To paraphrase 1990s pop icon Britney Spears, Oops We Did It Again.

For the 13th straight year, we set a record total of funds raised in the annual Delta vs. Yorktown SmashCancer girls’ tennis match.

Although it will take a few days to nail down the exact total, this year’s event is expected to land somewhere in the $23,000 to $24,000 range.

On the DHS courts on a partly sunny and warm evening, 20th-ranked Delta topped Yorktown 4-1 in the varsity match and 12-6 in the JV match in front of several hundred fans.

But the night’s biggest winner was recent Delta graduate Megan Hiday.  Diagnosed in December 2021 with a rare CIC DUX4 sarcoma, her cancer was considered terminal.  She endured six months of chemotherapy, five surgeries, 32 radiation treatments, and many close calls. She has been a SmashCancer honorary server for the past four years and has been a beneficiary of the event.  Tuesday night she announced she is now in remission from her cancer!

Read Megan’s cancer journey story here

She was one of a record total of nearly 70 Server Survivors who hit a first serve in the latest SmashCancer.  All were introduced to the crowd and ran through a congratulatory tunnel of Delta and Yorktown team members.

In the first year of the event on May 9, 2012, we raised $1,100 for local cancer beneficiaries.  That total raised to $4,000 the nest year, then $4,500, then $4,800 and $5,500 in year five.  We jumped to $6,000 the next year, then $7,400 and then $8,000 in 2019 before Covid cancelled the event in 2020.

After that, the fundraising really started to grow. In 2021, we jumped to $15,000, then $15,500 in 2022 and $20,500 in 2023.  Last year’s event raised $22,000.  This year we are likely to top $23,000, raising the 13-year total to approximately $137,000.

How did this year’s event raise so much money? There are many reasons:

Two different community members donated $1,000 apiece.  Two others donated $500 apiece.

A raffle offered Cincinnati Reds tickets (winner Raeann McGuire), Notre Dame football tickets (winner Andy Thorpe), and Cincinnati Open tennis tournament tickets (winner Neil Behrman) generated about $5,000.  One Delta player, Selah Plummer, sold more than 100 tickets.

Concessions generated about $1,500 last night as Maucky’s BBQ sandwiches, walking tacos, and grandma Sandy Manor’s homemade cookies were big hits.

We sold about 115 sponsor signs.  Every sign helped us set a new funds record.

Add in apparel sales, additional donations, commissions from Twisters and Uptown Nutrition, and that’s how records are set! Everyone helped beat the record.

This year’s beneficiaries included the Cancer Center at IU Health Ball, the Little Red Door Cancer Services of East Central Indiana, and the families of local cancer patients Ron Pan, April Stinson, Julie Buckner, Lisa Logan and Alexa Masiongale.

And oh yeah, there was a tennis match, also!  Delta remained in control of the Hoosier Heritage Conference race as the Eagles improved to 11-2 overall and 5-0 in the HHC.

The Eagles secured the varsity win quickly.  The doubles teams of Kelsey Vest/Kate Manor and Rowan Hinds/Alexa Bratton each won 6-0, 6-0.  Brylee Beckley added a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 2 singles and Olivia Marshall won 6-0, 6-3 at No. 3 singles.

Yorktown’s point came at No. 1 singles in the longest match of the night.  Senior Jillian Darby of the Tigers won 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 over Delta junior Elizabeth Bamidele.

Next up for Delta is an away match at Marion tonight (Wednesday).

Complete Results

VARSITY

DELTA 4, YORKTOWN 1

Singles

1. Jillian Darby (Y) def. Elizabeth Bamidele (D), 6-4, 2-6, 6-1
2. Brylee Beckley (D) def. Hannah Clark (Y), 6-0, 6-1
3. Olivia Marshall (D) def. Alysse Taylor (Y), 6-0, 6-3

Doubles

1. Kelsey Vest/Kate Manor (D) def. Julia McCammon/Georgia Shrieve (Y), 6-0, 6-0
2. Rowan Hinds/Alexa Bratton (D) def. Rhen Martin/Isabelle McKay (Y), 6-0, 6-0

JUNIOR VARSITY

DELTA 12, YORKTOWN 6

Singles

1. Stella Sieber won 8-0
2. Tru Swoboda won 8-0
3. Maddi Cox won 8-2
4. Ryanne Evans-Bales lost 7-8

Doubles

1. Anna Marcum / Addy Anderson won 8-2
2. Marley Dowling / Avery Gray won 8-0
3. Audrey Anderson / Ella Marcum won 8-0
4. Mylee Jones / Maggie Ratts won 8-0
5. Mackemzie Lipps / Ilicia Ritter lost 5-8
6. Blaysha Downing / Avery Barnes won 8-1
7. Noelle Longsworth / Chloe Oloiver won 8-4
8. Sammi Raleigh / Addisen Condie won 8-0
9. Katelynn Preston / Izzy Posey lost 5-8
10. Karlie Obenski / Ryanne Evans-Bales lost 7-8
11. Kinley Meekin / Shayla Stine lost 5-8
12. Selah Plummer / Emma Lyons won 8-1
13. Avery Ayres / Callie Stotler lost 4-8
14. Emily McElyea / Addisen Condie won 8-5