Page 12 The Pulse Dec.

11, 2019

Indian Trail’s freshman phenom Ristau

makes deep run in state tennis tournament
Trey Meier
Staff Writer
“It was really exciting. I remember the play leading up
to the last point that qualified me for state. My heart was
racing, and it was pressuring, but I remember after think-
ing like ‘you actually made it’. It was definitely an eye-
opening experience.”
This is what was going through the mind of Indian
Trail High School & Academy freshman Lainy Ristau af-
ter qualifying for the state tennis tournament in October.
Ristau, who started playing tennis at the age of 4, finished
the season with an impressive 27-6 record, but the acco-
lades don’t stop there. Along with a winning record, the
freshman also went on to win two games at the state tour-
nament at Nielsen Stadium in Madison.
Ristaus’ first match at state was against senior Ella
Diedrich from Homestead. After a shaky first game, Ristau
settled her nerves, and dispatched her opponent fairly eas-
ily, coming out victorious in two straight sets.
“I was so nervous my first match. My coach told me to
go on the side where you can see all the fans watching, so
I did that and it was easier from there,” Ristau said. “But
I remember losing my first game, and I told myself, ‘you
can’t lose your first match at state,’ so then I got it together
after that.”
After winning her first match, she faced Miah Bohlen,
another senior, from Nicolet. The young Hawk star won in
convincing fashion, only losing two sets the entire match.
“In my second match there was more pressure after
winning the first game, and because I knew if I won I was
going to go up against a high-seeded player.
But I had fun that match because she played
to my strengths so I could hit easier,” Ristau
said.
It takes a lot of hard work and dedication
to be one of the top players in the state, and
that hard work and dedication was on full
display this season. Between U.S. Tennis As-
sociation tournaments, clubs, and summer
programs, Ristaus’ impressive year was well
earned and well deserved. She also stated
how important her mindset has to be in order
to be the best she can.
“I also feel like you have to have the right
mindset because tennis is a really mental
sport, and you kind of just have to tell your- Freshman Lainy Ristau serves the ball against a Tremper oppo-
self that you’re going to do good, and if you nent on Sept. 12. Photo by Noemi Ramirez
tell yourself otherwise than you won’t play as
well as you want to,” she said. Ristau ended up falling to the third seed in the state, soph-
Ristau, who fell in love with tennis at a young age omore Zaya Iderzul, who was the eventual state runner-up.
thanks to her nana, had big aspirations for the season. “Playing the three seed was definitely stressful. I’ve
“My goal for the season was definitely to make it to played her before when I was younger and she always beat
state. I knew about the competition in my conference and me. She’s really good,” Ristau said. “I definitely competed
also outside my conference,” she said. “I was really ner- against her. The scores weren’t as close as they could have
vous after my first high school invitational. After that I been, but it was good competition.”
got a feel for what type of players there would be in high This year was only the beginning for the freshman phe-
school and I kind of just told myself that I’m going to get nom, and there is a lot of excitement and anticipation on
there, that I’m going to go to state.” what’s in store for the future.

IT fall sports end with several state qualifiers, young rising stars
Trey Meier
Staff Writer

Boys Soccer
Centered around seniors Kyle Lange, Axel Perez, and Krystian Siwicki, boys varsity
soccer team finished conference with a 1-5-1 record. The Hawks upset the five seed Mil-
waukee South in the first round of the playoffs, winning 3-2 in overtime, and their run
came to an end four days later after falling to Kenosha Tremper in a hard fought battle.
Boys Cross Country
The boys cross country team dominated the competition in southeast Wisconsin, win-
ning the county, conference, and sectional meets by commanding margins. The Hawks
went on to take 14th place at the state meet in Wisconsin Rapids. They also had an in-
dividual conference champion in senior Tonatiuh Chavez, who dusted the field, beating
second place by 14 seconds. The depth of the team proved crucial in their success this
year, with every runner so close in time. Along with Chavez, seniors Garrett Hatch, Ma-
son Scoggin, Trey Meier; junior Logan Schultz; and sophomores Keegan Meier, Eric
Salgado, and Nick Klinkhammer all contributed to the historic state run.
Girls Cross Country
The girls cross country team had a solid season, which was highlighted by their con-
vincing win in the county championship. The group was led by senior Molly Balch, who
punched a ticket for the state meet after taking fourth in the sectional with a time of 19:51.
She then went on to take 103rd at the state meet. Junior Addie Monk and senior Olivia
Zank played a prominent role on the team this year.
Boys Volleyball
The boys volleyball team was led by seniors Nathan Klimisch, Carson Skalbeck, Car-
son Bakkala, and Jackson Antos. The boys tied for a regular season conference title, and
clinched a No.1 seed in the sectional playoffs. After crushing Racine Park High School
and Racine St. Catherine/Lutheran School, they fell just short of advancing past the Ra-
cine school gauntlet with their loss to Horlick High School. Many Indian Trail career
school records were also shattered this season. Bakkala got the career blocks mark, Kli-
misch obtained the career kills mark, and Antos captured the career aces record.
Girls Volleyball
The girls volleyball team came one victory short of qualifying for state this season. Af-
ter earning the three seed in the sectional with their strong regular season play, the Hawks
went on to the sectional championship. Along the way they beat Milwaukee Reagan, Wa-
terford, and Greendale in an exhilarating five set elimination game. The year came to a
halt at the hands of the Broncos from Union Grove, losing in four sets. The team was led
by senior captains Maddie Haines and Katie Buehler, and junior captain Bella Bratzke.
Boys Football
Posting a profound 6-1 record in conference play, the Hawks secured a three seed in
the state playoffs. Led by star junior quarterback Argent Ismaili, and with senior Connor
Fanrich holding down the fort on defense, they advanced past Racine Case in the first
round of the playoffs, winning 17-9. Their season came to a close after losing to Franklin
in the second round 44-7.
Girls Golf
The girls golf team came one spot short of qualifying for the sectional meet this year,
finishing just 16 strokes behind the fourth qualifier. Senior Brianna Knuth advanced to
sectionals individually, shooting a score of 102 for ninth place at the regional meet. Knuth
ended her high school career on a strong note, finishing 25th at sectionals with a score
of 99.
Girls Tennis
The young Hawks team had an exceptional year, including a first place team finish at
subsectionals. Sectional qualifiers for singles were sophomores Victoria Rizzo and Kait-
lyn Youngman, as well as freshman Srisupraja Kandrakota and Lainy Ristau. Advancing
to the sectional meet in doubles were the duo of Caroline Kenefick, a senior, and sopho-
more Ava Murawski. Ristau, who finished the season with a record of 27-6, also went on
to the third round of the state tournament.
Girls Swim/Dive
The girls swim and dive team finished a respectable eighth place in sectionals, and also
had an individual qualifier for the state meet. Sophomore Joanne Banaszak advanced to
state in the one meter dive after coming in second place in the sectional with a score of
383.15. After making her way through the preliminaries and semifinals at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison Natatorium, she ended up finishing as the 15th best diver in Wis-
consin.