ST. PAUL, Minn. — The St Paul Academy boys tennis team hopes to maintain the dynasty they have created as they work toward capturing their Single-A state championship title.
Part of their preparation to make that happen is to play stronger teams like the Eden Prairie Eagles in the regular season.
“We really want to try to raise the level and get some more competition that we didn’t get in previous years,” said Maik Nguyen, a senior captain on the team.
Nguyen leads the team along with two other co-captains, Leo Benson and Baasit Mahmood. All three hold themselves to a high standard.
“I think the most important thing is that we always stay hungry, no matter who we play, single A or double A [teams]Mahmoud said.
These three captains have had the rare experience of being leaders for more than one season, as there were no seniors on the team last year. Benson and Nguyen started as captains their sophomore year, and Mahmood joined them his junior year.
They believe having multiple seasons as leaders will help take this team to the next level.
“I think we all have a great idea of team culture and we’ve been able to develop that over the years, and it’s led to a lot of success,” Benson said.
“I am definitely a leader by example. I am always super energetic on the field,” said Maik. “Just keep the energy high and make sure the morale is high on the team.”
Another layer in this team’s successful culture is engagement. Boys tennis has one of the highest participation rates of any other sport at St. Paul Academy.
“I think that just has to do with the community we’ve built here. Everyone just wants to have fun and perform at a high level,” said Nguyen.
When you play against some of the best teams, you rise to their level, and that’s exactly what SPA did in their matchup with the Eden Prairie Eagles, beating them 5-2. This victory made the road to a three-peat feeling even more possible.
“It’s kind of crazy that it’s coming to an end, but I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else,” Benson said.
Marielle Mohs
