaches—Paul Stuart and Bob Myers—were named Illinois Assistant Coach of the Year this decade. The award might have meant a little less to Coach Myers, who in 2014 was inducted into the ITA Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame for his dazzling career coaching the men’s and women’s teams at SIUE (he is the only coach in NCAA history to win Coach of the Year for both men’s and women’s tennis).
FACILITIES
The Edwardsville Tennis Center grew more and more beautiful with each year, including the planting of new trees and flowers, as well as the allotment of new bleachers allowing for increased seating throughout the complex. Thanks to generous support from the District and the EGHM Foundation, two courts are resurfaced each year, meaning the entire facility is resurfaced every four years. More recent improvements include upgrading the court’s lights to allow for better visibility for night matches. We say it a lot, but we still think it’s true: the high school courts remain the best public facility in the state of Illinois.
EDWARDSVILLE FUTURES
By far the greatest addition to Edwardsville tennis this decade was the Edwardsville Futures. Inaugurated in 2011, since its creation this tournament has been both the only professional tennis in St. Louis and the world’s only professional tennis tournament held at a high school. The weeklong tournament in early August spotlights the fantastic tennis community in Edwardsville like nothing else, and each year players and referees alike marvel at the area’s enthusiasm for tennis.
Edwardsville Futures alumni have won 46 ATP titles and have reached six Grand Slam quarterfinals or better; our 2011 doubles champion, John Peers, won the 2017 Australian Open in doubles, has twice been the ATP Tour Finals doubles champion, and has been ranked as high as no. 2 in the world. Tennys Sandgren, our 2016 doubles champion, reached the quarterfinals of the 2018 Australian Open, defeating Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem along the way, only to fall to another former Futures participant, Hyeon Chung (who also defeated Novak Djokovic). Other tournament highlights include our inaugural singles champion Blake Strode, a St. Louis native, and former Illinois high school singles champion Evan King, who claimed the title in 2015.
The true highlight of the Edwardsville Futures each year is the outpouring of community support we receive each year from local businesses and partners. At last count, 55 community organizations contribute to and support the Futures, not even including our amazing volunteers and spectators. An underappreciated highlight of the 2010s were the Futures ball kids. Made up of juniors from the Edwardsville tennis camps, these youngsters blow everyone away every year with their professionalism and dedication on-court. In 2014, the Edwardsville Futures ball kids were selected by the USTA St. Louis District to be the ball kids for the United States-France Fed Cup match in St. Louis.
ETA/TTC
It comes last on this list, but is nowhere near last in our hearts: the Edwardsville Tennis Academy and Tiger Tennis Camps remain a vital part of Edwardsville tennis, serving as both a developmental backbone for the high school programs, a launching pad for junior success, and a great fitness-focused activity for kids of all ages. Both ETA and TTC broke attendance records this decade, and we remain proud to offer hitting programs year-round. New innovations this decade include twice-weekly fitness programs in the summer, opening winter fitness programs to kids of all ages, partnering with Nxt Level training, and adding yoga during the winter. Every facet of our program remains designed to help our players improve mentally, physically, emotionally, technically, and tactically not just in tennis, but in life as well.
AULD LANG SYNE
Easily the greatest moment of the decade was the night Zach and Alex won the state title in 2017. It was the weekend of Memorial Day, and as soon as the title was won, the alumni text chains lit up. By the time the Tigers arrived back in Edwardsville, more than 50 alumni, fans and community friends were waiting at the high school. In the hours that followed, everyone took pictures with everyone: men and women, boys and girls, young and old. It was a rare moment that should happen more often, but usually doesn’t: a sense of recognition and coming together.
It’s been a remarkable decade, and the success of Edwardsville tennis isn’t owed to just one player or coach. It remains a group effort, something defined when people come together and strive for achievements greater than themselves. To everyone who was a part of Edwardsville tennis in even the smallest way in the 2010s, thank you. And now, onward.
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