Girls Tennis Thrives in Wisconsin

Wisconsin girls tennis holds some reputable records at the national level, but according to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA), this isn't the only thing that makes the sport so unique.

"What we're most proud of are the number of schools we have playing girls tennis and the number of participants from each school," said Tom Shafranski, WIAA assistant director. "We've been fortunate to have increasing numbers over the past few years, when the overall average for the nation has been decreasing."

According to the 2005-06 NFHS Athletics Participation Survey, 6,052 girls in 207 high schools participated in tennis that year in Wisconsin. Participation has grown annually due to schools adding more teams below the varsity level.

"I am not aware of any of our schools having a cut policy in tennis," Shafranski said. "We've even had some schools recognized by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) for drawing more and more interest every year. I like to credit this to our coaches by adding more teams, therefore allowing varied levels of talent to participate."

The Wisconsin state girls tennis tournament began in 1971, with Whitefish Bay High School hosting it and winning the championship. Madison West High School hosted the next two tournaments, but beginning in 1974, the WIAA has since held its annual tennis championships at Nielsen Tennis Stadium on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.

"The stadium was established in 1959, and is viewed as one of the top tennis facilitates in the country," Shafranski said. "It allows us to hold more matches simultaneously and brings the tournament together from a geographic perspective."

The WIAA splits schools into two divisions for tennis, depending on their enrollment. Division II is made up of the smallest 54 high schools, while Division I holds the rest. This split was implemented in 1994, coinciding with the first time the individual and team state tournaments were held separately.

For the team competition, eight Division I teams and four Division II teams reach the state tournament. Glendale Nicolet High School has won 17 total state championships, and is listed as 11th in the nation for most girls team tennis championships in the NFHS' 2007 National High School Sports Record Book. Last year, Brookfield Central won the Division I tournament by defeating Whitefish Bay, earning the school's ninth state tournament title. Whitefish Bay has won seven titles overall. In Division II, University School of Milwaukee won last year, defeating Manitowoc Roncalli.

"We seem to have a few powerhouse schools in this sport," Shafranski said. "Schools like Whitefish Bay, Brookfield Central and Madison Lafollette have stood out over the years."

Wisconsin is known for a series of singles players who hold records of winning the state tournament four years in a row. Tami Whitlinger from Neenah won four consecutive singles titles from 1983 to 1986. Her uncle, John Whitlinger of Neenah, also won four titles from 1969 to 1972. Tami's twin sister, Teri Whitlinger of Neenah, is the only tennis player from Wisconsin to be a part of four consecutive state doubles titles, also from 1983 to 1986.

Joining the Whitlingers in the records are two other girls who won four consecutive state individual titles in the same years. Caitlin Burke of Cedarburg won Division I titles from 1999 to 2002, while Kaylan Caiati of Greendale won the Division II titles. The girls have been close friends since when they were young, and both went on to play tennis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"These were some phenomenal accomplishments for the girls and the state of Wisconsin on the national level," Shafranski said. "It's unique how the years matched up for the Whitlingers, and Burke and Caiati."

Wisconsin also boasts some three-time winners, including Lia Jackson of Glendale Nicolet from 1995 to 1997 and Tess Reddin of Neenah St. Mary Central from 2003 to 2005.

Last year's singles and doubles winners include Lauren Gruber of Whitefish Bay for Division I singles, Caroline Starck of Big Foot/Williams Bay for Division II singles, Emily Lawent and Dana Larsen of Whitefish Bay for Division I doubles, and Lindsey Balzan and Chelsea Stangel of Roncalli for Division II doubles.

This season, the 2007 WIAA girls state individual tennis tournament will be held October 11-13, and the state team tennis tournament will be held October 19-20.

"We are looking forward to another year filled with even higher levels of participation," Shafranski said. "Here in Wisconsin, we are fortunate to have schools and coaches who care about dedicating their time to tennis programs and allowing the girls to play."

Miller was a summer intern in the NFHS Publications/Communications Department. She is a senior at the University of Dayton (Ohio), majoring in journalism and Spanish.