Whiteland senior Quinten Gillespie finished his high school tennis career having played 100 matches, all but four of them as the Warriors’ No. 1 singles player.
Century mark aside — and the fact he won 85 percent of the time — Gillespie’s extraordinary four-year run placed greater emphasis on team success than individual accomplishments.
When the Warriors win, Gillespie wins.
And if there’s one thing that’s become impressively evident, it’s that Quinten Gillespie, the Daily Journal’s Player of the Year in boys tennis, wins a lot either way.
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Click here to purchase photos from this gallery“A great four years,” said Gillespie, who recently wrapped up a 27-3 season by making it all the way to the state singles semifinals before having to retire in the third and deciding set due to severe leg cramps. “Looking back, the memories I made were pretty enjoyable.
“It was just a fun time, really. Our team winning conference this year was a huge win for us. It’s just the Whiteland attitude, honestly. It was nice to share it with the whole team.”
From the time he was in elementary school, it was anticipated that Gillespie, son of longtime Warriors coach Mike Gillespie, could be a force to be reckoned with once he reached high school.
Penciled in as the top singles player as a freshman at the start of the 2017 season (though he played doubles on four occasions), Gillespie was as constant as the blue and orange he proudly wore onto the court each time.
Over the past four seasons, Whiteland posted a record of 69-12, including a 25-3 mark against conference opponents.
“Quinten is very well-rounded, and that’s probably more important than the individual things,” Mike Gillespie said. “He bought into the program and that the team comes first.”
An excellent student with a 4.18 grade-point average, Quinten also plays basketball at Whiteland. Away from athletics, he participates in choir and is part of the school’s Athletic Leadership Council.
Center Grove coach Ivan Smith has been watching Gillespie play in tournaments since he was 7 or 8 years old. Smith was impressed with the maturity Gillespie displayed during his prep career, particularly during the constant emotional highs and lows of what was his final match.
“When I watched him play at the state semifinals, he was the same the whole time. He was unflappable in his approach,” Smith said. “Otherwise, it was just how he competed. Quinten has fought for respect in his career, but watching him then, he wasn’t swallowed up by the moment.
“That kind of pressure didn’t interfere with how he approached the match and didn’t interfere with how he played.”
Gillespie has yet to make a college choice, though he anticipates he will land at one of two NAIA schools: Marian University or IU Southeast. He plans to play tennis at whichever one he chooses.
“High school was fun, but now I’m looking forward to college tennis,” Gillespie said. “I’ll be able to focus on that for four years.”
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Singles
Luke Embrey, Center Grove senior: The Trojans’ No. 2 player was 24-3 overall, including a 2-0 mark at the No. 1 singles spot … All-district and honorable mention all-state … Went 6-0 during the postseason … Career record of 44-10.
Quinten Gillespie, Whiteland senior: Player of the Year after advancing all the way to the semifinals of the state singles tournament … First team all-state and all-district … Was 27-3 this year and 85-15 during his career.
Ethan Gray, Greenwood senior: Finished with a 22-1 record this season and was 68-14 during his Woodmen career … First team all-state and all-Mid-State Conference.
Dhrumil Patel, Center Grove senior: Honorable mention all-state after playing No. 1 singles for the Trojans, who advanced to the state quarterfinals … All-district pick finished with a 50-26 career record.
Doubles
Carson Contos and Landen Finlinson, Center Grove seniors: First team all-state and all-district … finished season with record of 9-6 as a combination, but had respective overall doubles records of 17-7 and 15-7.
Dylan Gross, Whiteland junior, and Christian Felker, Whiteland senior: Finished with a 12-4 record together as Gross occasionally played the third singles spot for the Warriors … Earned all-conference honors as well.
Glenn Swaney, Center Grove senior, and Bennett Strain, Center Grove junior: Ended season with a 14-4 record as a duo, including a 6-0 postseason mark … Swaney was 18-7 overall in doubles during the season while Strain’s record was 20-6.
Honorable mention
Singles: Nick Belovic, Greenwood; Max Blandford, Edinburgh; Charlie Brooks, Greenwood; Brendan Conner, Indian Creek; Seth Jasek, Center Grove; Ty McCullars, Whiteland; Ariss Mardanzai, Whiteland; Aiden Pemberton, Indian Creek, Jaden Schrougham, Indian Creek; Silas Smith, Franklin
Doubles: Jackson Klem and Sam Auger, Franklin; Travis Robinson and Josh Pitts, Whiteland
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