Shorewood Girls Tennis Team 3rd at State

Front row from left: Coach April Thompson, Coach Rebecca Moreno, Coach Arnie Moreno
with Shorewood tennis players who competed at State. Photo by Kristi Lin.

Shorewood boys and girls' tennis made history by taking 6 girls and 5 boys to the WIAA 3A State Tennis Tournament at Vancouver Tennis Center, May 26 and 27, 2023, the largest group of Shorewood players to play at state tournament. 

The top players in the state battled it out on the courts for awards to the top four teams and top eight individual players in singles and doubles. 

• The boys' team placed 7th in the state with JD Drake advancing to the consolation semifinals before losing to a very tough Lakeside opponent. 

• The doubles teams of District 1 champions seniors Blake Gettmann and Murray Falkin, junior Sam Borgida and senior Nathan Hagemeier competed but did not advance. They played outstanding tennis versus very tough opponents. 

Last Fall season, the boys' team placed second behind a very good Edmonds-Woodway team in WesCo South and placed second as a team, in District 1. Sophomore Drake will return next Fall season to lead a very strong boys' team that had a 12-2 season.

The Shorewood girls team girls' team had a record setting year. 

Rylie Gettmann and Emily Lin
Photo by Kristi Lin

• Winning the WesCo South League Championship with an undefeated record, 
• Winning the District 1 team championship and 
• Qualifying six girls to the state tournament. Competing in singles Rylie Gettmann and Emily Lin. In doubles, seniors Sophia Serwold and Lindsay Rand, sophomores Mari Brittle and Alex Mignogna.

Shorewood won the WIAA 3rd place team trophy, behind second place Lakeside and first place Mercer Island. 

WIAA Team Awards: 1st Mercer Island, 2nd Lakeside, 3rd Shorewood, 4th Interlake

Gettmann and Lin played very tough opponents and kept winning with a strong all court game and mental toughness. Their tennis matches were not only a matchup of high-level tennis skills, but also strategy, mental toughness and physical endurance. 

Some matches went over an hour in duration and sometimes close to two hours.

Eventually Gettmann and Lin, teammates and friends, met in their final match for the 4th and 7th place medals. 

Gettmann came out on top of the all Shorewood matchup, winning 4th place and Lin taking 7th. Gettmann, a sophomore, and Lin, a junior, will return to anchor another very strong Shorewood tennis team next Spring.

Coach Moreno says that during his twenty years as varsity tennis coach, Shorewood has never placed two singles players in the top 8 in the state. 

In the team meeting the night before the tournament started, they were reminded of all of the hard work and commitment they have put into their tennis game and to be happy with their accomplishment. 

Coach Moreno also told them that every match will be a challenge, as they face the best players from across the state, and enjoy the high level of competition and be proud of being at the state tournament no matter what happens, win or lose.

Coaches and fans from other schools said to Coach Moreno how they enjoyed watching Shorewood tennis players as they were playing great tennis but also scrappy and had a never give up attitude.

Coach Moreno said that Shorewood and the community of Shoreline were well represented by the teams, with not only outstanding play on the courts, but also their great sportsmanship.