Leddy leaves alma mater; local grads return for tennis event

After one season coaching the McPherson College men’s and women’s tennis teams, Dan Leddy has resigned.

Dan was a successful coach of boys and girls at Kapaun Mt. Carmel before leaving to coach for his alma mater, McPherson College. His first season was rough since the college teams lacked depth and experience.

Sydney Bwalya has been hired to replace Dan. Sydney, who is from Zambia, played for Barton County Community College and then coached there for the past four seasons. He has three children who also play tennis, including Nina and Besa, who battled in the girls’ 16 singles bracket at June’s Mid-Continent Junior Open. Nina won the bracket, defeating Wichita North’s Lauren Cheeseborough in the final. Besa won the consolation bracket at Riverside Tennis Center.

More recently, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association held a summer circuit event at Wichita State University. Last weekend’s competition featured graduates of Kapaun, Wichita Southeast and The Independent School.

Nate Kirk, formerly of Southeast, now plays for the University of Illinois-Chicago. He advanced to the singles final last weekend. Nate lost to Rajeev Deb-Sen, who will be a sophomore at Columbia University, 6-2, 6-1.

Ryan Norman, a recent Independent graduate, will compete for Creighton. He and his doubles partner, Harry Walsh – director of Genesis Junior Tennis Academy – won the doubles. They prevailed in the final 9-8 (11-9), edging Rajeev Deb-Sen and James Seagraves, who will be a sophomore at the University of Tulsa.

Ryan’s brother, Jake Norman, will be a freshman at Independent this fall. He lost in the first round and then beat two college players to win the consolation.

Other competitors from the area included Kelly Gebert, who previously played for Kapaun, and Suzan Lisenby, a Southeast alumnus. Her fellow Golden Buffalo, Nate, won No. 6 singles in April at the Horizon League Men’s Tennis Championship.

The University of Illinois-Chicago advanced to the league final for the fifth year in a row. Nate defeated a Cleveland State opponent in the final. The league features 10 schools, including Valparaiso and Butler.