DENVER | The lone Aurora area qualifier to make it to the third and final day of play at the Class 5A girls individual state tennis tournament was the Regis Jesuit No. 1 doubles team of junior Abigail Puschaver and freshman Samantha Garcia Lucero.
The Raiders’ duo won their first two matches at the Denver Tennis Park to make it to the May 8 semifinals, where they were stopped by eventual state champions Mataya Farling and Harlowe Lutz from powerhouse Ralston Valley.
Puschaver and Garcia Lucero bounced back to win a playback semifinal and battled Valor Christian’s Sofia Yaron and Ella Bohling for three sets before they fell 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to finish in fourth place.
While Garcia Lucero made her state tournament debut, Puschaver placed fourth for a second straight season as she garnered the same spot with former partner Brooklyn Craven at No. 3 doubles in 2025.
Coach Jenn Armstrong’s Regis Jesuit team had all seven lines qualified, but the other six positions were all eliminated after the opening day and did not get playback chances.
Cherokee Trail had its No. 4 doubles team of seniors Aspen Cedeno and Aninko Madege qualified, but the Cougars had to forfeit their opening round match to Cherry Creek’s Dylan Milo and Riley Farber — the eventual state champions — plus the subsequent playback match due to scheduled testing.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
