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Mixed doubles partners senior Levi Patterson and junior exchange student Noa Kawashima from Nagasaki, Japan photographed during tennis practice at Bartlett High School on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (Bill Roth \/ ADN) <\/p>\nMixed doubles partners senior Levi Patterson and junior exchange student Noa Kawashima from Nagasaki, Japan photographed during tennis practice at Bartlett High School on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (Bill Roth \/ ADN) <\/p>\n
Levi Patterson is a multi-sport athlete at Bartlett High School who enjoys playing baseball in the spring and summer but his first love is tennis.<\/p>\n
Over the summer, Patterson got injured diving for a ball during a game with his left arm fully extended and when he hit the ground, his shoulder was dislocated which caused his labrum to tear as well.<\/p>\n
Patterson had to undergo surgery in August just before the high school tennis season was slated to get underway. <\/p>\n
It put him out of commission for three weeks but once he was cleared to resume physical activity, he was back on the courts looking to make up for lost time and is now part of one of the best mixed doubles pairings in the state alongside his partner, junior Noa Kawashima.<\/p>\n
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Levi Patterson has to toss his serve off his racquet as his shoulder recovers from a baseball injury and subsequent surgery. Photographed during tennis practice at Bartlett High School on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (Bill Roth \/ ADN) <\/p>\n
As a result of the injury, he had to adjust his game quite a bit, both mentally and physically, which includes him playing with his still-healing shoulder in a sling.<\/p>\n
The sling forced him to change the way he hit his backhand and he couldn\u2019t toss the ball for the serve the way he had previously.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mental game was harder to play more than physical actually because it kind of threw me off not being able to do what I\u2019m used to doing in the previous years with a backhand and serving being the most difficult to adapt to,\u201d Patterson said. \u201cI knew I couldn\u2019t really do anything about it and I found myself in a difficult situation and I grew from it and it\u2019s been a great experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kawashima has helped him navigate through this adversity on the court by covering some of the areas Patterson can\u2019t get to and hitting good shots.<\/p>\n
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Junior exchange student Noa Kawashima from Nagasaki, Japan practices serves during tennis practice at Bartlett High School on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (Bill Roth \/ ADN) <\/p>\n
This is their first year playing together and they\u2019ve only had between four and five weeks of actual competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust from the first game, we just clicked,\u201d Patterson said. \u201cWe played through and it went very well. We found each other\u2019s play styles pretty simply, just who plays best where and it was very simple to come across that and it has just continued to go well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kawashima is a foreign exchange student from Nagasaki, Japan, who has been playing tennis since she was a young child and enjoys being partnered up with Patterson.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe always makes it easier to play,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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Senior Levi Patterson hits a one-handed backhand during tennis practice at Bartlett High School on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (Bill Roth \/ ADN) <\/p>\n
The two of them are one of the top seeds heading into this weekend\u2019s Region IV championship tournament at Alaska Club East and are grateful to have made it this far.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels good and it\u2019s a great accomplishment,\u201d Patterson said. \u201cI\u2019m very happy to be playing tennis even with this injury. It\u2019s a blessing and I\u2019m also very grateful I have my teammate. She does very well and is a great player.\u201d<\/p>\n
Their goals for the tournament include continuing to play with confidence, maintaining a positive mindset and strengthening their bond on the court.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited and I\u2019m looking forward to playing in the tournament,\u201d Kawashima said.<\/p>\n
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The Eagle River mixed doubles team of Evan Dimmick and Emery Bryan are the top seed headed into this weekend’s regional tournament. (Photo by Susan Bryan) <\/p>\n
The dynamic adaptive duo was undefeated until they faced their hardest match of the season this past weekend when they went up against Eagle River\u2019s Evan Dimmick and Emery Bryan, who are the top seed in their division for regions and beat them in a close contest.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a 10-point tie break but I find it as a good loss because it\u2019s something we can work on and improve from our mistakes we made in that match,\u201d Patterson said. <\/p>\n
He is confident that their paths will cross again in the finals at regions and potentially at next weekend\u2019s state tournament as well. If and when that time comes, he believes that they\u2019ll be ready.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe that with our mindsets together and our positivity, just supporting each other on the court and even in practice, we just keep improving and I think it will make a great deal (of progress) in being prepared to go against them again,\u201d Patterson said.<\/p>\n
