December 7 – Eliza Agate
Mahomet-Seymour senior
➜ Why she made the first team… Agate was Mahomet-Seymour’s only state qualifier in singles, placing fourth at the Class 1A Paris Sectional to help the Bulldogs win their second sectional title consecutive. She then won two matches at State, finishing the season with an 18-4 singles record. Agate won her singles flight at the Apollo Conference Tournament and only won two doubles matches all year.
➜ His biggest superstition in tennis is… never to bounce the ball before serving.
➜ Her dream career is… director of a non-profit organization or political consultant.
➜ His favorite snack is… Lay’s Dill Pickle chips.
➜ If she could compete in the Olympics in any other sport, she would choose… lacrosse.
➜ The actor she would choose to play her in a film would be… Dwayne Johnson.
➜ If she could have dinner with three people from any era, she would choose… her best friends, Sidney Barrett and Elana Religioso, and her favorite celebrity, Ryan Williams.
➜ Three things on his bucket list are…playing in the NCAA tournament with Marquette lacrosse, living in New York and taking a hot air balloon ride in Egypt.
Anne Houpt
Danville Junior
➜ Why she made the first team… The reigning News-Gazette Player of the Year repeated the honor, this time with doubles partner Reese Rundle. Houpt and Rundle finished third in the Class 1A state tournament, the highest seeding in Danville history, to finish the year with a 36-3 doubles record. Third place beat Houpt and Lexi Ellis’ fifth place finish in 2022. Individually, Houpt went 20-1 in No. 1 singles play and won a Big 12 Conference title.
➜ His biggest superstition in tennis is… having a bright pink grip on all his rackets.
➜ His dream career is… sports psychologist.
➜ His favorite snack is… baked Cheetos.
➜ If she could compete in the Olympics in any other sport, she would choose… beach volleyball.
➜ The actor she would choose to play her in a film would be… Margot Robbie.
➜ If she could have dinner with three people from any era, she would choose… Roger Federer, Coco Gauff and Emma Watson.
➜ Three things on his bucket list are… attend Wimbledon, see the Eiffel Tower and see the Golden Gate Bridge.
Fiona Leakey
Sophomore from Champaign Central
➜ Why she made the first team… Leakey teamed up with senior teammate Kara Charney to go 21-14 as a doubles team with one of the toughest schedules in the region. The duo reached the sectional championship to qualify for the Class 2A state tournament, where they went 0-2. In addition to her impressive doubles record, Leakey was the Maroons’ No. 1 singles player this season, compiling an 11-10 record.
➜ His biggest superstition in tennis is… getting a different ball after losing a point.
➜ Her dream career is… to be a lawyer.
➜ His favorite snack is… pretzels or a banana.
➜ If she could participate in the Olympic Games in another sport, she would choose… gymnastics.
➜ The actor she would choose to play her in a film would be… Emma Watson.
➜ If she could have dinner with three people from any era, she would choose… Ethan Quinn, Lewis Hamilton and Coco Gauff.
➜ Three things on his bucket list are… attending Wimbledon, the Ryder Cup and an SZA concert.
Kruthi Ramanath
Uni Junior High School
➜ Why she made the first team… Ramanath has now reached at least the quarterfinals in Class 1A singles in each of her first three years at Uni High and finished fourth in the last two years. She won her first four matches at the state tournament before falling to eventual champion Chloe Goins of Hinsdale South in the semifinals. Only a junior this year, Ramanath still has one season to overcome this obstacle in the semi-finals.
➜ His biggest superstition in tennis is… to bounce the ball five times before his first serve and four times before his second.
➜ Her dream career is… as a surgeon.
➜ His favorite snack is… popcorn.
➜ If she could compete in the Olympics in any other sport, she would choose… badminton.
➜ The actor she would choose to play her in a film would be… Maitreyi Ramakrishnan.
➜ If she could have dinner with three people from any era, she would choose… Billie Jean King, Serena Williams and Simona Halep.
➜ Three things on his bucket list are… fly a plane, see the northern lights and bungee jump.
Elana Religioso
Mahomet-Seymour senior
➜ Why she made the first team… Religioso was undefeated in singles this season, finishing her senior campaign with a perfect 15-0 record, but it was her doubles play with partner Haley Reed that made her brought to the Class 1A state tournament. , where they won three matches. Religioso was one of nine players selected to the All-Apollo Conference team, winning a championship in both singles and doubles.
➜ His biggest superstition in tennis is… to bounce the ball the same number of times before each serve.
➜ Her dream career is… that of president of the United States.
➜ His favorite snack is… fruit snacks.
➜ If she could compete in the Olympics in any other sport, she would choose… volleyball.
➜ The actor she would choose to play her in a film would be… Zendaya.
➜ If she could have dinner with three people from any era, she would choose…Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz.
➜ Three things on his bucket list are… take a photo with Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open, travel to the Philippines and see the Steelers win the Super Bowl.
Reese Rundle
Danville Sr.
➜ Why she made the first team… On just about any other team in the area, Rundle would be the best player. While Danville’s No. 2 pick behind Anna Houpt, she played as a No. 1 option, earning duo co-player of the year honors. Rundle compiled a 19-2 record in singles, and she teamed with Houpt to go 36-3 in doubles, winning a Big 12 Conference title and placing third in the class state tournament 1A.
➜ Her biggest tennis superstition is… coordinating the colors of the bows in her hair and wearing the same ones from the matches she won.
➜ Her dream career is… nurse practitioner.
➜ His favorite snack is… rainbow goldfish.
➜ If she could participate in the Olympic Games in any other sport, she would choose… football.
➜ The actor she would choose to play her in a film would be… Hailee Steinfeld.
➜ If she could have dinner with three people from any era, she would choose…Emily Kaiser, SZA and Ryan Gosling.
➜ Three things on his bucket list are…visit Hawaii, attend the US Open or another major tennis tournament and succeed.
