Greg Tunnicliff
Sports Scene
GRAND BLANC, Michigan – While records are made to be broken, Midland Dow senior Austin Woody broke one this fall that may never broken again. He beat Rob Stevens of Portage Central, 6-2, 6-3, in the No. 2 singles championship match of the Division 2 state tournament October 20 at Genesys Athletic Club in Grand Blanc.The triumph was Woody’s 80th straight victory, eclipsing the previous state record of 60 set by former University Liggett School standout and ATP professional Aaron Krickstein in 1981-82.“I stay focused on what I’m doing rather than the next match,” Woody said.
“Obviously, you want to think about who you are playing next. But you can’t reach the next round until you beat what is in front of you on the court, especially at the state tournament.”
Woody finished with a 41-0 record this season, tying the state record set by Traverse City Central’s Hunter Bergsma and Caleb Morgan in 2010 and equaled by Dow’s Jonathan Gurnee last year.
It was Woody’s second state championship, having won at No. 3 singles as a junior.
“It’s been fun,” said Woody, who reached four state finals overall, having lost at No. 2 doubles in 2009 and at No. 1 doubles in 2010. “Not many people can say they made it to four state finals.”
Woody had a phenomenal career at Dow, which included winning four Saginaw Valley League and Division 1 regional titles.
He notched All-SVL first-team honors from 2009-11 before landing a spot on the All-SVL North first team this fall.
He is a two-time first-team All-State pick, having earned top billing at doubles as a sophomore and at singles as a junior. This year’s All-State team has yet to be selected.
Woody met little resistance in winning the state title. The top seed captured all four of his matches at the two-day event in straight sets, yielding no more than three games in a set. He recorded four 6-0 sets.
“[The record] shows in his natural toughness and his fight on the court,” Dow coach Terry Schwartzkopf said. “There is not much else you can say about it. [The record] speaks for itself.”
After losing in the state championship match as sophomore, Woody’s run to break Krickstein’s record began. He went 39-0 last year, but he never gave any thought to breaking the record.
Even as his wins continued to mount this fall, it was never really on his radar screen.
“It just came as time progressed,” Woody said. “I had to keep my eyes on my game and ignore the other stuff.”
With Woody leading the way, Dow captured five of the eight flights en route to winning its fourth straight state championship.
The Chargers finished with 35 points, 12 more than runner-up Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (23).
Since the MHSAA scrapped its class format in favor of four divisions in 1998, Dow is only the second school to win four consecutive Division 2 state championships. Okemos won four in row from 2004 to the spring 2007 season.
“When I came, [Dow] had not won a state championship,” Woody said. “[The team title] is much more exciting than the records. I wish I could come back and play again.”