Marquette, MI – October 10th, 2025 – The Negaunee Miners continued to excel in U.P. High School Tennis this year, advancing a player to the championship in every flight and winning three. This achievement resulted in a narrow victory over Westwood, who secured four flights. The final scores were: Negaunee 19, Westwood 18, Marquette 6, Escanaba 5, Kingsford 4, Gladstone 2, and Menominee 2.
The team was led by new head coach, Megan Kerkela, who stepped in after Kyle Saari resigned from coaching the girls’ team. In Kerkela’s first year, the team did not experience a drop in performance, winning their fourth consecutive U.P. Championship. They also finished the regular season with a 12-1 record.
In the singles matches, Kingsford’s Aubrie Moore won singles one (6-2, 6-1). Negaunee’s Rheana Nelson made a remarkable comeback in singles two after losing the first set (3-6, 6-1, 6-4). Westwood’s Lyn Magnuson secured a victory in singles three (6-2, 6-0), and Westwood also claimed another win in singles four thanks to Emmi Hamel’s performance (6-3, 6-4).
In the doubles matches, Negaunee’s Clare O’Donnell and Nicole Kerkela emerged victorious in doubles one (6-4, 2-6, 6-4). Their teammates, Sadie Rodgers and Olivia Richards, also took the doubles two (6-4, 6-3). Westwood’s Tessa Burke and Emmi Carlson triumphed in doubles three (6-2, 7-6), and their teammates, Emerson Williams and Lauren Michaud-Richards, claimed victory in doubles four (6-2, 6-2).
Jason Juno had the opportunity to speak with Coach Megan Kerkela after the championship. She stated, “Every girl knew their job was to make it to the finals, play their best tennis, and leave it all out there. I am so proud of each flight for doing just that. We had three flights end in a win, but it was a team effort. Without every girl reaching the final, we would not have been able to pull out a win.”
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