THE TOURNAMENT: The 28th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Team Tennis Tournament will be held Friday and Saturday, June 9-10 at Nielsen Tennis Stadium on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wis. Action will begin at 3:30 p.m. Friday with Division 1 quarterfinals. Play will resume with Division 1 and 2 semifinals at 9 a.m. Saturday. The championship matches in both divisions will begin following the semifinals based on court availability.
TICKET INFORMATION: Ticket prices for the State Team Tennis Tournament are $9 per day plus online fees, and they are available to be purchased on-line on the WIAA website through GoFan, the WIAA ticketing partner, at: https://gofan.co/app/school/WIAAWI?activity=Tennis.
THE DIVISION 1 MATCH-UPS:
Division 1 - Quarterfinals (June 9 - 3:30 p.m.)
#1 Middleton (19-0) vs. #8 Badger (12-8)
#4 Eau Claire Memorial (18-4) vs. #5 Notre Dame (20-7)
#3 Brookfield Central (18-4) vs. #6 Neenah (13-5)
#2 Marquette (16-4) vs. #7 Westosha Central (15-6)
Division 1 - Semifinals (June 10 - 9 a..m.)
Winner of #1 vs. #8 vs. Winner of #4 vs. #5.
Winner of #2 vs. #7 vs. Winner of #3 vs. #6
Division 1 - Championship (June 10 - following semifinals)
Winners of Semifinal Matches
THE DIVISION 2 MATCH-UPS:
Division 2 - Semifinals (June 10 - 9 a.m.)
#1 Brookfield Academy (22-4) vs. #4 East Troy (18-1)
#2 University School of Milwaukee (13-5) vs. #3 Aquinas (18-4)
Division 2 - Championship (June 10 - following semifinals)
Winners of Semifinals Matches.
LAST YEAR: Brookfield East won its second straight Division 1 championship and the program’s sixth State title overall with a 7-0 victory over Neenah in the championship match. In Division 2, Brookfield Academy won the team title with a 4-3 win over Catholic Memorial in the championship match.
THE HISTORY OF THE CHAMPIONSHIPS: The WIAA has sponsored a team championship in boys tennis since 1995 with the exception of 2020 when the tournament was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Points scored by individuals determined team champions prior to 1995. Nicolet had dominated the Division 1 competition for years, winning a membership-leading 26 championships, including six (1997-99, 2004-06) since the advent of the two-division team tournament. Eight of the Knights’ championships came consecutively from 1967-74. Marquette is a distant second in the number of titles with 14. Seven of Marquette’s titles came consecutively from 2007-13. The Hilltoppers also had a streak of five straight championships from 2015-19. Neenah and University School are third on the list of champions with 10 team titles. Six of University School’s titles came consecutively from 2006-11. Manitowoc and Whitefish Bay are next in line with six titles. Since the dual match format was adopted, Eau Claire Memorial has made the most State appearances, now with 25. Neenah is next with 20 and Marquette has now qualified 19 times.
DIVISION 1 NOTES: Top-seeded Middleton makes its 15th State appearance overall and essentially its fourth in a row with the cancellation of the 2020 tournament. The Cardinals have finished runner-up on four occasions, including 2000, 2007, 2009 and 2015. They are the champions of the Big Eight Conference this year. The second seed is Marquette. The Hilltoppers are making their 16th straight appearance and their 19th overall. They have won the team championship in 12 of the last 15 State Tournaments and have won 14 titles overall. They produced State titles in 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, as well as runner-up finishes in 2004 and 2021. The Hilltoppers finished atop the Greater Metro Conference standings this season. Brookfield Central, the #3 seed, is making its 15th State appearance overall and its first since 2016. The Lancers won back-to-back State titles in 2000-01 to go with the championship they won in 1996. They also recorded runner-up finishes in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 1999. The Lancers placed second in the Greater Metro Conference standings this season. Fourth-seeded Eau Claire Memorial makes its membership-leading 25th appearance at State and its 21st in the last 22 seasons. The Old Abes’ furthest advance in the tournament was to the title match in 2014 when they finished runner-up. They are the champions of the Big Rivers Conference in 2023. Notre Dame, the #5 seed, makes its 11th State appearance and its second consecutive as a Division 1 program. The Tritons captured the gold trophy in two of their nine tourney experiences in Division 2 in 2012 and 2019. In addition, they have finished runner-up in Division 2 four times, including 2005, 2010, 2013 and again in 2016. The Tritons finished runner-up in the Fox River Classic Conference this spring. The sixth seed and last year’s runner-up, Neenah, makes its ninth State appearance in the last 10 seasons–discounting 2020’s canceled season–and its 20th overall. The Rockets had a string of eight consecutive appearances from 2000-2007. They won five straight championships from 1991-1995 and have won 10 titles overall, also earning the crown in 1946, 1951, 1953, 1957 and 1965. In addition, the Rockets have 12 runner-up finishes, including 1935, 1940, 1950, 1952, 1971, 1996, 2001, 2005, 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2022. This season, they placed first in the Fox Valley Association standings. Westosha Central is the seventh seed. It’s the first time the Falcons have qualified for the State Tournament. They placed in a first-place tie with Badger in the Southern Lakes Conference this season. Badger has been issued the #8 seed in the bracket. The Badgers are making their third appearance in the State team tournament. The Badgers fell in the quarterfinals in their only two other experiences in 1991 and 2018. They tied Westosha Central for the championship in the Southern Lakes Conference this spring.
