By Dan Truttschel~Sports Correspondent
Back when the 2013 season kicked off, Wilmot senior girls tennis player Mikaela Coose had one goal in mind – state.
That dream came true last weekend.
Coose closed out a stellar fall season at the WIAA Division 1 State Tennis Tournament at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium, Madison, and came
away with a victory for her efforts.
In the first-round matchup, she defeated Janesville Craig’s Kaylee Rossing 6-1, 6-0. She fell to eighth-seeded Catherine Lindsay, Eau Claire Memorial, 1-6, 1-6 to close out the year at 21-6 overall.
Lindsay, seeded eighth, finished sixth. The individual champion was West Bend East freshman Lexi Keberle, who beat Homestead’s Elizabeth Konan 6-4, 0-6, 6-3.
Wilmot coach Lisa Obertin was proud of Coose’s effort, not only last weekend, but all season long.
“Mikaela started out with one goal in mind at the beginning of the season,” Obertin said. “(That was) qualifying for state. She knew this season how important every match was going to be, and she gave it her all in every match.”
Obertin said all of Coose’s losses came to state qualifiers.
The first-round victory over Rossing was something Obertin was confident Coose could pull off — however in preparation for the tournament, she didn’t stress anything more than trying to enjoy the experience.
If she won a match or two at the same time, all the better, Obertin said.
“Honestly, it’s such a huge accomplishment to qualify for the state tennis tournament that I just wanted her to enjoy the experience win or lose,” Obertin said. “That aside, I knew she had a good matchup in the first round, so I was expecting a first-round win.”
Now that the 2013 season is complete, Obertin and the rest of the Panthers will begin looking toward the future.
And that looks to be bright, she said, thanks in part to promising freshman Bella Andersen, who finished third at No. 4 singles at the Southern Lakes Conference Tournament.
Others will play a key role in Wilmot’s success as well, Obertin, who also coaches the Panther boys, said.
“I am really excited about the Wilmot tennis program as a whole,” she said. “In my first two years of coaching, we have had our first boys ever qualify for the boys state tournament.
“I see our program continuing to get stronger every season. We now have players that have extended their tennis year-round by going indoors. We have also started summer tennis camps for middle and high school students.”