Head Coach Rich Francey
Assistant Coach Jason Boe

This season brought a lot of success for the Rowland Hall boys tennis program. The varsity team returned with plenty of experience, with only two seniors graduating from the starting seven in 2025. I appreciate all of the hard work and planning from our administration, faculty, staff, parents, and student-athletes that often goes unseen. I am especially thankful for the 17 student-athletes who committed themselves to working hard throughout the season.

The Rowland Hall program was led by captains Duke O’Neil, Eric Brown, and Hans Baker. The team finished the season with a 10-5 record, with all five losses coming against 5A and 6A schools. Rowland Hall had four positions finish first in region play, with only #1 Singles taking second place to the eventual state champion at that position.

The state tournament was held at Liberty Park on May 15–16. After a mini heat wave earlier in the week, cooler temperatures arrived, but the Rowland Hall boys team heated up. Advancing to all five semifinals on Saturday morning, the team was set up for a strong finish. Our #2 Singles and #3 Singles players advanced to the finals, along with both the #1 and #2 Doubles teams.

Hans Baker at #2 Singles and Evan Owens at #3 Singles both won their finals matches in straight sets. Shortly after, the #2 Doubles team of Henry Damico and Eric Brown also won in straight sets, clinching the state championship before the #1 Doubles team of Duke O’Neil and Kaya Akkor even took the court for their final match. Duke and Kaya battled for nearly three hours before falling 6-4 in the third set after a gritty performance. Overall, the team delivered a dominant tournament performance, finishing with 61 points, well ahead of runner-up Waterford, which finished with 35 points.

The season concluded with a wonderful banquet at the Damico family’s home in Park City. Bryce Decker received a Yonex racquet for winning the JV tournament, and the Captains’ Award was presented to Alex Nelson. Four MVP awards were also given to Hans Baker, Evan Owens, Eric Brown, and Henry Damico.

A very special moment to end the evening was the announcement of the newly established O’Neil Family Tennis Contribution Award. This award will recognize a family that goes above and beyond in supporting tennis at Rowland Hall and will continue to be presented in the O’Neil family name moving forward. Stacey, her parents, and Duke have tirelessly supported both the boys and girls programs over the last four years.

Team Awards

• MVP: Hans Baker, Evan Owens, Eric Brown, and Henry Damico
• Captains’ Award: Alex Nelson

Team Manager
Mackenzie Boyer

Members of Boys Tennis
Kaya Akkor
Hans Baker
Franky Barnes
Eric Brown
Ethan Chyung
David Cross
Henry Damico
Bryce Decker
Alex Nelson
Srikar Kommi
Harrison Lasater
Duke O’Neil
Evan Owen
Noah Ostrander
Like Reymann
Isaac Simmons
Boston Stark