Aspen boys tennis wins regional for fourth straight year, again sends all 11 to state
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
The Aspen High School boys tennis team made it four straight regional championships on Friday, winning five of seven tournaments at the Class 4A, Region 8 tournament in Grand Junction. The Skiers have long dominated the regional, their only recent loss coming when they finished runner-up to Steamboat Springs in 2016.
Once again, Aspen will send all 11 players to the state tournament, which begins Friday, Sept. 25, in Pueblo. AHS swept all three singles flights and split in doubles, the wins coming at 1 doubles and 3 doubles. The 2 doubles and 4 doubles teams were both runner-up at regionals, still qualifying them for the state tournament.
Playing at No. 1 singles, AHS senior Christian Kelly won 6-0, 6-1 over Steamboat’s top player in the semifinals, and followed that with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Grand Junction in the final.
Aspen senior Alex Mosher rolled to a pair of 6-0, 6-0 wins at No. 2 singles for his regional crown.
At No. 3 singles, it was AHS freshman Chase Kelly, Christian’s younger brother, who kept his perfect record intact with a 6-2, 6-0 win in the semifinal and a 6-0, 6-1 win in the final.
At No. 1 doubles, Aspen’s Lukee Tralins and Bryce Cordts-Pearce rolled to wins of 6-0, 6-0 and 6-0, 6-2 for the regional title.
At No. 3 doubles, it was Quinn McKie and Micky Terkun taking their flight with wins of 6-3, 6-0 and 6-4, 6-4.
All of Aspen’s regional champions had a first-round bye in the seven-player/team bracket, meaning they only had to win once to qualify for state.
Basalt did not have anyone qualify for the state tournament.
A complete list of state qualifiers is available at CHSAANow.com.
Foodstuff: What are you doing for New Year’s Eve?
It’s almost time to ring in the new year and if your holiday schedule is shaping up to be as packed as mine, I wish you a well-deserved rest in 2024. In the meantime, it’s our chance to party, and party we shall.
