Manatees clean up at state tennis tournament

The State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) tennis team continued its 2016 season on a high note, winning their third consecutive state championship recently in Altamonte Springs while members of the team earned impressive individual season accolades.

Freshman Maria Medina was named FCSAA Player of the Year, while coach Clayton Taylor was named FCSAA Coach of the Year. The FCSAA tournament victory qualifies SCF for the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) tournament in Tyler, Texas, May 7-13. The Manatees have earned a berth to the national tournament for six straight years.

Medina led the way to the state title by winning the No. 1 singles championship, defeating Macarena Olivares, the previously top-ranked player in the nation. It was Olivares’ first loss to a junior college competitor.

Medina joined teammate Lulia Sergheeva to beat the nation’s No. 1 ranked doubles team its first loss of the season, winning the No. 1 doubles draw in the FCSAA State and NJCAA Region 8 title in the process.

Sergheeva, along with Amiena Houston, both finished as regional singles finalists. Houston and her doubles partner, Maria Zubkova, were also regional finalists. Though not qualifying for the championship round, Manatees Casey O’Toole and Catherine Murphy each won their respective consolation brackets, collecting valuable points for the overall team score.

O’Toole was also honored with the Vicki Schnurr FCSAA Scholar Athlete of the Year award, while Sergheeva and Houston were named to the FCSAA All-State team.