On April 12, the Wellington Wolverines girls tennis team won the District 4A Championship in dramatic fashion. Led by the power of Keira Uter (freshman) and the net game of Scarlett Stephens (freshman), the Wolverines were able to win the district’s deciding doubles match 6-2, 6-4.
Earlier in the day, Uter overcame her lone district loss of the year by defeating Gianna Pinaggio 6-0, 6-0. It was the most lopsided rematch to an opponent who defeated a player in school history. Lola Marecki (junior) won at #3 after falling behind 3-0. She used her consistency to win 6-4, 6-2. Stephens fought back after falling behind 4-1 in front of a lively crowd to win 7-5, 6-3.
Gracie Norick (freshman) and Samira Salizar (freshman) led the Wolverines the previous day in integral victories to set up the district title. Norick teamed up with Marecki to earn a victory at #2 doubles as well. Every victory by the Wolverines was needed for the district title.
The Wolverines will host next week’s regionals. Stephens and Uter qualified for the championship at the end of the month in Orlando. They are led by coach Sandra Besse, who has the most victories in school history for tennis. This is her first district title in her eight years as the coach after many times as runner-up.
This was the team’s first year playing at the rebuilt sports complex, which opened in 2021. Four of the five players on the team train at the Wellington Tennis Center.
