Tennis team features youth with 8 underclassmen
YALE — The 2026 tennis season will be one of growth and gaining valuable experience for a young team.
Already with a few matches under their belts, Coach Steven Churchill is excited about the team and the eagerness of young players to learn the game.
“We have five returning players this year, led by senior Cole Hackett, Wyatt Kavanagh, and Emmett Verhelle. In addition, Cam Fowler has come back to the team as a manager, leader and mentor to help this young team,” he said.
While Churchill is pleased with the number of young athletes out for the team, he knows leadership is key.
“Our returning players bring valuable varsity experience and will be an important part of establishing the culture and expectations for this year’s team. This is a great opportunity for our experienced players to step into leadership roles and help guide a very young team,” Churchill said. “The majority of our team consists of first-year players, which makes this season especially exciting. While they may be new to varsity tennis, they bring energy, enthusiasm, and a willingness to learn. This group has a tremendous opportunity to grow together, and I am excited to see how much they can develop throughout the season.”
According to the team’s coach: “Our league is competitive, and we know we will have our work cut out for us. However, I believe our young team has the potential to surprise some teams by the end of the season. If our returning players lead by example and our younger players continue to work hard and improve, the sky’s the limit for this group.”
The tennis team consists of senior Cole Hackett, juniors Wyatt Kavanagh and Emmett Verhelle, sophomores Landon Martel and Conor McClelland and freshman Emmerson Verhelle, Grayden Cowhy, Jared Rhein, Brody Jacobson, Aiden Ridley and Lucas Fox.
Others on the team are foreign exchange student Joseba Iriarte, Christopher Monroy, who is coming off the injured reserve list, and Cam Fowler, who is out with an injury.
Yale has a trio of home games scheduled, starting with a contest against Croswell-Lexington on Thursday, Sept. 3.
A talented Imlay City squad will visit Yale on Sept. 8 while Richmond will make the trip up M-19 for a match with the Bulldogs on Sept. 15.
No individual scores of previous matches were available as of press time.
