Evanston’s badminton team secured an overall 2nd place finish in the Central Suburban League standings Saturday after placing 2nd in the conference tournament at New Trier.
Leading Deerfield by just one point entering the two-day tournament, coach Karilyn Joyce’s squad captured three singles championships and one doubles crown and outscored the Warriors 14-12 at the tournament.
New Trier won the tourney with 16 points and finished the conference season with a total of 76.5. Evanston (68.5), Deerfield (62) and Glenbrook South (58.5) rounded out the top four in the overall team standings among the 9 schools competing.
At the tournament, Clara Gruger (No. 6 singles), Sacha Charles (No. 9 singles) and Alison Swartout (No. 10) singles all claimed championships for Evanston. The team of Tess Brieva and Rebecca Conover also ruled at No. 2 doubles.
Gruger breezed past her first two foes, Shannon Jose of Maine East (21-10, 21-6) and Shana Michael of Glenbrook South (21-16, 21-11) before topping New Trier’s Sarah Zhang 21-18, 22-20 in the title match at No. 6.
Charles won a 3-set thriller over Catie Weinman of GBS (21-16, 21-23, 21-19) in the semifinals and then prevailed 21-23, 21-19, 22-20 in a marathon match with Brooke Davis of Deerfield in the finale.
Swartout joined the list of individual champs by knocking off Glenbrook South’ s Ellisa Kim 21-19, 21-16 in the championship match.
Brieva and Conover put together three consecutive straight set wins at No. 2 doubles, including a 21-19, 21-11 triumph over New Trier’s Zhang and Emily Wisner.
Contributing 2nd place finishes were Sonia Sood at No. 3 singles, Sam Mulica at No. 8 singles, and Miranda Metz at No. 12 singles, plus the doubles teams of Keegan Joyce/Sarah Felvey (No. 1) and Charles/Anu Raife (No. 6).
Source: ETHS Sports Information