Fifty years of tennis

When the team of 12 steps on the tennis courts this afternoon, it will mark 50 years of tennis at Hutchinson High School. It is a program that has rich tradition and a bright future.

From 1959 to 2008, the Tigers have won 17 region/section tournaments, 14 conference championships (more than any other sport in school history) and have sent 16 individuals to the state tournament.

It is a program that has won 476 matches with a winning percentage of 72 percent; 230 conference matches (83 percent); and a section playoff record of 72-24 (73 percent).

There have been 222 varsity participants; 26 different brother combinations; three father/son combinations; and four varsity coach/player combinations.

Get the point?

“It was interesting to go through all the data through all the years, and to see the names and all the wins and losses,” Tigers coach and now, historian, Brett Rasmussen said. “There is a lot of tennis history at Hutchinson.”

Hutchinson has long been one of the top teams in the section/region as well as the conference. In the 50 years, the Tigers have finished in the top three in the conference in 43 seasons. Hutchinson has also finished in the top two in the region/section in 27 of the 50 seasons.

“It’s a program if you go through the records that has been very consistent. The first year the school had a program, it won the region title and advanced to state. How many times do you see that?” Rasmussen said.

To read more about the program's 50 years, check out Thursday's print edition.

Eric Kraushar is the sports editor at the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sports@hutchinsonleader.com.