Freshman Charlie LeGrand keeps strong Cedar Rapids Xavier tennis tradition going as No. 3 seed in state tournament

CEDAR RAPIDS — Charlie LeGrand has come a long way from hitting foam balls over a couch cushion as a 3-year old.

From those humble beginnings, a tennis career has blossomed and continues to grow.

The Cedar Rapids Xavier freshman not only joined a team that lost a wealth of talent, including 2022 state champions Brady Horstmann (singles), Declan Coe (doubles) and Hugh Courter (doubles), he had the task of stepping into the No. 1 singles spot Horstmann held for his entire prep career.

“I was not positive that he was going to be the No. 1 player,” Xavier Coach Jim Potts said of LeGrand. “Plus I knew that no one was going to come in and be able to replace Brady in the first year”"

Horstmann closed his career last spring with a state singles title and helped the Saints to their third straight team championship. Time will tell whether LeGrand can match Horstmann's career achievements.

LeGrand will be one of 16 players seeking the Class 1A singles title in the two-day event to be held Tuesday and Wednesday at Byrnes Park in Waterloo.

Hitting foam balls turned into recreational lessons and work with a private coach before the family moved to Iowa four years ago.

“I really started focusing more on tennis when we moved here,” LeGrand said. “Cedar Rapids is fortunate to have a good tennis community with a lot of talented players that have helped me and pushed me to grow.”

That growth continues at Xavier, where he is very aware of the school's tennis history.

“I feel lucky to be part of the program,” he said. “Xavier has had such successful teams recently and losing so many of the varsity players from last year challenged those of us who were new to really step up and keep the tradition going.

“Stepping into the shoes of Brady Horstman was difficult because he was such a great player and was also No. 1 as a freshman. I’d like to be able to become one of the best in the state like he was.”

Potts believes LeGrand's consistency with his serving and ground strokes has been key to his success.

“Charlie has a lot of power in his ground strokes and he is able to use that power to his advantage,” said the veteran Saints coach. “However, I think his greatest strength is that he is very coachable, meaning he not only listens to the coaches, but also asks for advice occasionally.”

LeGrand takes a 16-5 record into the state meet. He was given the No. 3 seed. Potts said LeGrand has used each of his five defeats as a learning opportunity and believes if he can control his nerves, a high finish is possible.

“Charlie has stepped up to the challenge very well of playing the No. 1 position,” Potts said. “To do this as a freshman says a lot about his ability and his character. I expect great things from him in the future.”

As for his chances at state, LeGrand is simply grateful for the opportunity.

“There are a lot of talented players at the state tournament,” he said. “I just hope to go out there and do my best.”

Decorah's Caden Branum, who lost to Horstmann in an epic three-set final last year, is the top seed. LeGrand's Xavier teammate, Ryan Schmit is unseeded. In doubles, Xavier's Garrett Nurre and Jacob Schmit, along with Decorah's Daniel Skrade and Landon Baker are in the field.

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The Class 2A meet will be held at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Center. The lone Gazette-area seed belongs to Cedar Rapids Prairie's Anthony Schulte (No. 4 in singles). Other area singles players in the draw are Nicholas Burkamper (Cedar Rapids Washington), Jayden Shin and Jonathan Fan (Iowa City West) and Abhay Anil (Iowa City High).

Doubles teams in the draw include Brock Davis and Logan Sherman (Cedar Rapids Washington), Patrick Selby and Junze Sun and Samir Singh and Shivy Mannengi (Iowa City West), along with Garrett Bauermeister and Jackson Kramer and Malcolm Rice and Zach Mersch (Linn-Mar).