Tennis has it all. The one-on-one intensity, great plays, an internal chess match between opponents, power and finesse. The Rio Grande Valley was lucky to have a slew of magnificent tennis players this year.
Below are the nominees for the All Valley Basketball Boys and Girls Tennis Player of the Year. Winners will be announced June 13 at the All Valley Sports Awards Banquet, co-presented by DHR Health and Lone Star National Bank. Nominees are listed in alphabetical order.
BOYS TENNIS
Cristian Alaniz, Lyford High School, senior: Alaniz finished third in the state in the Class 3A State Tennis Tournament this year. He qualified for state by winning three of four matches across two days at the Region IV-3A tournament. His loss was the only boys singles match to go three sets in at the tournament.
Irish Labassan and Rudy Rodriguez, Lyford: The Lyford boys doubles team of Irish Labassan and Rudy Rodriguez won two matches at the Region IV-3A tournament, losing to the eventual champions in the regional semifinals.
Chris Rayner and Billy Yeupell, Harlingen South: The South doubles team was the 32-6A district champions and the top doubles team in the Valley this year, according to their coach Noe Stillman. They won several tournaments and were finalists in the San Antonio Northside tournament. They finished third at the regional tournament, barely missing out on a trip to state.
GIRLS TENNIS
Sara Gudina and Amanda Guzman, Lyford High School: The Lyford girls doubles team of Sara Gudino and Amanda Guzman won two matches at the Region IV-3A tournament, losing in three sets to the eventual champions in the regional semifinals and dropping the third-place match in three sets after winning the first set.
Anette Lira, Brownsville Veterans, senior: Lira was one of the best players all year, according to her coach, and dominated for the Lady Chargers in the District 32-5A tournament to qualify for the regional. She lost in the first round of the Region IV-5A tournament and signed on to play college tennis at Prairie View A&M.
Valeria Montero, Harlingen South, senior: Montero ended her high school career with a successful senior season. She won the District 32-6A girls singles title, giving her district titles all four seasons and qualified for the Region IV-6A tournament, where she fell in the first round. She will play tennis at UTRGV next season.
The banquet, hosted by RGVSports.com and AIM Media Texas in conjunction with the RGV Sports Hall of Fame, will see 33 awards presented to athletes, coaches and teams across all 12 UIL sports. The prestigious Tom Landry Award of Excellence will honor a student athlete for outstanding achievements.
Dallas Cowboys great Randy White, a Super Bowl MVP and NFL Hall of Famer, will be the guest speaker.
The banquet, which will run approximately 6 to 8 p.m., returns to Mario’s for a second consecutive year. The venue has a seating capacity of more than 500 people.
Tickets are on sale for $40 per person. For sponsorship opportunities, call Marcia Kitten at (956) 683-4463 or send an email to [email protected].