First-year Copiah-Lincoln tennis coach Tripp Case has recently added two local signees to his program in Loyd Star senior Ady Locke and Brookhaven High senior Ella Thompson.

Locke has been a standout on the tennis court and soccer field for Loyd Star during her career. She made a run deep in the Class I state tennis tournament as a junior for the Hornets.

Playing tennis at Co-Lin is a family tradition for Locke, as her older sister Ashlyn was a state champion for the Wolves in 2019 as a singles player and was part of a state/region championship winning team.

“Ady exhibits great instincts and innate decision-making skills on the court,” said Case. “I anticipate Ady will follow in her sister’s footsteps and make a big impact on our program.”

Thompson is also a multi-sport athlete, as she was one of the top runners for a Brookhaven High girls’ cross-country team that won the MHSAA 5A state championship earlier this year.

Her brother Jake Thompson was an All-State distance runner who ran collegiately at South Alabama.

At BHS, Thompson has been part of the highly successful tennis program run by head coach Becky Green.

“Ella is a state championship cross country runner with exceptional grit and perseverance,” said Case. “In a tight match, I like Ella’s chances to go the distance in a full third set.”

The Wolves also added Clara Barton Calcote, a Wesson native that has been playing with Jackson Victors Homeschool Association.

“She’s an extremely talented and smart player that will become a natural leader on our team,” said Case of Calcote.

BHS has one alum on the team at Co-Lin this season in freshman Allie Grace McNeill.

“We are excited to welcome Ady, Ella, and Clara Barton to our program,” said Case. “All are great athletes with a ton of experience on the singles court.”