By Josh McFadden | [email protected]

No team in Region 3 could compete with the Bingham girls tennis team. The Miners ran away with the league title, winning the region tournament the first week of October.

The Miners were 11 points better than runner-up West at the region event, with three of the five positions capturing first place. Third singles player Sammee Aubrey was first in her division, as was the first doubles tandem of Abby Degn and Lexi Cox, and the second doubles team of Anna Thomas and Malia Hansen. In first singles, Olivia Dabo came in second place. Second singles competitor Hannah Smith was also runner-up. 

It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that the Miners did so well. The team had a flawless record in the regular season.

“The regular season went awesome!” said head coach Mark Smith. “We did not lose a single match and were in first place by four points going into the region tournament. All the girls played great in the region tournament.”

The JV team also took first at the region tournament, winning every position except first and second singles, where the players were second. 

The entire varsity squad qualified for the state tournament, which ended Oct. 12 at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City. The Miners started off strong at state and found themselves tied with Lone Peak and Corner Canyon for first place. Mark Smith said it was the best first-day finish for any Bingham tennis team—girls or boys. Three of the five positions made it to the second day of competition at state, advancing to the semifinals. Smith and Aubree made it through in their individual brackets, while Degn and Cox teamed up to win their first two matches. 

Day two was more challenging, as the competition heated up. Smith fell in her semifinal matchup 6-1, 6-3. Her opponent ended up winning state in second singles. Aubrey lost in the semifinals 6-0, 6-2, as her foe also eventually captured a state championship. Degn and Cox fought hard but fell one match short of reaching finals, losing 6-3, 7-6. 

“Their match could’ve gone either way,” Mark Smith said of his first doubles team.

Dabo finished state in fifth place, as did Thomas and Hansen. Meanwhile, Smith, Aubrey, and Degn and Cox each wound up coming in third at the Class 6A tournament. As a team, the Miners finished in sixth place in a talented field. 

Mark Smith will have to part ways with Hannah Smith, Aubrey, Degn and Thomas, who will all graduate and move on from the squad. 

“They ended their senior year in great fashion,” he said. “They will be missed next year.”

Hannah Smith has received some interest from several Division II and Division III colleges to play at the next level.