Many of Watertown High School's best girls tennis players since 1984

Editor's Note: Sports writer Roger Merriam is compiling a "20 Favorites" series highlighting some of his favorite athletes in a variety of high school sports since he started working at the Watertown Public Opinion in December of 1984. The series is about northeastern South Dakota athletes, but some played at colleges all over the state and others have moved to other areas.

The time has come for me to start typing this story, because more and more names just kept popping up while I was adding photos to the gallery for this story.

High school girls tennis in South Dakota started as a spring sport in spring of 1969 and moved to the fall in '73. It stayed as a one-class sport until it was divided into Class AA and in 2019.

Only two schools in the Public Opinon's coverage area (Watertown and Milbank) compete in the sport. Watertown is now Class AA and Milbank Class A.

Watertown's success really started about the turn of the century when the Arrows recorded their highest finish in the Eastern South Dakota Conference tournament with a runner-up finish in 2002. Watertown won its first ESD title in 2007 and has added seven more (2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2106, 2018 and 2023).

It was early in the 2000s that Watertown started to routine recorded top-5 finishes at state, highlighted by back-to-back third-place finishes in both 2009 and 2010.

Scott Ewald and current head coach Ryan Zink have coached the Arrows for most of this century. I appreciated their help with this story, although the list is all mine. As always, the order isn't all that important until you get down to the top three or four.

Up next in the series will be boys tennis.

20. Other Watertown Players

Most of the research for this list came from state tourney performances, but there are likely many Arrows who had ESD success that didn't make the list.

More state placers and others to mention include Rachel Holien, Rachel Gauger, Abbey Rieber, Emily Larkin, Darci Jongeling, Colleen and Katie Woldt, Elizabeth Fox, Alex McGregor, Megan Buhler, Kirsten Titze, Macy Kludt, Faith Berg, Emma Kays, Karlie Schulte, Josie Heyn, Grace Ortmeier and Allison Rokusek. There are so many more I'm sure.

I'd also like to mention Jacklyn Engels. She played No. 1 singles for three years (1998-2000) for the Arrows and is now the head volleyball coach at Great Plains Lutheran.

19. Milbank Players

I didn't find one Milbank player reaching the semifinals under the one-class system, but four Bulldogs have recorded top-four finishes in the state Class A tournament since 2000.

Halli Essington got things started with a runner-up finish at No. 1 singles in 2020. She also teamed with Hattie Muellenbach for a third-place finish at No. 1 doubles. Muellenbach finished fourth at No. 1 singles in 2021.

Hope Karels finished fifth in 2022 and fourth in 2023 at No. 1 singles. Amelia Pederson took third at No. 4 singles in 2023.

18. Jamie Erickson, Lauren Beadnell & Krista Schoenefeld

I listed these three Watertown players together because they all had brothers who also had success for the Arrow boys' tennis program.

Erickson led Watertown's girls to a runner-up finish in the 2002 ESD tourney (at the time it was the highest finish in school history) by winning the second flight of singles.

Beadnell took fourth at No. 3 singles and teamed with Anna Jones to place fourth at No. 2 doubles in the 2006 state tourney. She moved up to No. 1 the following year. Beadnell later played college tennis at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minn.

Schoenefeld was a three-year varsity regular from 2008-2010 and teamed with Lori Foltz to take third at No. 2 doubles in 2009.

17. Mariah Hericks

Hericks was four-year varsity regular for Watertown from 2009 through 2012, taking third at No. 6 singles and teaming with Titze for a third-place finish at No. 3 doubles in 2009.

She also teamed with Kludt to take third at No. 3 doubles in 2010 and eventually moved her way up to No. 1 singles in 2012.

16. Rachel Kjetland and Allie VanDerWeide

The two Arrows teamed for a third-place finish at No. 1 doubles in 2015.

Kjetland was a regular for Watertown from 2013-15, starting out at No. 2 singles for two years before moving up to No. 1 in 2015.

VanDerWeide, who also had a brother shine for the Arrow boys, also finished third at No. 3 singles to go along with the third-place finish at No. 1 doubles in 2015. In 2016, she notched a fourth-place finish at No. 1 singles.

15. Missy and Leyla Meester

The Meester family, as you will learn even more about in the upcoming 20 Favorites Boys Tennis story, has been a big part of Watertown tennis. Brothers Todd and Jason helped spark a three-year run of state titles for the Arrow boys (1992-94) and their sister Missy was a top player for the Arrow girls around the same time.

Todd's daughters Leyla and Jahna also competed in tennis. Leyla, only a sophomore, has already been a three-year regular for the Arrows. She took second at No. 4 singles in the 2021 state tournament and teamed with Jaida Young to win the No. 2 doubles state title in 2022. She also was fourth at No. 2 singles last fall.

14. Mackenzie McClemans

The daughter of current WHS boys basketball coach Pat and his wife Patty, Mackenzie placed third in state at No. 5 singles in 2016, fifth at No. 3 in 2017 and second at No. 4 in 2018. She also teamed with Megan Hauger for a runner-up finish at No. 2 doubles in 2018. They were 27-1 that season.

13. Meghan and Hailey Hauger

Two more Watertown sisters. Hailey teamed with Abbey Rieber for a fourth-place finish at No. 3 doubles in 2014.

Megan placed fifth at No. 4 singles and teamed with Rachel Holien for a fourth-place finish at No. 3 doubles in 2016. For some reason, she didn't compete in 2017 before taking second at No. 2 singles and No. 2 doubles (with McClemans) in 2018 and third at No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles (with Megan Fannin) in 2019.

