Drew Dawson was one of two Orange County boys tennis players recently honored as a high school All-American.
He just finished leading University to an unprecedented fifth consecutive perfect season, which concluded with another CIF-SS team title and a second straight Southern California Regional championship.
Dawson had an ample amount of moments to choose from when he was asked what he’ll remember most from his senior campaign.
Being the selfless leader he proved to be all season, it came as no surprise that Dawson’s most treasured memory came from a match he wasn’t part of.
“If I had to pinpoint one moment, it would be Arseni (Yalouskikh) and Tommy (Wang) winning the first round (in the CIF-SS team finals),” he explained. “There’s a picture from that match of (Coach John) Kessler kneeling down and everyone in the crowd around him cheering after they won.
“It just captures Uni tennis, both boys and girls. We put so much into it.”
The University boys tennis team has arguably become the most dominant program in all of Orange County athletics. In his final season at University, Dawson made sure the Trojans stayed atop the mountain. Because of the accomplishments he and his teammates achieved this past season, Dawson has been chosen as the Register’s player of the year.
“A lot of people didn’t think we were going to be as good as we were,” the Notre Dame-bound senior said. “We knew that if we did everything we could that was in our control to be the best, it would be a season like last season.”
In 2013, the Trojans lineup was overflowing with talent. All-Americans Gage Brymer, Tyler Lu and Stefan Menichella made up the best core trio of players in the country. But when they graduated alongside three additional starters, many questioned if the University lineup could recover from such a gutting.
With Dawson, fellow seniors Eric Tseng, Yalouskikh and talented juniors Arash Hafezi and Konrad Kozlowski, the Trojans proved early on they would do more than just survive. They flourished.
Dawson made the jump to No. 1 singles player and showed just how versatile a player he truly is. He did not drop a set in the always competitive Pacific Coast League, and wound up winning the league’s coveted singles championship over Corona del Mar’s talented sophomore Bjorn Hoffmann.
University used that momentum in the postseason, capturing its fifth straight CIF-SS Division 1 team title, topping Harvard-Westlake of Studio City, 10-8, in one of the program’s tightest matches in recent memory.
“I went out the best (way possible),” Dawson said. “I think I made the most of my high school tennis career. So many players opt out and choose not to play high school tennis, and I think that’s a big mistake. You learn so much other than just tennis lessons.
“The overall experience is about teamwork, and that’s what college tennis is going to be like.”
While he leaves for Notre Dame in early August to continue his tennis career, there will be no forgetting Dawson anytime soon. In addition to the championship hardware he helped deliver back to University, Dawson was an integral part of the Trojans’ drive to establish a legacy of dominance.
Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com
