Lady Pirates tennis team recieves all conference recognition

Polson High School had a total of 15 athletes in track and field, softball, and tennis that received Montana High School Class A All-State honors.

The Lady Pirates’ tennis team that captured the MHSA Class A team title had three All-State participants on their team including Kyler Lundeen, Berkley Ellis and Polson’s first-ever singles tennis champion Shea McGuinness.

McGuinness, who finished the season with an undefeated record and became the city’s first-ever Class A state singles champion, made this season for Lady Pirates’ tennis unprecedented, and she had a supporting cast to help her.

McGuinness was joined by Kyler Lundeen, who Lady Pirates’ coach Bob Hislop referred to as “one of the best doubles player in the state of Montana.” Lundeen paired up with teammate Berkley Ellis to showcase their ability all season.

In a previous interview, Hislop credited Lundeen’s leadership for allowing Polson to be able to capture the state crown.

“Without Kyler’s leadership, we wouldn’t be where we are at,” Hislop said.

Hislop also credited Ellis, who received All-State honors as a freshman for rising to the occasion instead of buckling under the pressure of the state event.

“To be able to do what she did as a freshman is a testament to her character,” Hislop said. “It will be fun to have her for another three years. I felt like she rose up in the big moments rather than shrinking like a lot of kids would do.”

The All-State Lady Pirates were also joined by several players that received All-Conference accolades and the following is a list of players that received All-Conference accolades for both the Pirates and Lady Pirates:

Boys:

Carson McDaniel

Joe McDonald

Girls:

Berkley Ellis

Josie Peterson