For the first time in Parkway West history, the racquetball team won the National High School Racquetball Championship.

The tournament lasted from Wednesday, March 1 to Sunday, March 5 and took place in St. Louis at Vetta Concord, in South County and the Missouri Athletic Club West, in Town and Country.

“Nationals alternates every year between Portland and St. Louis,” senior Will Meyer said. “I was really happy that they were located here this year. It was fun going to Portland last year but it was even more fun to win in our home city.”

The girls team placed first overall and the boys placed third. Combined the teams had a total of 3,499 points which put the team in first place out of 36 teams.

“I didn’t go to nationals last year, so I went in not knowing what to expect. I never would have thought we would place first. We were so proud because every single girl on our team placed. Everyone worked so hard and the team was so deserving,” sophomore Natalie Littich said.

This was the first year a team from Missouri has won nationals since 2003.

“We’ve always had an amazing racquetball program. Last year, we placed fourth overall, but placing first is a major accomplishment,” Meyer said.

The team is coached by Mike Williams.

“Coach Williams is serious like a coach, but funny like a grandpa,” senior Carson Smith said. He’s really passionate about the sport and proves it through our team. He’s always running our practices and guiding us in our matches.”

Over the past two years, the team has been making adjustments to improve.

“We’ve started doing mini-camps over the summer where we met up at the court and practiced. Also our coaches offered us private lessons which helped us improve our skills,” Smith said. “Overall we just practiced even more than before to stay competitive, and it ended up getting us to the top.”

Each player was placed in at least two brackets: one singles, one doubles and they played 10-15 matches throughout the tournament.

“In each bracket of mine, I was able to win the first two matches and avoid consolation. Unfortunately, I lost the third match of each bracket and was finished,” Meyer said. “I had six wins total, which I was proud of. I was happy to be able to watch my teammates play and win their brackets.”

The championship team consisted of nine seniors, seven of which have played all four years of high school

“Racquetball has taught me so many life lessons. When I’m not satisfied with how I’m playing, I’ve learned that it’s better to stay positive and keep pushing instead of being angry and frustrated,” Meyer said. “I’m really going to miss the sport and I’m happy we ended our careers on such a positive note.”