State champs

Ed Bongart can finally breathe a sigh of relief. 

After several years of near misses, the Lakewood Ranch High girls tennis coach saw his team win its first Class 3A state championship April 13 and April 14, in Altamonte Springs. 

The district and regional champion Lady Mustangs entered the second day of team competition with a one-point lead over Terra Institute. But it wasn’t until a span of approximately 20 minutes, when Bongart’s daughter, Ashley, and Lauren Proctor won the No. 1 and No. 2 singles championships, respectively, and advanced both their doubles teams to the finals that Bongart could finally relax. 

After dropping a set in the semifinals, Proctor led her No. 2 doubles team to a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(3) victory to clinch the team title for the Lady Mustangs. 

Lakewood scored 14 points to edge past Terra Institute (12 points) for its first tennis team championship in school history. 

“It’s finally starting to sink in,” Ashley Bongart says. “I’m really proud of everyone for reaching that goal. It’s kind of surreal. It’s a big accomplishment for the tennis team and the school, and I’m just very proud.” 

It was also the first state championship for Ed Bongart, who posted second- and third-place state finishes as a player at Sarasota High. He also coached the Lakewood boys team to runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2012 and the girls to a runner-up finish in 2012. 

“We’ve come so close so many times, so it’s (a relief) to finally get over the hump,” Bongart says. “I’ve been using the phrase ‘always a bridesmaid and never a bride.’ That’s how I felt a lot of the time.” 

In addition to winning the No. 2 singles title, Proctor and her partner, Jessie Kroupa, captured the No. 2 doubles title with a 6-1, 6-2 victory. 

“Lauren played really great,” Bongart says. “She was the difference — just being able to have a No. 2 player who is so flexible.” 

This year’s state championship also marked the final time Bongart would coach his daughter on the court. And after seeing her win a pair of No. 1 singles titles in addition to her first team title, Bongart couldn’t have scripted their final match together any more perfectly. 

“It was our last call so to speak. Our final hurrah,” Bongart says. “To be able to have that storybook ending — it was exciting.” 

“We’ve come so close so many times, so it’s (a relief) to finally get over the hump. I’ve been using the phrase ‘always a bridesmaid and never a bride.’ That’s how I felt a lot of the time.”

– Ed Bongart,
Lakewood Ranch High girls tennis coach