A year ago, the Ankeny Centennial girls’ tennis team enjoyed an historic season.
Now, the Jaguars are looking to build on that success.
“I have several goals for this season,” said Centennial coach Alli Gustafson. “First, I would love for every player to see improvement on an individual level. I also hope to help my players continue to develop mental toughness on the court to have a strong mentality going into each match, as well as throughout the entirety of the match while on the court. This is something we began last season, and the work will continue into this season!”
Gustafson was named the Class 2A coach of the year after guiding the Jaguars to a 12-3 record and a fourth-place finish in the state team tournament in 2023. Six of her players also qualified for the individual state tournament, and four of them are back this season.
Seniors Jenna Benkufsky, Ara Lofgren and Megan Yuan all qualified for the state doubles tournament along with sophomore Samara Peterson. Peterson and Yuan defeated Benkufsky and Lofgren in the regional final and went on to win a first-round match at state.
Peterson and Yuan finished with a 14-3 record. Benkufsky and Lofgren went 12-9.
Benkufsky also compiled a 9-1 mark at No. 3 singles. She has committed to play for Cornell College.
Peterson posted a 10-1 record at the No. 4 spot. Lofgren went 8-2 at No. 5, and Yuan finished 10-1 at No. 6.
Seniors Gabby Mixdorf, Mayci Rasmus and Rozzie Sterling are among the team’s other returnees. They all saw a lot of doubles action.
“I have seven players coming back this season that were on the varsity roster last year,” Gustafson said. “We are excited to have the experience of last season under our belt, as well as the experience of previous seasons with so many senior returners.”
One senior who won’t be back is Abbie Peterson. Samara’s older sister posted a 17-2 record at No. 1 singles and placed second in the Class 2A tournament as a junior.
Peterson has signed a letter of intent with Northern Iowa.
“Abbie has decided not to play high school tennis this season and is focusing on preparing for UNI,” Gustafson said.
However, several newcomers could help fill the void in the Jaguars’ lineup.
“We have a number of ninth graders coming in that have a lot of potential to make an impact on our team,” Gustafson said. “We will see how everything plays out, but I am excited for the new players joining!”
Centennial will host Urbandale in its season opener on April 4.