3-Set Doubles Finale Provides Perfect Finish to Marquette's Repeat Run
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
May 27, 2026
WEST ISHPEMING — The outcome of the Upper Peninsula Division 1 Boys Tennis Finals boiled down to results of the No. 2 doubles match Wednesday at Westwood.
Marquette junior Bode Helman and Conner Dunn put the finishing touches on a perfect season with a 6-0, 4-6, 6-2 triumph over Negaunee’s Vince Tincknell and Marshall Knapp on a sunny and mild afternoon.
Their victory also enabled the Sentinels to retain their title with 17 points.
Marquette was followed by Negaunee with 15 points, Kingsford with 12, Ishpeming Westwood at 6, Escanaba at 5 and Gladstone with 1.
“Having to go three sets made it all the more satisfying,” Helman said. “I thought maybe we’d lose after they went ahead in the third set, but once we got ahead 2-1 it felt like we had the momentum. Our overhead shots worked pretty good. I think that may have gotten them out of position.”
Marquette coach Karl Thomsen believed victories at No. 1 singles and doubles played major roles.
“They came to play,” he said. “They got some points, and winning No. 1 singles was unexpected. The guys saw that and they responded.
“No. 2 doubles was fun for everyone involved. They put on quite a show. Negaunee is so mentally tough, and they’ve been champions for many years. We knew it’d be a three-way battle today.”
Marquette’s Lucas Belkovich took a 6-2, 6-4 decision from Kingsford’s Landon Adam in No. 1 singles, and Winston Leonard and Conner Henry outlasted Kingsford’s Andy Yu and Clark Robb 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (11-9) at No. 1 doubles.
The Sentinels also gained the No. 4 doubles title as Billy Krebs and Jack Tiziani topped Negaunee’s William Derkos and Brady McIntyre 6-3, 6-4.
Negaunee won two flights as Nolan O’Dovero defeated Kingsford’s Isaac Lebouef 7-6 (11-9), 6-3 in No. 2 singles and Connor Stede and Tren Emards posted a 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) triumph over Marquette’s Elan Chu and Kane Busch at No. 3 doubles.
Evan Goymac provided Kingsford with its lone flight championship in No. 3 singles as he beat Negaunee’s Max Larson 6-0, 6-1.
At No. 4 singles, Escanaba sophomore Kyle Smith rallied past Marquette sophomore Dominic Camilli 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 much to the delight of his teammates and coach Alan Adams.
“This feels great,” Smith said. “I didn’t play tennis last year and just started playing last year. We’ve gone back and forth all year. I was pretty nervous before the match. Winning the second set was huge. I knew he was down at that time, and I wanted to pick up the pace.”
Smith, who sealed the verdict with a lob into the backcourt, trailed 2-0 in during the final set prior to mounting his comeback.
He also fell behind early in the first set, trailing 1-0 on a return shot which sailed too long and 3-0 on a double-fault.
Smith came back to tie the score at 3-3, but was unable to gain the upper hand.
“Having my teammates sitting on the bench was really energizing and our coach giving me pointers between sets really helped,” he said. “I’m also thankful for having my family coming to support me in the away matches.”
Smith plans to work on his game this summer and hopes to play in the 79th Annual Michigan-Wisconsin Open, Aug. 1-2 in Escanaba.
PHOTOS (Top) Marquette’s Lucas Belkovich drives a forehand during a match at No. 1 singles Wednesday. (Middle) Kingsford’s Landon Adam takes to the air to return a volley at No. 1. (Below) Winston Leonard serves at No. 1 doubles for the Sentinels. (Photos by Randy Ritari.)
After Sending Every Flight to Championship Day, Seaholm Boys Secure 1st Title
By
Fred Kelly
Special for MHSAA.com
October 23, 2025
MIDLAND – Birmingham Seaholm had been knocking on the door of a first Finals boys tennis championship for the past couple of seasons.
This year, the Maples just busted it right down.
Seaholm entered this week’s Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals as the top-ranked team in the state, and the Maples made that ranking hold up, finishing with 31 points Thursday to top a 21-team field and outlast second-place Byron Center (26 points) and second-ranked Midland Dow (22).
“Last year, we were right there in the end, tied with Dow with 24 points (heading into day two). This feels good, because these returners were motivated, and they worked their butts off in the offseason,” said Seaholm eighth-year coach Nick Shaheen, whose Maples were Division 2 runners-up the last two years.
