Sophomore Erica Garcia Badaracco and freshman Megan Nguyen picked a great time to play their best badminton of the year. The Olympian duo defeated Ha Tuyet Nguyen and Ella Trinh of Evergreen Valley College in an exhilarating three set match, 21-18, 11-21, 21-16, to take the 2023 3C2A state doubles championship title.
The duo from Mesa College didn’t have high expectations going into the tournament. Once the draw was released, they saw a potential semifinal clash against De Anza’s Malaya Paras-Mangrobang and Madison Moe, last year’s state doubles champion. After defeating De Anza’s Renee Ou and Anna Lac 21-8, 21-11 in the quarterfinals, the anticipated match was next. The semifinal battle was fairly even with Garcia Badaracco / Nguyen coming out victorious in a nerve-wracking 21-15, 17-21, 21-16 match that would propel them into the championship round.
“This championship means so much to us,” states Megan Nguyen. “This is my first year playing for a college team, and to accomplish something this big is amazing. It goes to show you what all the hard work is all about.” Garcia Badaracco also explains that it took quite a bit of effort to convince Nguyen to join the team: “I told her to just come out and I promised her we would have fun. I’m sure glad she said yes.”
Heading into the third and final set, the Evergreen Valley College contingent of supporters were loud. Garcia Badarraco and Nguyen used this as motivation. “They were loud and I could hear the cheers against us, but that only fired me up more,” says Garcia Badaracco. “It felt great to kind of quiet people when you win a point, and that totally helped us find another level to close the match in the third set.”
The state doubles championship is the second for the San Diego Mesa College badminton program. They brought home their first team state championship in 2001.
“I can’t thank everyone at Mesa enough, and we are both proud to be able to bring this home,” says Nguyen. “Coach June Andrews and Thai Lay have been amazing. They motivate and teach us in so many ways, this is for our school, teammates, and coaches.”
“Our program is so excited for Erica and Megan and winning the state doubles championship,” states head coach June Andrews. “They truly are the epitome of class, exhibiting sportsmanship, all while being phenomenal badminton players . Coach Thai and I are so proud of them for not getting down on themselves when there were some unforced errors on their part. They showed a lot of grit, determination and perseverance to win this championship. I hope that this is something they remember for the rest of their lives because I know we will!”