Dimmick and Bryan finished the regular season with a perfect 10-0 undefeated record and are the top-seed in mixed doubles heading into the regional tournament. <\/p>\n
\u201cTheir connection as a doubles team, their combined use of skill and strategy, and their passion for tennis sets them apart as candidates not only to win regionals, but also to take on state,\u201d Eagle River coach Jen Strickland said. <\/p>\n
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West’s Adam Kaufman returns a shot during a match this fall. Kaufman is undefeated and will be among the top contenders for the state singles title this season. (Photo by Toby Erickson) <\/p>\n
The top seed in the boys singles division is Dimond junior Todd Debenham who went 13-1 in the regular season with his lone loss coming against Adam Kaufman of West who is the No. 2 seed despite being undefeated with a record of 3-0. <\/p>\n
Similarly to Patterson, the sophomore rising star had overcome some injury-related adversity that delayed his start to the season but he\u2019s been proving himself on the court ever since.<\/p>\n
In the girls singles division, West junior Lana Cebrian will be vying for her third straight region title as the top seed and looking to help lead the Eagles to an eighth consecutive team championship. <\/p>\n
Region IV First Round<\/p>\n
Friday<\/p>\n
Girls Singles<\/p>\n
No. 1 Lana Cebrian (West) vs. Ava Pantoja (Dimond) at 8 a.m.<\/p>\n
Princess Ann Magtuloy (East) vs. Morgan VanSlyke (Eagle River) at 8 a.m.<\/p>\n
No. 4 Veronica Bogdziewicz (South) vs. Brooke Rhame (Chugiak) at 8 a.m.<\/p>\n
No. 5 Yuna Chung (Serive) vs. Caeleigh Davis (Bartlett) at 8 a.m.<\/p>\n
Shenandoah Chulsi (Service) vs. Payton Landry (South) at 9 a.m. <\/p>\n
No. 3 Rori Corrigan (Eagle River) vs. Amal Shubair (East) at 9 a.m. <\/p>\n
Eleanor Burke (Bartlett) vs. Mckena Hanson (West) at 9 a.m.<\/p>\n
No. 2 Emerson Sims (Chugiak) vs. Anora Marshall (Dimond) at 9 a.m.<\/p>\n
Boys Singles<\/p>\n
No. 1 Todd Debenham (Dimond) vs. Cole Erickson (Chugiak) at 10 a.m.<\/p>\n
Tristan Shepherd (Eagle Rivers) vs. Liev Hood (Bartlett) at 10 a.m.<\/p>\n
No. 4 Shiloh Perkins (Service) vs. Oliver Saganic (South) at 10 a.m.<\/p>\n
Arkadii Kliashtornyi (East) vs. Boden Mason (West) at 10 a.m.<\/p>\n
Hankyeol Keum (Service) vs. Ben Little (Chugiak) at 11 a.m.<\/p>\n
No. 3 Isaac Forsyth (Bartlett) vs. John Flaim (Eagle River) at 11 a.m.<\/p>\n
Nathan Baily (South) vs. Elias Barard (East) at 11 a.m.<\/p>\n
No. 2 Adam Kaufman (West) vs. Jared Mateaki (Dimond) at 11 a.m.<\/p>\n
Girls Doubles<\/p>\n
No. 1 Grace Yang\/Sarah Kim (West) vs. Bye<\/p>\n
Keira Brandon\/Zirah Sethi (Service) vs. Meika Donahue\/Rhema Ervin (Chugiak) at 12 p.m.<\/p>\n
No. 4 Jer Lao\/Katyanna Ofiu (Bartlett) vs. Wendy Attebery \/ Kenzie Shelton (Eagle River) at 12 p.m.<\/p>\n
Sophie Cowles\/ Bella Marsh (South) vs. Tabitha Follows\/Isabella Carroll (Dimond) at 12 p.m.<\/p>\n
Deborah Bellville\/ Lucy Liu (Service) vs. Aliyah Keller\/Helen Viglahn (Bartlett) vs. at 12 p.m.<\/p>\n
No. 3 Audrey Smith\/Kira Bold (West) vs. Story Anderson\/ Mila Hildebrand (South) at 1 p.m.<\/p>\n
Manal Shad\/Hala DanaGirls (East) vs. Rayna Swartwood\/Lenora Smith (Dimond) at 1 p.m.<\/p>\n
No. 2 Timber Fleischhacker\/Mary Jo Landon (Chugiak) vs. Madi Dwyer \/ Tahlia Allen (Eagle River) 1 p.m.<\/p>\n
Boys Doubles<\/p>\n
No. 1 Finn Albertson\/Jonathan Church (East) vs. Davey Trotter\/Colin Urbanus (Chugiak) at 1 p.m.<\/p>\n
Connor Bridge\/Cameron Booth (Eagle River) vs. Archie Nako\/Lucca Parsit Vivone (Bartlett) at 2 p.m.<\/p>\n
No. 4 Jaeseon Yu\/Everett Scott (Dimond) vs. Giddeon Murrow\/Brigham Jeppson (South) at 2 p.m.<\/p>\n
Yaejune Lee\/Aiden Lee (Service) vs. Henry Wiseman\/Brooks Kirsch (West) at 2 p.m.<\/p>\n
Jake Ford\/Dominic Rotante (Eagle River) vs. Henry Couvillion\/Oleksii Kachuliak (East) at 2 p.m.<\/p>\n
No. 3 Kendrew Liu\/Ryan Hung (Service) vs. Azer Farnswarth\/ Levi Dolgonos (South) at 3 p.m.<\/p>\n
Cohen Scow\/Conrad Daugherty (Chugiak) vs. Javier Ramirez\/Akito Shimizu (Bartlett) at 3 p.m.<\/p>\n
No. 2 Avery Driscoll\/ Corben Merchent (Dimond) vs. Alexander Nemeth\/Elvine Lee (West) at 3 p.m.<\/p>\n
Mixed Doubles<\/p>\n
No. 1 Evan Dimmick\/Emery Bryan (Eagle River) at Bye<\/p>\n
No. 4 Maria Hrgovic\/Henry Beltzer (West) vs. Hunter Hayden\/Penelope Layne (Dimond) at 4 p.m.<\/p>\n
No. 3 Cameron Hickman\/Ivory Sobek (Service) vs. Veronica Kester\/ Nathan Reitmeier (South) at 4 p.m.<\/p>\n
No. 2 Levi Patterson\/Noa Kawashima (Bartlett) vs. Dylan Dumas\/Ella Church (East) at 4 p.m.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mixed doubles partners senior Levi Patterson and junior exchange student Noa Kawashima from Nagasaki, Japan photographed during tennis…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":183945,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[442],"tags":[49,48,92666,82,593],"class_list":["post-183944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-james-m-fitzgerald-u-s-courthouse-and-federal-building","tag-sports","tag-tennis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=183944"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183944\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/183945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=183944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=183944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=183944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}