Hello Vikings, this is the Norse Code’s fourth edition of Feature Friday. Every Friday, we shine the spotlight on a New Berlin West student, faculty member, club, or event.
This week, Journalism traveled to Nielsen Stadium at UW Madison to cheer on senior Christa Borchardt and junior Carolyn Gorzek at the WIAA Girls Tennis Tournament. In the regular season, the duo amassed twenty wins while only losing five times: Muskego and Badger in the first meet of the season, Pewaukee in conference play + conference tournament, and once later in the season.
Some worthy wins collected by the duo came over Elkhorn, Shorewood, Hartford, Waterford, Greendale, Slinger, and twice over New Berlin Eisenhower: once during Woodland West Conference play and once in the conference tournament. Borchardt and Gorzek have become the first doubles team in NBW’s Perreault Era, Perreault’s coaching tenure (2017-Present), to beat NBE. The girls finished 5-1 in regular season conference play and placed second in the end-of-season Woodland Conference Tournament, only losing to Pewaukee.
Coach Becky Perreault admired the partnership the Lady Vikings formed as this was the first season Borchardt and Gorzek competed together. During tryouts, Perreault observed that the girls were the clear varsity Doubles 1 team. Suffering two tough losses in the first meet of the season only brought the girls closer together. “They kept getting better as the season went on. By the end of the season, it was really cool how close they became and it translated to a great season for them,” said Perreault. Borchardt attributes the quick connection to hard work during their continuous reps in practice.
Borchardt and Gorzek are the first doubles team competing at state in the Perreault Era. Their path to the State Championship relied on an outstanding regular season performance since they lost in subsectionals (2-6, 6-2, 12-10) to NBE, who the girls beat twice prior to subsectionals, ultimately falling short of sectionals and the state tournament. Perreault attributes this loss to a severely ill Borchardt and said, “It was impressive that they won a set given the condition of Christa.” Borchardt added, “I had a pretty bad cold.”
The girls captured admirable wins over many opponents who finished the season with good records: some qualified for the state tournament through wins at sectionals; however, the NBW duo’s straight-set wins, the sheer number of wins they amassed, the difficulty of their opponent’s during their wins, and Perreault’s application for the girls’ Special Qualifier spot led to the girls earning a spot in the state tournament.
On Thursday, October 12, Borchardt and Gorzek took on Ellsworth seniors Maria Harrington and Betsy Foster (16-5) in the first round of the 2023 D2 WIAA State Championship. Going into the match, the girls did not know what to expect from Ellsworth. “We’re going to come out aggressive and have fun. It’s just any other game,” said Gorzek.
The girls showcased great range as they had many impressive ‘gets’ en route to victory (6-3, 6-3), something Gorzek alluded to before the match: “We’re both fast and can make it to balls that other teams wouldn’t be able to.”
With one win secured, the girls need four more wins to become the D2 State Champions. They play the #6 seed, Regis, who received a bye in the first round, today at 12:30. If they win, they play again today at 2:30 with a chance of making it to the semifinals played on Saturday, along with the finals.
The effort and determination exhibited by Borchardt and Gorzek throughout the season, coupled with the establishment of a strong connection, guided them toward a schedule filled with wins and great learning experiences. The spectacular partnership displayed stems from the girls being friends prior to the season and being teammates in other sports. Gorzek added, “I think we do good because we don’t take it too seriously. We’re always laughing and having fun.”
![(L-R) Henry Gardner, George Gardner, [father Gardner], Mrs. Gardner and Jake Gardner all pose in front of a waterfall.](https://mynorsecode.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_4449-970x1200.jpg)
