The second-best thing that happened to the Stanwood girls’ tennis team this year was that Megan LaLone showed up and dominated at No. 1 singles.

The best thing was that the Spartans have her for three more years.

LaLone burst on the Western Conference North Division singles scene as a freshman this year, winning most of her matches without giving up more than a game or two each time out. She ran into stiffer competition at the state tournament, but after opening with a loss she rallied back with four straight wins to take fourth place.

For her dominant run through the regular season and her resilience at the state tournament, LaLone has been selected the Skagit Valley Herald Girls’ Tennis Player of the Year.

“It was really fun,” said LaLone, whose only loss at the state tournament was to eventual champion Meghan Cassens of Decatur. “I was really excited to play with all the girls (at Stanwood). I’d never played with a team. All the coaches were great.”

LaLone found tough competition in the postseason. Besides Cassens, the only players who finished ahead of LaLone in a tough Class 4A state field came from her district — Lake Stevens’ Antonia Liebenow and Kamiak’s Elaine Baik.

“There’s a lot of competition,” Stanwood coach Trudy Abrams said. “I know she wants to put herself in one of those top spots.”

The end of the prep season doesn’t slow down LaLone much. She trains year-round in Mercer Island, where she is coached by former Skagit Valley College player and coach Jesse Schouten. LaLone said her goals during the high school offseason are to work on footwork and possibly on getting to the net a little more.

She’s been playing the sport since she was 7. That experience was a help throughout the Spartans’ lineup.

“Just to know someone is so dedicated to that sport kind of steps up everyone’s game,” said Abrams. “Just to be able to practice with someone like that is big. She was pretty prepared. I’d heard about her when she was a seventh-grader. People had the opportunity to challenge her, and a couple did, but they realized the talent she had. They enjoyed watching her.”

Eric Francis can be reached at 360-416-2131 or by e-mail at

Skagit Valley Herald
All-Area Girls’ Tennis Team

Singles
Jennifer Jansen (Sr.) Oak Harbor
Megan LaLone (Fr.) Stanwood
Erin Neilon (Jr.) Oak Harbor
Jayne Thomas (Sr.) Burlington-Edison

Doubles
Anne Hamiter (Sr.) and Kallen Shaughnessy (Jr.) Stanwood
Lauren Barnet (Sr.) and Meagan Stransky (Sr.) Mount Vernon
Connie Grimnes (Sr.) and Monica Archer (Sr.) Anacortes