Three captains hungry for a three-peat for St. Paul Academy
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The St Paul Academy boys' tennis team is hoping to hold onto the dynasty they've created, working to three-peat their single-A state championship title.
Part of their preparation to make that happen is to play tougher teams in the regular season, like the Eden Prairie Eagles.
"We really want to try to set the level higher and get some more competition that we didn't get in previous years," said Maik Nguyen, a senior captain of the team.
Nguyen leads the team alongside two other co-captains, Leo Benson and Baasit Mahmood. All three hold themselves to a high standard.
"I think the biggest thing is we always stay hungry, no matter who we're playing, single A or double A [teams]," said Mahmood.
These three captains have had the rare experience of being leaders for more than one season, as there were no seniors on the team last year. Benson and Nguyen started as captains in their sophomore years, and Mahmood joined them in his junior year.
They believe having multiple seasons as leaders, helps elevate this team.
"I think we all just have a great idea of the team culture and we've been able to develop that throughout the years, and it's led to a lot of success," said Benson.
"I'm definitely a leader by example. Out on the court, I'm always super high energy," said Maik. "Just keep the energy up and making sure the morale on the team is high."
Another layer to this team's successful culture is engagement. Boys tennis has one of the highest participation rates of any other sport at St. Paul Academy.
"I think that just comes down to the community that we built here. Everyone just wants to have fun and perform at a high level," said Nguyen.
When you play against some of the best teams, you rise to their level, which is exactly what SPA did against their matchup with the Eden Prairie Eagles, defeating them 5-2. This win made the path to a three-peat feel even more possible.
"It's kind of crazy it's coming to an end, but I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else," said Benson.