Owen DeMuth had more than his share of incentivizing role models as he advanced in the tennis world. Steve Herdoiza, his coach at Cranbrook, won the Class A 1S State Championship for Bloomfield Hills Lahser in 1986 by defeating Todd Martin 6-3, 6-4 in the finals. Steve went on to play at Northwestern where he achieved All American status, reaching the quarterfinal at the NCAA tournament. Steve was ATP ranked in the 200s before succumbing to injury.

Owen also benefited from an array of former Mr. Tennis Award Winners who were generous with their time in terms of providing quality practice opportunities. They included Tim Wang of Novi, Andrew Zhang of Bloomfield Hills, Luke Bayliss of Clarkston, and Connor Johnson of Northville.

 

He certainly took advantage of this largesse. A gifted athlete who excelled at ice hockey, basketball, and soccer, he chose to concentrate on tennis at age 12. “He loved the competition, the problem solving, and the athleticism,” says David, his father.

 

Thus, Owen found himself advancing through multiple rounds of tournaments such as the National Hardcourts in Kalamazoo, the National Clay Courts, and the Orange Bowl. He was ranked in the Top Ten in the Midwest and Top 100 in the country in every age division.

 

As a result, Cranbrook enjoyed the excellence of a very experienced player for four years, all of which found Owen playing at 1S, even in his freshman year. Given the level of competition, that first year was a learning experience. “He held his own,” says Steve, “and it certainly helped him in the years going forward.”

 

He certainly learned how to win. For the ensuing three campaigns, Owen lost to only four players. One was Mert

Oral of Ann Arbor Greenhills who was last year’s Mr. Tennis. The two clashed for the state title in both of Owen’s sophomore and junior years with Mert, who now competes for U of M, coming out on top.

 

But Owen capped a stellar high school career by winning the state 1S championship in his last match for Cranbrook. It was a revenge match with a Greenhills player against whom he had previously lost.

 

“He played with an unbridled passion in practice and matches that gave him a competitive edge,” says Steve. “Playing for Cranbrook and his teammates fueled his fire even deeper. Put the two together and he became an unstoppable force. As great of a playing career as Owen had, he was an even better leader and ambassador for the team.”

That team won two state championships and were runners-up twice in the four years that Owen led them.

 

For Owen, tennis has been “all in the family.” His dad was a volunteer assistant at University of Detroit Mercy and his mom’s close friend, Mary Jo Fernandez, was a Grand Slam finalist who went on to be an ESPN tennis correspondent. His older brother was team captain and all conference at Bentley University.

 

For his part, Owen will attend Georgia Tech, presumably to become “a helluva engineer.” To be sure, he is no “rambling wreck.” Instead, he brings with him much to contribute to a tennis program that competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference.