Sterling has had quite the run in sports these last few years.
From the girls basketball team winning back-to-back Class 2A state championships in 2021 and 2022, to the boys basketball team being the reigning 2A champion, to the football team’s undefeated season en route to the Class 1A title last month, Black Bear fans have been on the spoiled side.
And yet, the most dominant athlete Sterling has had in recent years isn’t a football or basketball player. It’s a tennis player.
Chelsie Brown was the runaway winner for Ad Astra Radio’s first girls’ tennis player of the year after capping off another dominant season. Brown went 33-0 this season and claimed her second straight Class 3-2-1A state championship.
At the state tournament in Salina, Brown didn’t drop a set, winning three of the eight sets she played 6-0. She won three more sets 6-1, one by a 6-2 margin, and one more 6-4.
Brown went 69-0 in her last two seasons, winning back-to-back state titles.
A big reason for Brown’s dominance was her first serve. Her first serves have been clocked faster than 100 mph. By comparison, the fastest serve ever recorded by the Women’s Tennis Association is 131 mph.
Brown built on her high school success after the high school season by participating in the Deaflympics in Tokyo, where Brown helped Team USA win a bronze medal in doubles.
Brown plans to play collegiate tennis and has been weighing several offers.
