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BLOOMFIELD HILLS — After solidifying an already impressive resume at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, senior Owen DeMuth was awarded the Bob Wood Mr. Tennis Award for the 2022 season by the Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association.
Each division nominates a No. 1 senior singles player, and DeMuth was chosen to represent Division III. Other finalists were Dimitri Moriarty (Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice), Connor Stafford (Grosse Pointe South) and Eli Festerling (Allegan).
DeMuth became the first player in Cranbrook Kingswood history to win the award.
“Cranbrook has always had a history of being good at tennis, but we were always a super deep team,” DeMuth said. “It’s really nice being the first, but I’m hoping I’m not the last to win it.”
The four-year starter anchored the No. 1 singles spot for Cranbrook Kingswood, helping the school win the state championship in 2020 and 2021. DeMuth earned his first No. 1 singles state championship this season after finishing runner-up the past two years.
“He’s been such a great leader for the team in so many ways, and he never misses a practice and he plays through injuries,” Cranbrook Kingswood coach Steve Herdoiza said. “He gets out there and he always believes that he’s going to compete and win a match; he never walks off the court thinking he could’ve given you more.”
While tallying 78 wins during his career, the four-time all-state honoree was a three-time team MVP and a National High School All-American.
DeMuth, a Georgia Tech commit, is currently a four-star recruit and ranked fourth in the state of Michigan, according to tennisrecruiting.net.
Herdoiza said he believes DeMuth’s game will transition to the collegiate level well.
“I think it will translate well, because you need to constantly evolve your game, and that takes work. Owen has never been afraid of work,” Herdoiza said.
With the season officially over, DeMuth said he’s had time to reflect on his tenure at Cranbrook Kingswood.
As for his most memorable year, it’s pretty easy to guess.
“I have so many memories with the team my four years, but probably being the leader of this team and winning the state championship will be my most memorable year,” DeMuth said.
