Seahawks Sophomore Named Conference Tennis Player of the Year

Here’s McKenna Baurichter’s tennis career in a nutshell: She started taking tennis lessons in eighth grade. In her freshman season, she took second place in the South Sound Conference in singles competition. As a sophomore, she won the SSC championship and was named conference player of the year. A short but very sweet résumé for the Peninsula Seahawk.

In less than three years, Baurichter has become one of the premier tennis players in the South Puget Sound, and with another two years left, who knows what’s next for the soon-to-be junior.

“I was very surprised where I ended up at the end,” said Baurichter, who finished the regular season with a 13-1 record.

After a great regular and conference tournament season, Baurichter was handed a bad card in the District 3/4 tournament. Her seeding forced her to go up early against Mountain View star Susan Hong, who played for the district championship three straight years, including this year after beating Baurichter 6-2, 1-6, 1-0 (10-5).

“I gained more confidence as I played more matches throughout the season,” she said. “I’m just taking this one season at a time.”

Overall, the Seahawks girls tennis team took fourth place in the conference. Seniors Lindsay Kilcup and Margaux Mayer finished fifth in the conference in doubles and were named to the honorable mention All-Conference team, as were doubles partners Irene Segura and Olivia Mercado.

Baurichter’s success on the court may come as a surprise to some since no one in her family excels at the sport. Her brother, Jacob, played when he was a Seahawk, and she’ll occasionally play with her 78-year-old grandma, Jackie Jones, at Sehmel Park in Gig Harbor. Baurichter’s mom, Rebecca, wasn’t too shocked. “She’s a natural athlete and whatever she puts her mind to, she excels at,” her mom said. “It’s amazing she can compete with such high-level tennis players with the minimal amount of tennis she has played.”

Although fans are months away from seeing Baurichter on the tennis court again, they are just weeks away from seeing her on the soccer field. After spending the summer swimming and paddleboarding, she’s getting ready to return as a midfielder on the girls soccer team this fall. She credits soccer with improving her tennis game. “I could tell my footwork was quicker this past season,” she said.

Just like her “one season at a time” sensibility implies, Baurichter isn’t looking too far ahead in her athletic future just yet. “At the end of high school, if my skills are good enough, I will consider playing at the next level.”