Bulldog boys sweep up state tennis title
Caimi conquers singles play, Viscomi and Harris take doubles crown
By DAVID ERICKSON/Whitefish Pilot
Whitefish senior Brendan Viscomi, born May 15, 1990, was just a few days old the last time the Whitefish boys tennis team won a state championship. For his entire life, the Bulldogs went without another title.
That all changed on Saturday when the doubles star helped his team end the drought and clinch the state trophy. By sweeping both the singles and doubles finals, the Bulldogs are now Montana Class A state champs. For Viscomi, it was worth the wait.
"It feels great," he said simply. "We went out and played well."
Just like the track team, the Whitefish boys edged out Corvallis to take the top honor, although the margin of victory for the tennis team was a bit larger. Whitefish racked up 43 points to only 23 for the Blue Devils. It looks like the Flathead Valley has a new rivalry with the Bitterroot Valley. Havre came in third at 19 points.
Viscomi and his doubles partner, sophomore Matt Harris, claimed the overall doubles title by taking down Havre's Todd Roe and Kyle Miller in straight sets, 6-3, 6-0. Harris moved to doubles this year after taking second place at state in singles action last year.
"He handled it with grace," head coach Kathy Cummings said of Harris' move. "Hopefully he'll move back to singles next year, because he's one of the few who can do that."
Viscomi said the final match wasn't as nerve-wracking as one would expect a state championship final to be.
"We had played those guys before, so we knew what to expect," Viscomi said. "We were prepared. It was also nice having home-court advantage. Some of my friends were able to come out and watch."
Rain on Friday forced all 15 teams in the state tournament to leave Polson and play at the indoor courts at The Summit in Kalispell. A minor inconvenience turned out to be a blessing for the Bulldogs.
"I don't know that we could have done any better," Cummings said.
In just her third year leading the program, she already has a state title and a second-place finish from last year, along with two undefeated in-conference seasons.
"I have a lot of talent to work with," she said.
Chilean powerhouse Renzo Caimi, a Whitefish exchange student, was the overall singles champion. It has been said many times, but the young man did not lose a single set all year, an amazing accomplishment.
Caimi took down Geoff Fehr of Corvallis, 6-1, 6-2, to take the title. Afterward, he wrapped himself in a flag of his native country.
"It was kind of a Davis Cup flair," laughed Cummings. "I've never seen anybody of his caliber. He's also a quiet, humble guy. He's very good."
Senior Ryan Rottenbiller placed fourth overall by beating Phillip Myers, of Bigfork, in three sets, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. He battled back after a rough first set and overcame his in-conference rival.
On the girls side, the highlight of the tournament for Whitefish was senior Brielle Menegazzi exacting revenge on Libby's Jackie Mee in the consolation bracket.
Mee had beaten Menegazzi only a week earlier to take the divisional title, but the Lady Bulldog apparently learned from her mistakes. Menegazzi defeated Mee 6-4, 6-2 to take fourth place overall in the tournament.
The Whitefish girls placed fifth overall.
Cummings said everyone who played in the state tournament for her team earned points with every victory.
"It was a total group effort, I'm really proud of them," she said.
Boys
Team totals — Whitefish 43, Corvallis 23, Havre 19, Fergus 12, Billings Central 9, Bigfork 6, Dawson County 4, Columbia Falls 4, Hamilton 2, Park 2, Ronan 2, Hardin 0
Singles
Final — Renzo Caimi, Whitefish def. Geoff Fehr, Corvallis 6-1, 6-2
Consolation semifinals — Ryan Rottenbiller, Whitefish def. Phillip Myers, Bigfork 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
Third/Fourth — Harford, Fergus def. Rottenbiller, WF 6-1, 6-1
Doubles championship — Matt Harris/Brendan Viscomi, Whitefish def. Todd Roe/Kyle Miller 6-3, 6-0
Girls
Team totals — Polson 29, Park 22, Billings Central 19, Havre 19, Whitefish 8, Beaverhead 7, Dawson County 4, Fergus 4, Libby 4, Corvallis 3, Custer County 3, Hamilton 2, Columbia Falls 1, Ronan 1, Bigfork 0
Singles
Final — Katie Mariani, Havre def. Annah Arrasmith, Park 6-4, 7-5
Consolation semifinals — Brielle Menegazzi, Whitefish def. Jackie Mee, Libby 6-4, 6-2