West Michigan Conference schools North Muskegon and Whitehall have gone at it in girls tennis for quite some time. The twist is that they compete in the Coastal Conference, as the West Michigan Conference does not have enough tennis-playing schools. Not yet, anyway.
Still, CatchMark intends on honoring and considering players from those schools for West Michigan Conference postseason accolades.
A CatchMark panel consisting of Scott DeCamp, Brent Raeth and Conner Raeth has come to a consensus on three finalists for the 2022 VanDyk Mortgage West Michigan Conference girls tennis Player of the Year award. They are North Muskegon’s Noa Bowen and Gabby Gaston, and Whitehall’s Jennifer Mark.
Several factors helped determine the finalists, including season statistics, all-around contributions, team success and other intangibles.
Friday morning (June 17), a poll will open and readers will vote to determine which of the aforementioned players wins the award. Readers will be allowed to vote once per hour until the poll closes at 3 p.m. Tuesday, June 21.
The West Michigan Conference Player of the Year banquet for 2022 spring sports will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 30, at the Viking Athletic Center in Whitehall.
Here are capsules on each of the Player of the Year finalists for girls tennis:
NOA BOWEN
North Muskegon senior No. 1 singles
- Posted a 21-7 record this season.
- Division 4 first-team all-state.
- GMAA runner-up.
- Coastal Conference champ.
- State quarterfinalist in Division 4.
- North Muskegon was ranked No. 4 in Division 4 and tied for fourth as a team at the state finals. The Norse finished with a 14-1-2 dual-meet record as they won conference, GMAA and regional titles among their team championships.
GABBY GASTON
North Muskegon senior No. 2 singles
- Finished with a 25-4 record this season.
- Division 4 honorable mention all-stater.
- GMAA runner-up.
- Coastal Conference and regional champ.
- Division 4 state semifinalist.
- North Muskegon was ranked No. 4 in Division 4 and tied for fourth as a team at the state finals. The Norse finished with a 14-1-2 dual-meet record as they won conference, GMAA and regional titles among their team championships.
JENNIFER MARK
Whitehall senior No. 1 singles
- Selected first-team all-Coastal Conference despite posting a 4-10 record. Vikings coach Greg McManus said that Blank’s season was stunted by injuries.
- Posted a 40-29 career record.
- Played No. 3 singles last season
- Whitehall qualified for the Division 3 state finals.
RELATED CONTENT:
