Sports Roundup: Phippen On Her Way To State

Following the heartbreak of the Stillwater boys soccer team last Saturday, it has been a good start to the week for the Ponies girls tennis and boys cross-country programs with big wins on Monday and Tuesday.

Girls Tennis

Stillwater junior Natalie Phippen advanced to the State Class AA Girls Tennis Tournament as an individual after finishing second in the Section 4AA Tournament on Monday.

Phippen, unseeded in the individual singles bracket, topped fourth seed Lauren Welch of White Bear Lake (6-0, 6-2) to secure her State berth and just missed out on a sectional championship after losing in a third-set tiebreak to St. Paul Central's third-seeded Helen Klass-Warch in the title match.

The state tournament begins on Oct. 25.

Cross-Country

Eric Colvin's individual championship led the Stillwater boys cross-country team to a Suburban East Conference title at the circuit's championship meet on Tuesday. Colvin finished the 5-kilometer boys course in a winning time of 15 minutes, 15 seconds.

The Ponies girls finished fourth in their championship meet appearance.

Swimming and Diving

The Stillwater girls swimming and diving team defeated East Ridge, 93-85, in a Suburban East dual meet on Tuesday.

Ponies individuals Kylie Burgess (200-yard freestyle) Mary Knaak (200-yard individual medley) Summer Olson (50-yard freestyle), Claire Rutscher (100-yard butterfly) and Sophia Bisch (100-yard freestyle) all earned first-place finishes.