When senior Deepak Indrakanti hit the forehand that would win state, the entire team went crazy.  For the first time in SHS history, the state doubles title and the state team title were won. Mustafa Ahmad, ’14, and senior Nakul Narendran won the doubles title.

“It was unreal. I truly felt on top of the world,” Indrakanti said.  He ended the losing streak that Sycamore had against Upper Arlington (UA) in state. (Sycamore lost to UA last year in the state final).  The team is very eager to defend this title, with many of the state-winning players intact (graduate Ahmad is the only member missing). However there are many strong juniors, freshmen and sophomores looking to fill in the spot.

Coach Michael Teets is making sure that SHS will be fit to defend the title. With morning conditioning starting at 6 a.m. every Tues. and Thurs. morning, and also Gold Club starting this week, the team is determined to uphold its new-found status as best in the state.

“We are the only team in the state that does this, and you can already see the benefits,” said Teets.

Gold Club is a program created by Teets in which players can earn points by playing in the off-season.

“I like gold club, it forces us to be competitive and makes us feel like a team even when we are not together,” sophomore Varun Nagendra said. Gold Club is not mandatory but it is heavily advised.