Whatcom County boys tennis players failed to clinch a single state berth following the conclusion of the 2A District 1 tournament on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at the Bellingham Training and Tennis Club.

It’s the first time local 2A boys singles or doubles players haven’t earned an entry since 2006 — the year before the tournament expanded from 16 to 32 entries.

Sehome singles player Harley Kaiser will be an alternate, as well as Bellingham’s doubles team of Caleb Imbach and Nate Lyon. Both teams finished third in their respective brackets.

Kaiser fell in the 2A District 1 singles championship to Archbishop Murphy’s Cole Balen before being eliminated by Sedro-Woolley’s Vellegas in the consolation final.

Imbach and Lyon lost the 2A District 1 doubles title match before being eliminated in the consolation final by Burlington-Edison’s Spencer Atkinson and Kounosuke Wilcox.

Prior to this season, 2A District 1 was allocated three state tournament berths, which guaranteed a berth to any players or teams in district title matches. Those allocations dropped to two for the 2023–24 season.

Read Monday’s coverage of the district tournament here.