Senior spotlight: BA tennis losing talented group of senior student-athletes
Published 4:53 pm Tuesday, June 9, 2020
Jarret Lea
Lucie LeBlanc
Timmy Lin
Luke Lorraine
Marian Waltman
The 2020 tennis season ended before it ever started for the Brookhaven Academy Cougars. The closing of schools and athletics from COVID-19 preceded the first match of the season for the team.
“Our uniforms are still in their box,” said BA assistant coach Patti Moak. “It’s such a shame because we were coming off a great year last season.”
Moak and her daughter Sydney lead the BA tennis program and have done so for five seasons. Sydney Moak serves as a head coach and was a Cougar tennis standout herself before going on to play at Mississippi College.
Last year, both the girls’ and boys’ teams finished as runners-up in the MAIS AA South State Tournament.
Seniors Timmy Lin, Marian Waltman and Lucie LeBlanc all qualified for the state tournament last season as juniors and expectations were high again for the team in 2020.
The old MAIS AA classification is no more and the Cougars are now members of the 4A ranks, but in their former division BA has long boasted a powerful tennis program.
The Lady Cougars have won multiple state title including one as recently as 2014 and the BA boys won nine straight state titles between 2005-2013.
“This has been a great group of students to be around,” said Sydney Moak. “It’s such a shame that their senior season ended like this because I think we were going to have a special year. They all come from great families and I can’t wait to see what college has in store for them.”
Jarrett Lea
The son of Jeff and Lisa Lea, Jarrett plans to attend the University of Southern Mississippi and major in accounting. The 2020 Star Student for the school, Lea was in his first year of playing tennis for the Cougars.
Lucie LeBlanc
The daughter of Mark and Dorothy LeBlanc, Lucie plans to attend Mississippi State University. As part of the honors college she’ll major in chemical engineering with a minor in global engineering leadership. A standout member of the BA soccer team, LeBlanc played two years of tennis for the Cougars.
Timmy Lin
The son of Andy Lin and Dianna Li, Timmy plans to attend Copiah-Lincoln Community College and major in business administration. A multi-year starter for the team as a singles player, Lin was the boys’ captain for the Cougars and also played soccer at BA.
Luke Lorraine
The son of Donald and Laura Lorraine, Luke plans to attend Copiah-Lincoln Community College and major in computer technology. A hard worker who had improved his game from season to season, Lorraine has been a part of the team for two years.
Marian Waltman
The daughter of Michael and Kathy Waltman, Marian plans to attend Mississippi State University and major in chemical engineering. The captain of the girls’ team, Waltman teamed with LeBlanc last season to make the state tournament. As a sophomore she also qualified for the AA state tournament in doubles with Anna Coldiron.
More Galleries
-
Polls
Loading ...-
-