Ooltewah's Lype looks to finish a champ

Friday, January 1, 1904

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Bryson Lype put in four years of hard work in the classroom, and reaped the rewards as he was named the Ooltewah valedictorian. Now, he hopes hard work put into another craft will be beneficial as well.

Lype begins his quest for a Class AAA state singles championship today as the state individual tournament begins at Old Fort State Park at 10 a.m. Eastern time. Lype's quarterfinal match against Siegel's Taylor Graalman is set to start around 1. The two played last week in a Class AAA state sectional. Graalman won the match in three sets and the Stars defeated Ooltewah 4-2.

A quarterfinal win for Lype probably means a date with heavy favorite Maxx Lipman of Brentwood, who is heading to the University of Florida next year. The Owl heads into the tourney with no expectations.

"I've gone into the tournament with the attitude that I have nothing to lose," he said. "I am excited to represent the school one last time. I've never been to state, so it's all kind of new to me."

These will be Lype's last days as a tennis player for a school. He graduated from Ooltewah with a 4.0 GPA, having scored a 34 on the ACT. He's going to Tennessee and was one of 15 students admitted to the Haslem's Scholar's Program. He had no problems speaking in front of the Ooltewah contingent Saturday.

His message?

"I just made a challenge to my classmates who want to go out and change the world," he said. "I told them that you don't have to wait until sometime in the future when you're older. You can change the world every day through acts of kindness and service to others."

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6311. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.