With the first two nights of competition in the books, there are plenty of familiar names finding success in the early part of the Moose Jaw High School Athletic Association senior badminton league.
As it turns out, if you win a medal in the city championship one year, odds are you’re going to contend the next, and that’s exactly what’s happening in a handful of divisions.
Leading the way in the girls' singles division is Cornerstone’s Kiana Hrechka, with the 2022 junior city champion posting first-place finishes in the opening two rounds of play. Vanier’s Emma Leclair was second and teammate Jerielle Malano third on Night 1, while Central’s Mikayla Carle and 2022 city silver medalist Kylee Cooper of Peacock took third on Night 2.
Boys singles junior bronze medalist Cole Wilson from Central is also off to fast start with wins on the first two nights, with Central’s Micah Salido-Porter second on the first night and Peacock’s Teagan Tollefson second on Night 2. Defending bronze medalist Nigel Fang from Central was third both nights.
The reigning mixed doubles gold medalists from Cornerstone got their season off to a fast start, as Annika Wonnick and Wyatt Craig picked up the opening night win. Central’s Eihab Dahab and Ashley Ciserno were second while Cornerstone’s Jorja Seida-Ruthven partnered with Tanner Behrns to finish third. Central’s Micah Salido-Porter and Tara Nguyen took top spot on Night 2, Dahab and Ciserno were once again second, Seida-Ruthven and McKelvey Ellard placed third.
Peacock’s Makena Simmons and Jessica Selensky might be newcomers to girls doubles, but that hasn’t stopped the duo from posting wins on the first two nights. Seida-Ruthven and Wonnick were second and Payton Fisher and Ademide Adewumi placed third. Night 2 saw first and third place remain the same, with Hrechka joining Wonnick to land second.
Reigning junior boys double gold medalists Behrns and Drew Biette finished third on Night 1, with Salido-Porter joining Fang to win on opening night and then Josef Yee to claim the Night 2 win. The bronze medalists from 2023, Cornerstone’s Matt Artavia and Cole Benallick, were second on Night 1 and third on Night 2, while Central’s Curtis Smith and Carter Yeroschak were second on Night 2.
