Year 2022 Synopsis
Summary: As the lead player at Mission College Prep in his sophomore year, Easton helped the school secure its first-ever CIF Division IV tennis title. Easton also became the first Mission Prep men’s tennis player to advance to the CIF Central Section individual tournament, winning his first match and reaching the final eight.
Full details:
In the preceding summer of 2021, Easton participated in several local UTR flex leagues to stay sharp while taking lessons from Hugh Bream, former coach of Cal Poly men’s and women’s tennis teams as well as San Diego State’s men’s tennis team. He also continued to work with Devin Barber, former Division 1 player for Cal Poly and former hitting partner of WTA players Victoria Azarenka and Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
Easton participated in several tournaments in the fall and winter. Highlights included winning the consolation bracket at a USTA L6 tournament in Aptos, California and winning a USTA L6 tournament in Avila Beach.
2022
Come spring of 2022, Easton once again secured the lead singles and doubles spots on the Mission College Prep tennis team. In March, he made it to the semifinals of the USTA Central Coast Spring Challenger in Santa Barbara playing up in the Boys 18s division. At a local tournament in April, he defeated a mid-7 UTR former Westmont College player 6-3 and 6-2 in the Men’s A level final.
Based on Mission College Prep’s performance the year prior, the team was promoted to the Mountain League, the higher of two local high school leagues, and placed third in the league—the school’s best placement ever. This earned Mission College Prep the #1 seed in CIF Central Section Division IV, and the team went on to win its first ever CIF title—a testament to the passion and chemistry of the entire team led by Coach John Krossa.
Concurrently, Easton qualified for the 2022 CIF Central Section Singles Boys Championships in Bakersfield, becoming the first ever Mission College Prep player to do so. In a field of 16, he won his first match to reach the final eight before meeting defeat. Heading into the summer, he had raised his UTR to 6.86.
Despite his rigorous tennis schedule and an hour-round trip daily commute to high school, Easton continued to maintain a 4.0+ GPA through the end of the school year. At the school’s Royal Day Awards Ceremony, he earned the distinction of National Latin Examination Cum Laude as well as departmental awards for World Languages and Visual & Performing Arts.