12. Megan Fannin

Also a standout baskeball player who is now playing at the University of Sioux Falls, Fannin finished second at No. 4 singles and fourth at No. 2 doubles (with Audrey Moran) in 2017, fifth at No. 1 singles in 2018 and fourth at No. 1 singles and third at No. 1 doubles (with Megan Hauger) in 2019.

11. Jaida Young

Continuing the trend of standout girls basketball players who also starred on the tennis court, Young recorded a runner-up finish at No. 6 singles in 2020 before finishing third at No. 3 singles and fourth at No. 2 doubles (with Ortmeier) in 2021 and fourth at No. 1 singles in the 2022 state tourney that also included the No. 2 doubles championship with Leyla Meester.

10. Audrey and Sadie Moran

Another set of sisters who made their mark for the Arrows, Audrey was a four-year regular from 2014-17 and moved up from No. 6 to No. 1 singles. She placed fifth at No. 2 singles in 2016 and teamed with Fannin for the fourth-place finish at No. 2 doubles in the 2017 state tourney.

Sadie joined the varsity in 2018 and took fourth in the state at No. 6 singles. She also moved up the lineup to No. 4 singles in 2019 and to No. 3 in 2020.

9. Anne and Lauren Saylor

Two more sisters for Watertown. Anne took fourth in the state at No. 6 singles in 1999. Lauren followed later and took second at No. 5 singles in 2002 and fifth at No. 2 singles in 2005.

8. Raeanna and Ellie Zink

The daughters of former Brookings High School tennis player and current WHS girls coach Ryan Zink, these two sisters also have made their mark.

Raeanna placed fifth at No. 5 singles in 2017 and third at No. 3 singles in 2019. Ellie, only a junior, has played varsity for four years, and took fourth at No. 2 singles in 2022 and sixth at No. 1 singles in 2023.

7. Katie Haggar

If I remember correctly, the Haggars lived in a house near the courts at Highland Park and Katie and her brothers Tom and David all became star players for the Arrows.

There were only four flights of singles before the final two flights were added after the 1992-93 season. I believe Katie played six years of varsity in a career she capped with a runner-up finish at No. 2 singles in 1995. She also took third at No. 6 singles and sixth at No. 2 doubles as a eighth-grader in 1991.

6. Anna Jones

If my calculations are correct, Jones was the first Arrow to win a state singles championship since 1984 (and maybe in school history) when she won the fourth flight in 2005. She also took fourth at No. 4 in 2006 and third at No. 2 in 2007. She also teamed with Beadnell to take fourth at No. 2 doubles in 2006.

5. Morgan DeLange

DeLange is another state champion for the Arrows, teaming with Shealyn Bakke to win the No. 3 doubles title in 2007.

A four-year varsity regular, she also took fourth at No. 5 singles in 2007 and third at No. 3 singles in 2010. The Bakke-DeLange tandem also finished third at No. 1 doubles in 2009 and fifth at No. 1 doubles in 2010.

4. Sara Saathoff and Carly Hiedeman

Saathoff and Hiedeman are being listed together because they joined forces to win the third-flight state doubles title in 2006.

Saathoff also took third at No. 5 singles in both 2005 and 2005. Hiedeman was second at No. 6 singles in 2006 and advanced to the third-place match in 2005 at No. 6 singles. She also teamed with Elizabeth Fox to take third at No. 3 doubles in 2005.

3. Lori Foltz

We're hoping to get to the 20 Favorites Watertown Girls Track story completed yet this spring and Foltz will likely get a spot on that list. She's on this list because her third-place finish at No 1 singles in 2010 is the highest for any No. 1 player in school history.

Foltz also teamed with Schoenefeld to take third at No. 2 doubles in 2009 and also finished second at No. 3 singles that year. Now Lori Splett, she is currently coaching Harrisburg's girls tennis team.

More: Newbie turned champion: Cummings wins sixth-flight state tennis title, Arrows finish fifth

2. Alli, Abbi and Anni Cummings

As you can tell already, families have been a big part of Watertown girls tennis and these three sisters also deseve recognition. Their mother Renee was a head coach at one point and also spent many years as an assistant with the program.

Alli was the oldest and she played varsity from 2013-15, taking fifth at No. 4 singles in 2014. Twins Abbi and Anni came later.

Abbi was at least a five-year regular, capping her notable career with a third flight singles state championship in the fall of 2018. She also took fourth at No. 3 singles in 2016. Both sisters competed in a number of different sports.

Anni was a standout basketball player who injured her knee as a sophomore. To help in her recovery from the knee injury, she was convinced by her twin sister to go out for tennis as a junior in 2017 and ended up winning the sixth-flight singles state championship.

More: Bakke family tenure on Arrow squad draws to a close

1. Jenna, Tegan and Shealyn Bakke

Three more sisters who each left their mark on Watertow's girls tennis, and all later played college tennis at Minnesota State Mankato.

Jenna played No. 1 singles in both 2001 and 2002 and is part of a group of players that former coach Scott Ewald said got the Arrow program headed in the right direction.

Tegan played at least five years on the varsity, taking fourth at No. 6 singles in 2002 before making her way to the No. 1 singles spot.

Shealyn also eventually worked her way up to No. 1 and won that third-flight doubles state championship with Morgan DeLange in 2007. They were also third in 2009 and fifth in 2010 at No. 1 doubles.

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: 20 Favorites series looks at Watertown's top girls tennis players since 1984