West, South tennis players dominate at CIC championships

The West Eagles celebrated three champions and the South Wolverines went home with two Saturday at the Cook Inlet Conference tennis championships at The Alaska Club East.

Reigning state singles champions Charlie Rush and Athena Clendaniel captured the conference titles and Eva Lief and Antonia Yu won the girls doubles title for West.

South’s winners were Walker Brown and Aaron Griffin in boys doubles and Dani Jameson and Ryder Skaaren in mixed doubles.

Rush defeated Service’s Ulysses Escobar 6-4, 6-0 in the boys singles final. Clendaniel took the girls title by default over teammate Sophia Green.

Lief and Yu took a 6-0, 6-0 win over Dimond’s Meghan Spils and Laney Fagerstrom in the girls doubles finals, and Walker and Brown defeated Dimond’s Joe Butzke and Jin Mateaki 6-1, 6-4 in the boys doubles final.

In mixed doubles, South’s Jameson and Skaaren held on for a 6-4, 7-6 victory over Service’s Allya Pedalino and Toby Lochner.

State champions will be crowned next week at a three-day meet beginning Thursday at The Alaska Club East.