Marquette, Racine Prairie dominate on way to titles
MADISON – The process for Marquette at the WIAA Division 1 boys state team tournament has been simple: reload and repeat.
The Hilltoppers clinched their third straight state team title on Saturday with a 5-2 victory against Neenah at Nielsen Tennis Stadium. Marquette has won 10 out of the last 11 championships.
Madison West coach John Braxler said Marquette's talent is enviable, considering the program draws some of the state's top youth players. Two of seven freshmen who auditioned for the team, made the squad.
“That's a great problem to have,” said Braxler, whose Regents lost, 7-0, to Marquette in the semifinals earlier on Saturday.
“It would be nice to take matches off of them some year in the future. They have a very good pipeline that keeps them strong. Our strength is depth, but they have better strength and depth.”
Marquette swept all six doubles flights, including at No. 1 for seniors John Massart and Ethan Budiono, who bested Neenah seniors Grant Mauthe and Carter Brown, 6-1, 6-1.
Massart and Budiono, who won the state title at the WIAA Division 1 boys individual state tournament, finished the season with a 16-0 record.
Sophomore Sam Keller and senior Teddy Brodzinski are proof that no matter the class or experience, Marquette stays loaded for success.
The No. 3 doubles duo outlasted Neenah seniors Grayson Asbury and Jackson Fieldhack, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. After the flight, the four shared genuine back pats and handshakes at the net in front of a raucous crowd.
Asbury and Fieldhack gained momentum in the second set, when Keller and Brodzinski missed returns and stumbled with serves.
“It's our last match as seniors,” Brodzinski said about competing against Asbury and Fieldhack. “I'm almost glad it went to three sets.”
Marquette coach David Frank is a proponent of preparing for team state tournament above all else, and Brodzinski has bought into that philosophy.
“The team shouldn't be based on seniority, it should be based on who plays better,” Brodzinski said. “Other teams do that and it's been their demise because they haven't made team state.”
On the other end of the spectrum, sometimes experience helps in dealing with defeat.
In the final flight on Saturday with the title already decided, Neenah senior Jackson Atassi beat Marquette freshman Joel Pan, 1-6, 6-1 (10-8). After the tiebreaker, Pan threw his racket at the net before shaking Atassi's hand.
“Team state is a very emotional tournament, and it does get the better of players from time to time,” Frank said.
This season marked the second at the varsity level for Keller and the first for Brodzinski.
In Division 2, Racine Prairie won its first boys state team championship in program history with a 6-1 victory over Madison Edgewood, the defending state team champs.
The Hawks (22-4) strung together 19 straight victories after a 2-4 mark to start the season. They beat Edgewood, 5-2, in the first dual of the regular season.
Prairie coach Nich Schaefer said winning the first set in all flights but two at team state served as a confidence boost throughout day. The Hawks upended Kohler, 6-1, in the semifinals.
“Taking an individual sport and making a team was what we preached – everybody is worth one point,” Schaefer said.
“When you see players ahead of you win, confidence will grow, which will lead them to be open on the court and less nervous. That was the domino effect.”