DIVISION 2 NOTES: Defending champion Brookfield Academy is the top seed in the Division 2 field this year. The Blue Knights have finished runner-up in each of their first two experiences in 2019 and 2021. They play an independent schedule during the regular season without a conference affiliation. Second-seeded University School of Milwaukee has qualified for the 15th time and for the first time since 2018. The Wildcats have won 10 State titles overall. Six of those came in succession from 2006-11 and three more from 2013-15. In addition to those runs, they won their first title in 2004. They have finished runner-up on three other occasions, in 2003, 2012 and 2018. The Wildcats are not affiliated with the tennis conference and play an independent schedule. Third-seeded Aquinas is back in the State Tournament for the third straight season and for the 10th time overall. The Blugolds’ top finish came in a runner-up performance in their first appearance in 2002. They are the champions in the Mississippi Valley Conference this spring. East Troy will be experiencing the State Tournament for the second time in the program’s history. The Trojans’ only other appearance resulted in a loss in the semifinals in 2017. They are the champions of the Rock Valley Conference this season.
INDIVIDUAL HONORS: In Division 2, top-seeded Max Watchmaker of the University School of Milwaukee successfully defended the singles crown he won a year ago. He outlasted second-seeded Adrian Yin of Brookfield Academy 6-4, 2-6, 10-6 to earn the title. In Division 2 doubles play, the unseeded duo of Peyton Zeiler and Garv Bhasin of Brookfield Academy beat their fourth-seeded teammates from Brookfield Academy, Vibhu Guda and Sanjit Madireddi, to earn the championship with a 2-6, 6-1, 10-5 triumph. In Division 1 singles play, top-seeded Oscar Corwin of Brookfield East, won the Division 1 singles championship with a 4-6, 7-5, 10-5 victory over second-seeded Nicholas Balthazor of De Pere in the title match. In Division 1 doubles play, fourth-seeded Lincoln Marshall and Daniel Egelhoff of Marquette defeated the third-seeded brother tandem of Chatton and Keenan Haws of Cedarburg in the championship match 7-6 (5), 6-4 to capture the title.
NEED CREDENTIALS?: Media Credential requests for the 2023 WIAA Boys Team Tennis Championships must be requested by submitting the online credential request form on the restricted media area of the WIAA website by noon Tuesday, June 6. Verification of approved credentials is also available on the restricted media area of the website. Please verify credential requests have been approved. Credentials will be available for pick-up upon arrival at the respective venues.
NEED RESULTS & INFORMATION?: State Tournament information, including rosters and records of teams in the State tournament are available prior to the tournament on the State Tournament Info page in the restricted area of the Media Center on the WIAA website. Results will be available on the Tennis Results page of the WIAA website at https://www.wiaawi.org/Sports/Spring/Boys-Tennis/Tournament. Check out the results of State Individual Championships played June 1-3 on the tennis results page as well.
FOLLOW THE TOURNEY ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Receive updates of the State Boys Team Tennis Tournament on the WIAA State Tournament Twitter account @wiaawistate with the hashtag #wiaatennis. Also like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram at wiaawi.
WILSON IS OFFICIAL BALL OF THE WIAA: Wilson is the official tennis ball supplier of the WIAA boys and girls Sectional and State Tennis Tournaments through the 2023 seasons.
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