Badminton: Highland Park, Edina capture individual crowns

St. Paul Highland Park senior Phlower Vang reversed her only loss of the season on Thursday, May 16, and in the process, carved a niche of history during Day 2 of the 2024 Badminton State Tournament at Edina High School. 

The top-seeded Vang recorded 21-19, 18-21, 21-13 victory over No. 2 Kimberly Tobar of St. Paul Harding in the singles championship match. It avenged her only loss of the season which came during St. Paul City Conference play. In capturing the singles state championship, Vang is the third consecutive Highland Park participant to do so. In 2022, HaNeul Jeong McDonell started the spree of three championships for the Scots. It continued last season with Sunshine Vang, Phlower’s sister. The other St. Paul Highland Park singles champion was Gao Lee in 2012. 

Vang’s path to the 2024 championship included earlier-round victories over Minneapolis Roosevelt’s Mollie Anderson, St. Paul Humboldt’s WahChri Paw, St. Paul Washington’s Ariel Fang and Edina’s Hazel Dang. Vang finished the season 31-1.

In the doubles competition, Edina’s top seed of Ivy Peterson and Sanna Coma climbed the final rung in a championship finish after defeating No. 2 Dao Sangwang and Goldy Moua in two games for the second consecutive day. On Wednesday, Peterson and Coma defeated Sangwang and Moua during the team championship match. Edina won the team crown for the second consecutive season with a 7-0 victory. 

Peterson and Coma, the state runner-up in 2023, finished the season 26-1 and are the first badminton doubles champions from a suburban school since 2008 when Eden Prairie’s Becca Wade and Larysa Euteneur earned top honors. 

"Both champions had to face challenges and obstacles and they both came through when the intense heat of the spotlight was upon them," Tournament Director Kevin Anderson said. "It was a fitting end to a season filled with outstanding efforts and new breakthroughs."