“We knew it was going to be a tough tournament. Midland Dow is a great team, and I’ve got a lot of respect for their program, and for Byron Center as well,” Shaheen added. “It took a team effort. To get eight flights into the semis is tough. We felt like we were playing our best tennis at the end of the season, and sometimes that’s what you need to win a state championship.”
The Maples won titles at three flights, as second-seeded Charlie Griffith won the No. 3 singles championship, top-seeded Joaquim Flory earned the No. 4 singles title, and the second-seeded duo of Britton Leo and Alex Ting clinched the No. 1 doubles crown.
Griffith defeated third-seeded Ryan McKendry of Byron Center 6-3, 7-5 in Thursday’s semifinals, then edged top-seeded Roman Vuljaj of Detroit U-D Jesuit 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(6) in a thrilling three-set upset to clinch the title.
Flory won a tough three-setter 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-2 over fifth-seeded Oscar DeLuca of Grosse Pointe South in the semifinals, then beat third-seeded Cole Krauss of Byron Center 7-5, 6-4 in the title match.
Leo and Ting rallied to beat third-seeded Rylan Vandenberge and Casey Schans of Byron Center 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals before going on to upset top-seeded Matt McGaugh and Nathan Song of Dow 6-2, 6-2 in the final.
Shaheen said that advancing to the semifinals in four singles flights – and to the finals in three of them – helped his Maples get over the hump this year.
“Traditionally, we’ve been known as more of a doubles power, so for us to send three flights into the singles finals was big. We really relied on the depth of our team,” he said.
“In past years, when we’ve had good runs, our singles haven’t been quite deep enough to get us there,” he added. “But on the first day (of this tournament), we went perfect, which is not easy to do. We benefitted from getting some serious all-year-around players at singles, and that helps.”
Seaholm had a Finals runner-up at No. 2 singles, as top-seeded Giorgio Materazzo beat Rei Hitachi of Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals, then lost 6-3, 6-1 to third-seeded Vikram Krishnan of Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern in the title match.
In other action for the Maples on Thursday, second-seeded Carter Griffith lost 6-1, 6-2 to third-seeded Mason Crosby of South Lyon East in the No. 1 singles semifinals; fourth-seeded Saajan Mahadevan and JJ Bastani lost 6-2, 6-1 to top-seeded and eventual champion Nolan Booth and Brayden Slot of Byron Center in the No. 2 doubles semifinals; third-seeded Roger Harris and Kalil Wahab lost 6-4, 6-4 to second-seeded Aidan Banchoff and Ben Vander Stelt of Byron Center in the No. 3 doubles semifinals; and second-seeded Ryan McArdle and Gabe Christman lost 6-3, 7-6(1) to third-seeded Zeke Sandholm and Brady Slot of Byron Center in the No. 4 doubles semifinals.
In Thursday’s other flight finals, top-seeded Sam Schumacher of Portage Central beat Crosby 6-2, 0-6, 6-1 at No. 1 singles, Booth and Slot beat third-seeded Joseph Song and James Notarnicola of Forest Hills Central 6-1, 6-2 at No. 2 doubles, fifth-seeded Marcus Bernard and Drew Decker of Forest Hills Northern beat Banchoff and Vander Stelt 6-3, 6-3 at No. 3 doubles, and top-seeded Ethan Clark and Vettel Xu of Dow beat Sandholm and Slot 6-1, 2-6, 7-6(2) at No. 4 doubles.
According to Shaheen, Seaholm’s first team title on the boys tennis side has been a long time coming.
“I’m extremely proud of our guys. This is something our senior leaders have wanted for a long time,” he said. “They see on our fence back at Seaholm all of the girls state championships, and they so badly wanted to put one on the fence for themselves. We are extremely proud of the effort they put in.”
Shaheen was particularly pleased with how his Maples adjusted to the unpredictable weather in Midland, which prompted play to be bounced back and forth between the Greater Midland Tennis Center’s indoor and outdoor courts.
“For them to come out here and be adaptable – playing indoors, outdoors, indoors, outdoors – I give our boys a lot of credit, because that’s not easy,” he noted. “They were super tough this week. It's a tough, emotional week, so for them to handle that pressure and the ups and downs and come out on the other side is really awesome.”
(PHOTOS by High School Sports Scene.)