Congratulations to our KRKO Russell & Hill Male Student Athlete of the Month for April 2024; from the Archbishop Murphy High School Boys Tennis team, senior, Cole Balen. Cole won the 2024 Class 2A Boys Tennis Singles State Championship at the Nordstrom Tennis Center in Seattle. Along the way, he bested players from North Kitsap and Fort Vancouver in the opening rounds, before defeating Rafael Polito of Sammamish 6-1 (retired) in the semi-finals and finally winning the title over Sequim’s Garrett Little, 7-5, 6-1. Little had finished runner-up in the 2023 state tournament. With the win; Archbishop Murphy’s first state tennis champion; it sent the Wildcats home with a fourth-place team trophy. It wasn’t Balen’s first trip to state however; he teamed with his brother Sean and finished in seventh place in doubles at last year’s tournament. Off the court, Cole has volunteered hundreds of hours at Providence Swedish Medical Center; he carries a 3.97 grade point average, and plans to attend Gonzaga University. Archbishop Murphy Tennis Coach is Kathy Kenney; athletic director is Jeff Latta.
