By FRED KRONER
Startup programs generally face growing pains.
The girls’ tennis program at Mahomet-Seymour is no exception.
It’s easy to look at the flourishing program now and see the documented successes: two consecutive sectional championships, an Apollo Conference team title in the fall of 2024, state-qualifiers for three consecutive years and an individual conference titlist four years ago.
Those are among the recent memories and highlights under sixth-year coach Alex Amatyleon.
But, it wasn’t always fun and games. For years, the status of the program was in jeopardy.
Here’s a brief history.
In the fall of 2008, volunteer coach Eric Schacht began tutoring junior high students interested in the sport at Champaign’s Parkland College. From those who showed an early interest, Sara Rice and Maddie Schacht were still playing tennis through their season years at M-S in 2015.
As they, and a few teammates, entered high school, girls’ tennis was not a recognized sport sanctioned by the school. The program was self-funded, though the district provided transportation.
One key restriction: M-S was only able to enter tournaments in those years and had no dual meets.
They continued to practice at Parkland until those courts were phased out. Then, workouts were shifted to Blair Park, in Urbana, the Lindsay Courts, in Champaign, or the Atkins Tennis Center, at the University of Illinois.
There were no home meets as there were no home courts. The team’s existence was noted in the school yearbook, but the players weren’t recognized as letter winners.
Amid the obstacles, M-S had its first state-qualifier in the fall of 2014 when Rice won her first eight singles matches of the year en route to a 10-4 overall season that carried her to state.
Rice wasn’t someone who played tennis in high school as a diversion to the school day. After leaving M-S, she went on to play all four years at Webster College (in Webster Groves, Mo.)
She posted a 39-31 career record in college in singles and (as of 2021) ranked eighth on the school’s list for career wins. She was tied for fifth at Webster for wins in a season, compiling 16-win mark as a sophomore.
She was a two-time all-conference performer at college.
Rice and Maddie Schacht helped lay a foundation for a fledgling high school program that eventually gained varsity status and has a paid coach in Amatyleon.
Along the way, tennis courts opened in Mahomet in August, 2023, and interest in the sport is at an all-time high. The team roster for the 2024-25 team listed 27 players.
Without further ado, Mahomet-Seymour’s Quarter Century girls’ tennis team.
ELIZA AGATE, Class of 2025. News-Gazette All-Area first-teamer as a senior holds school-record for singles wins in a season (18) as a senior, mostly at No. 5. Also holds school mark for consecutive singles wins (16). Fifteen of her wins were in straight sets. State-qualifier as a senior was 2-2 at state.
SAVANNAH AMATYLEON, 2024. All-Area first-teamer as a senior and All-Area second-teamer as a junior. Qualified for state in doubles as a senior with Emily Young, finishing with a 15-7 overall record. They were 2-2 at state. Amatyleon was 7-7 in singles at No. 1. As a junior, qualified for state in doubles with Young, finishing 7-10, including 1-2 at state, They were the school’s first state-qualifiers in doubles in the fall of 2022.
ANNIE BAO, 2020. Playing No. 1 singles as a senior, was 8-6. In doubles, was 6-4 at No. 1 with Mrinali Kesavadas. As a junior, was 7-7 in singles at No.1. In doubles, Bao and Kesavadas were 4-5 in 2018.
ADELLA BIRD, 2026. All-Area second-teamer as a sophomore was No. 1 singles player as a junior for a squad that set a school record by winning all 17 dual-meet matches as well as a sectional championship. Was 9-4 in singles. Qualified for state in doubles as a junior with Holland Martin and compiled an overall 14-5 record. Went 2-2 at state. Qualified for state with Martin in 2023 and compiled a school-record 19-3 season record in doubles, plus a record 17 wins in a row. Went 1-2 at state. The duo holds the M-S career record in doubles (33-8).
EMMA CLEMENTS, 2021. Was 7-4 in singles as a senior and 6-6 in singles as a junior. As a senior, was 10-5 in doubles with senior Amalie Fried. Clements and Molly Fried were 6-6 at No. 3 as a junior and sophomore, respectively.
GIANNA HILL, 2022. Was 8-6 in singles as a senior, mostly at No. 5. Was 5-6 in singles as a junior.
CLAIRE JOHNSON, 2024. As a senior, 12-5 in singles, mostly at No. 5. As a junior, was 10-8, mostly at No. 5.
MRINALI KESAVADAS, 2020. In doubles as a senior, was 6-4 at No. 1 with Annie Bao. As juniors in doubles, Bao and Kesavadas were 4-5.
ANNA LUNDQUIST, 2016. As a sophomore, was 3-3 at No.2 singles. As a freshman, was 2-1 at No. 1 singles.
HOLLAND MARTIN, 2025. All-Area second-teamer as a junior. Qualified for state in doubles as a senior with Adella Bird and compiled an overall 14-5 record. Went 2-2 at state in 2024. Qualified for state with Bird in 2023 and compiled a school-record 19-3 season record in doubles, plus a school-record 17 wins in a row. Went 1-2 at state. The duo holds the M-S career record in doubles (33-8). Martin holds the school record for career singles wins (32), mostly at No. 2, and was a starter on back-to-back Apollo Conference championship teams.
SARA RICE, 2015. All-Area first-teamer as a senior when she was the school’s first individual state-qualifier, advancing in singles. Was 10-4 in singles at No. 1 as a senior. As a junior, was 5-3 at No. 1 singles. As a freshman, was 2-3 in doubles with Maddie Schacht.
HALEY REED, 2026. All-Area second-teamer as a junior. Qualified for state in doubles as a junior with Elana Religioso and compiled an overall 17-4 record. Went 3-2 at state. Part of a Bulldog squad that was 17-0 in dual meets (a school record). Was 8-0 in singles at No. 4.
ELANA RELIGIOSO, 2025. All-Area first-teamer as a senior. Qualified for state in doubles as a senior with Haley Reed and compiled an overall 17-4 record. Went 3-2 at state. In singles as a senior, was 15-0, mostly at No. 3, with 13 of the wins in straight sets.
MADDIE SCHACHT, 2015. As a senior, was 4-4 at No. 1 doubles with junior Adrienne Schaumann. As a freshman, was 2-3 in doubles with Sara Rice.
ADRIENNE SCHAUMANN, 2016. As a junior, was 4-4 at No. 1 doubles with senior Maddie Schacht.
EMILY YOUNG, 2024. Qualified for state in doubles as a senior with Savannah Amatyleon, finishing with a 15-7 overall record. They were 2-2 at state. As a junior, qualified for state in doubles with Amatyleon, finishing 7-10, including 1-2 at state, As a senior, was 10-3 in singles, mostly at No. 4.
