Keith Mader
Sports editor

Sophie Larson was instrumental in helping the women’s tennis team seize its 15-4, 13-2 record this season.
The No. 3 singles player has posted a 17-2, 14-1 record this season, losing only to Stephanie Fuchs of D-I University of Portland and Linh Aven of Whitman University.
“I beat Aven the first time I played her, and then I lost,” Larson said. “Hopefully we’ll play Whitman in the finals this weekend.”
Larson, a sophomore from Eugene, Ore., said she played tennis her entire life, but started to play on a team during high school.
“I’ve grown up around tennis; both of my parents play,” Larson said.
She stopped playing soccer her junior year to focus on tennis, which paid off.
“In high school, I played number one singles my junior and senior year,” Larson said. “My senior season I got to the second round in the state tournament.”
In the off-season, Larson said she goes back to her roots.
“In the summers I play in doubles tournaments with my dad,” she said.
An exercise science major, Larson plans to go to medical school and study orthopedics and sports medicine.
“I would like to work with athletes, and I really like Linfield’s exercise science program,” she said.
“I also really liked the campus and coaches and that’s partially why I came to Linfield.”
The coaches shuffled Larson’s play this year by changing her doubles partner.
“I was with Sallie Katter but now am with Sarah Click,” Larson said. “It was switched because the first time we played Whitworth we got swept in doubles.”
The change didn’t pose a problem for Larson.
“The change is working for our team strategy, and I am fine with it,” Larson said.
This season Larson witnessed history end as Linfield’s streak of 108 straight conference wins ended against Whitworth.
“It sucked to break the streak, but it was cool to get to one hundred,” Larson said. “It had to end sometime. After we broke it, we just kept going.”
Larson, who is No. 11 on Linfield’s all-time winning percentage leader board, is satisfied with the season so far.
“I think we’re doing well, we have a lot of team chemistry,” Larson said. “We’re young but have been successful so far. We are working toward winning conference and going to regionals.”
Larson and the rest of the Wildcats enter the Northwest Conference Championships on April 17 in Yakima, Wash.