Seniors lead Jordan tennis team on the courts

Experience may be the key to a successful season for the Jordan boys tennis team this spring. Five seniors are filling the seven slots that make up the Beetdigger varsity squad.           

“The seniors on the team have been together a long time and want to finish their high school careers on a positive note,” Jordan coach Matt Bell said.           

Leading the team at No.1 singles is Nicholas Colt, a position the senior has held since his freshman season.           

“He comes from a wonderful tennis family that is supportive of his desire to become the best player he can,” Bell said.

Colt is also the team captain and Bell hopes that next season Colt will join the coaching staff at Jordan while he attends college.        

“He works so well with his teammates,” Bell said. “He takes the time to work with others on footwork, groundstrokes and serves.”           

Junior Tanner Farnsworth fills in behind Colt in the No. 2 singles slot. Farnsworth has earned the position after playing on the No. 2 doubles team last year.           

Although Farnsworth doesn’t take official lessons or belong to a tennis club, he still keeps active all year long to hone his tennis game.           

“Farnsworth does a great job at being with the team during our summer program and using the ball machine to make awesome improvements in his game,” Bell said. “He is definitely proof that you don’t have to have a club membership to play at a high level.”           

Senior Noah Belnap rounds out the singles part of the team in the No. 3 position. Belnap, a senior, serves along with Colt as team captain for Jordan.          

“As captain he has done a tremendous job unifying the team,” Bell said. “He helps everyone understand all the ins and outs of the team. He is also one of the best at getting fans out to our matches, which is not always something that happens for tennis.”           

Bell found an easy combination from which to build his No. 1 doubles team. It was an easy fit to put senior McKay Tilby and junior Jaxson Crook on the same team. They are cousins and have obviously known each other for a long time.           

“They are both converts from the baseball program, so they have no issues hitting the ball,” Bell said. “We just had to change the angle of where the ball was headed!”           

Rounding out the varsity team are No. 2 doubles partners Paul Hudson and Caleb Wiggins. Both are seniors who made the jump to varsity this season.           

“It has been exciting to see their progress through their career and their ability to step up and compete in this new role,” Bell said.           

Although there are a lot of good tennis teams in Region 7, Bell figures Jordan will be competing for state qualification with Cottonwood and Alta, while Timpview, Corner Canyon and Brighton seem to have the top three slots filled.