Nov. 2024 | Vol. 21 Iss. 11
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GONZALEZ SISTERS SHINE BRIGHT AT STATE; HILLCREST SCORES SECOND PLACE WITH A PROMISING FUTURE
NOV 15-17 MOUNTAIN AMERICA EXPO CENTER
By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
W
hat can be sweeter than winning a state title? Having your sister win one as well. At the Utah 4A high school state tennis championship, Hillcrest High freshman Luci Gonzalez stepped onto the court and didn’t look back. As the top-seeded No. 2 singles player, she breezed through the round of 16 and quarterfinals without her opponents winning a game. In the semifinals, she won 6-0, 6-1. She was playing on a court across from her older sister, Fabi, who was the top seed for No. 1 singles. Their Venezuelan parents watched their daughters from the walkway between courts. Their dad, who introduced each of them to the sport at age 3, said in English, “I’m double nervous.” Luci Gonzalez claimed the title quickly, winning 6-0, 6-1. After a quick hug from her teammates, including senior Camila Andrade, a Venezuelan friend whose family also relocated to Utah, Luci Gonzalez was congratulated by her parents. Then, she celebrated by watching the remainder of her sister’s match. “Coach kept telling me Luci was winning so when I heard her cheer for me, I figured she won,” said senior Fabi Gonzales, who kept her focus by looking in a notebook she kept courtside. “I kept visualizing winning. I was telling myself to breathe.” Like her sister, Fabi Gonzalez had won the round of 16 and quarterfinals 6-0, 6-0. In the semifinals, she beat her opponent 6-1, 6-0. Continued page 6
page 4
Homecoming
Hillcrest High girls’ tennis team repeated as the 4A region 10 champions. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
page 11
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‘Hadestown’ coming to Hillcrest