Katie Gooch has this birthday present arrive a day late, but she didn't mind. Saturday was the day of the Mexico senior's match in the Class 1 Sectional 4 singles play at the Fairgrounds Park Netplex in Mexico and was also the day Gooch qualified for the state tennis tournament for the first time in career. Gooch defeated Father Tolton's Claire Elizabeth Condict 6-4, 6-4 to become the first Mexico girls to play in the state tournament since Grace Wortmann five years ago in 2018-19, which was Wortmann's second berth in two years.
Gooch has earned all-district four times, including a first-place finish this year, all-conference three times, and sectionals twice. She said last year was difficult due to her battling mono, but she was more energized and displayed good mobility she hopes to carry with her to the Class 1 tournament on Friday at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield.
"Last year, I had mono for a good portion of the season so I struggled to catch up," Gooch said. "I didn’t do so well until districts, but still, I didn’t have enough prior work after recovering from that to get me to state. This year, I was illness free and I really worked hard and over the summer too."
Look for the full story in the Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, edition of the Mexico Ledger.
