Rochester Mayo finished off a three-peat as state champions — the first two coming at the Class 2A level — Wednesday evening with a 5-2 win against Minnetonka to complete a perfect season at 23-0.
Rochester Mayo’s boast two of the top-five singles players in the state in juniors, Malea Diehn (No. 1 singles) and Aoife Loftus (No. 2 singles). The duo led the way in an all-encompassing triumph for the Spartans at the Baseline Tennis Center in Minneapolis.
Spartans coach Jeff Demaray said he remembers how tough it was for the previous 25 years for Mayo to win a state title before the run started, but this group put in the work and is reaping the rewards.
“Finally being able to break through [two years ago] and then now, it’s tough to imagine that you’re gonna win three in a row,” Demaray said.
Diehn and Loftus won their first sets 6-1 against Skippers senior Tessa Trivedi and junior Bella Starkman, respectively.
Diehn said it was motivating to be back in the state final, which provided some extra juice and energy.
Loftus polished off a commanding 6-1, 6-0 win to hand the Spartans the first match of the first-ever Class 3A state championship. Diehn followed in Loftus’ footsteps, knocking off Trivedi in straight sets and only allowing one point overall.
Demaray said the depth of his singles squad is one he will not soon forget.
“We had a really, really strong four singles spots this year,” Demaray said. “As strong as we’ve ever had from No. 1 to No. 4.”
Rochester Mayo led 2-0 after two completed matches as the Spartans searched for their third consecutive state title.
Moments later, Minnetonka made it 2-1 as junior Sofia Jalil and senior Lucy Prondzinski (No. 2 doubles) topped Mayo’s pairing of junior Isla Huebner and eighth grader Emily Loftus 6-2, 6-2.
Minnetonka’s No. 1 doubles pairing of senior Martina Francisco and junior Ariya Hook, and No. 2 doubles grouping of junior Sofia Jalil and senior Lucy Prondzinski nabbed the first sets of their matches.
Mayo snatched an all-important first set in No. 4 singles, 6-4, via junior Eliana Elder. The Skippers won the No. 4 singles spot in the lineup in the regular-season matchup in which they were the only team that won three individual matches during a meeting with Mayo this season.
Elder took the second set 6-1, which clinched the match against seventh grader Emily Leviton, a victory that gave Mayo a glimpse of their third crown in three years.
The match that clinched the title for the Spartans came from freshmen Eden Bendel and Annabelle Camp (No. 3 doubles). The pairing defeated Tonka seniors Alisa Ivanov and Allison Britzius, 6-3, 6-2 to give Mayo a 4-1 lead.
The Spartans were not done racking up victories as senior Ana Medina (No. 3 singles) would go on to beat Skippers’ sophomore Alyssa Ren.
Francisco and Hook defeated Mayo sophomore Grace Pickering and junior Ella Brinkman in three sets, ending the state championship.
Mayo’s 5-2 conquest clinched their third crown in as many years as the Spartans’ dynasty continued to make its mark in the history books.
Diehn said she is hungry to add a fourth next year but for right now, three-time state champ has a nice ring to it.
“It’s really cool to be part of such a legacy,” Diehn said. “I hope we can continue our tradition going forward.”
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