Kameryn Browne, Jonni Kneer lead Tuscaloosa News all-area tennis teams for 2024
The Tuscaloosa News continues its tradition of honoring the best high school tennis players in the area. Here are the boys and girls tennis all-area teams and players of the year for 2024:
Girls
Player of the year: Kameryn Browne
Hillcrest
Why chosen: The senior was a semifinalist in the 6A No. 1 singles state championship where she lost 6-1, 6-0 to runner-up Jaedyn Martin of Madison Academy. Browne also claimed the 6A, Section 4 No. 1 singles championship, defeating Northridge's Alice Rowley 6-3, 2-6, 10-2. In No. 1 doubles with partner Zoe Fuller, the two finished as section runners-up and made it to the third round of the state tournament losing to eventual state champions Pippa Roy and Annie Lacey out of Mountain Brook.
Browne is committed to Coastal Alabama where she will be playing tennis and volleyball.
Alice Rowley
Northridge
Why chosen: Rowley finished runner-up in the 6A, Section 4 No. 1 singles championship, falling to Hillcrest's Kameryn Browne in three sets. She made it to the third round of the 6A No. 1 singles championship, falling again to Browne, 6-4, 6-4. In doubles, with partner Carter Thomason, the tandem claimed the No. 1 section championship along with making it to the semifinal round of the state tournament.
Carter Thomason
Northridge
Why chosen: Thomason, with partner Alice Rowley, finished as the 6A, Section 4 No. 1 doubles champion and made it to the semifinals of the state tournament. In singles, Thomason claimed the No. 2 singles section championship before losing in the first round of the state tournament.
Morgan Dockery
Sipsey Valley
Why chosen: The sophomore finished the season with an overall record of 7-1 in singles and doubles. With partner Morgan Dockery, the duo claimed the 4A-5A Section 2 No. 1 doubles championship to punch a bid to the state tournament. At the state tournament, the duo lost in the first round.
Emily Huang
Fayette County
Why chosen: Huang finished regular season undefeated in singles. In the semifinals of the 1A-3A, Section 4 Tournament, Huang fell to Covenant Christian School's Zoe Griffin 2-6, 6-2, 10-6, her first and only loss of the season.
Sasser Braswell
Demopolis
Why chosen: Braswell finished the season with a 33-4 record. She claimed the 4A-5A, Section 2 No. 3 doubles championship with partner Anna Lewis before making it to the quarterfinal round of the state tournament.
Co-coach of the year: John Cain and Alayna McCormack Townsend
Northridge
Why chosen: The duo led the Northridge girls to 13-2 record, a 6A, Section 4 championship and a third-place finish at the Class 6A state tournament
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Boys
Player of the year: Jonni Kneer
Tuscaloosa Academy
Why chosen: The sophomore is the back-to-back player of the year. He finished the season undefeated, winning the 1A-3A, Section 2 No. 1 singles and doubles championship. He finished the season off winning the Class 1A-3A No. 1 singles and doubles championship, the first AHSAA state titles in school history.
Griffin Armstrong
Hillcrest
Why chosen: The sophomore, a two-time all-area selection, finished the season with an overall record of 38-16. He won the 6A, Section 4 No. 1 singles and doubles championship and was a state semifinalist in the 6A No. 1 doubles match with partner JC Foster, losing 6-1, 6-2 to Trinity-Presbyterian's Samuel Treadwell and James Treadwell.
JC Foster
Hillcrest
Why chosen: With partner Griffin Armstrong, Foster made it to the state championship match of the 6A No. 1 doubles, falling 6-1, 6-2 to Trinity-Presbyterian's Samuel Treadwell and James Treadwell in the state title match. He finished the season with an overall record of 45-9, claiming the 6A, Section 4 No. 1 doubles championship and the 6A, Section 4 No. 3 singles championship.
Will Thom
Northridge
Why chosen: The two-time all-area selection was the No. 1 singles runner-up in the 6A, Section 4 tournament, falling 6-7 (3), 6-4, 12-10 to Hillcrest's Griffin Armstrong in the section championship match. At the state tournament, he made it to the quarterfinal round in 6A No. 1 singles, falling 6-3, 6-3 to eventual state champion Luke Schwefler of Mountain Brook.
Tommy Rowan
Northridge
Why chosen: The North-South All-Star Team selection served as the No. 2 singles player for Northridge. He claimed the 6A, Section 4 No. 2 singles championship and finished as runner-up at the section tournament in No. 1 doubles with partner Paul Vise. At the state tournament, he made it to the 6A No. 2 singles quarterfinal round.
Davis Shelton
American Christian Academy
Why chosen: The sophomore had an 8-2 singles record through the season and claimed the 4A-5A, Section 2 No. 1 singles championship to punch an individual bid at the state tournament. Shelton fell in the first round of state to LAMP's Ian Shin 6-1, 6-1.
Coaches of the year: Clete Browder
Tuscaloosa Academy
Why chosen: In Tuscaloosa Academy's first season competing in the AHSAA, Browder led his team to a 1A-3A sectionals championship and a third place finish at state. He also led Jonni Kneer to a No. 1 singles state championship and led the duo of Kneer and Holman Bearden to a No. 1 doubles state title.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: The Tuscaloosa News' 2024 all-area high school tennis teams
