Wichita Southeast boys tennis is back on state stage with rare breakthrough
Southeast boys tennis coach Eric George started asking around because he wanted to know exactly how rare this was.
When was the last time Wichita Southeast had sent two singles players to the state tournament in the same season?
No one could remember.
That was enough to make this past Saturday in Topeka feel like more than a regional breakthrough. For a program with five state championships in its past, but few recent moments to celebrate on the state stage, sending two players to the Class 6A state tournament was still worth celebrating.
Freshman Carson Myrick and junior Jason Nguyen both had to win back-side consolation matches at a 6A regional in Topeka to extend their seasons. Both rose to the occasion, as Myrick (22-6) and Nguyen (17-10) both punched their ticket to the state tournament beginning Friday at Riverside Tennis Complex in Wichita.
“At the end of the day, it was really cool to see all of the hard work that you know your players have put in get rewarded like that,” George said. “I know both of those guys have put in a lot of hours, so it was pretty cool to see them both qualify.”
After opening the regional tournament with convincing wins, both Southeast players lost to set up a do-or-die match with state berths on the line.
For Myrick, the road was especially cruel before it turned rewarding. He had already beaten Junction City’s Tyson Habhab earlier this season, but lost a 6-4, 5-7, 10-8 heartbreaker in the quarterfinals.
That kind of loss could have swallowd the freshman whole. Instead, Myrick responded by beating Washburn Rural’s Jaxon Whitehead 6-2, 6-3 to punch his ticket to state.
“For a freshman in his first postseason to lose a really close match to someone you beat twice already, then turn around and recover mentally from that was so impressive,” George said. “For it being his first time in that situation, it was just really cool to see him bounce back and I was really proud of how he was able to take care of business.”
Nguyen followed with a 6-4, 6-3 win over East’s Bin Miao to give Southeast its second state qualifier of the day. In the fifth-place match between teammates, Myrick defeated Nguyen 6-4, 6-3.
Myrick’s rise was easier to project. He is only a freshman, but George knew he had grown up playing at Crestview Country Club and brought tournament experience with him.
Nguyen’s season told a different story. His qualification was built through patience, development and a shoulder injury that forced him to rethink his entire game.
There were tournaments this season when Nguyen served underhand to protect his shoulder. He even won a No. 2 singles draw in Topeka while serving underhand the entire tournament. George, who had seen a similar tactic used during his time as an assistant coach at Bishop Carroll, suggested the adjustment as a way for Nguyen to stay on the court without worsening the injury.
Nguyen was still mostly serving underhand at the City League meet and did not return to his normal overhead serve until regionals.
“In some ways, it actually helped Jason level out and reset a bit and work on other parts of his game,” George said. “We weren’t sure what his health situation was going to be all the way up to regionals, but luckily he healed up and it all came together.”
There were times when Nguyen wanted to rush the process. George kept reminding him there was a bigger goal ahead.
“There were days where he came up to me and was like, ‘My shoulder is fine’ and he wanted to go for it,” George said. “But we had to stay patient and see the bigger picture. So to see that kind of sacrifice pay off, that’s what makes it all the more sweet.”
For Southeast, that was enough.
For a program trying to build in a district where players often start behind with no middle school pipeline, it was the kind of small step that felt big: two players, two state berths and one reason for Southeast tennis to feel like it had moved forward.
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