Athlete of the Month: Kaylee Gimbel leads upstart Tigers

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GALION — Galion High School’s fall sports season is in full swing, with league tournaments just ahead or already completed. Many are focused on what the football program is going to do under first year head coach Matt Dick.

However, the most dominant student athletes for Galion so far this year do not put on helmets Friday nights.

That honor goes to sophomore tennis player Kaylee Gimbel, the Inquirer Athlete of the Month.

Gimbel has pretty much flown under the radar. Actually, led by Gimbel, the whole Tiger tennis team has been doing big things, sitting near the top of the Red Division in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference.

Gimbel is 13-2 at first singles. She has dominant, straight-set victories over most of her opponents. Kayley recently received her first loss of the season. After receiving the top seed in the MOAC tournament and a first-round bye, Gimbel made quick work of her Jonathon Alder opponent to advance to No. 1 singles finals play. It was there that she lost her perfect season and bid for a MOAC championship, falling to Marion Harding’s No. 1 player.

Gimbel’s strength is her serve and ball placement on returns.

She has grown to be a force in the MOAC, even though she has only been playing for about a year and a half.

Gimbel decided to play tennis last season when her friend and teammate Kiersten Gifford told her she was going to join the tennis team. As it turns out, Gifford’s recommendation played out quite well for all.

Gimbel’s favorite professional is Angelique Kerber, the world’s top-ranked female singles player.

However, tennis is not Kayley’s only sport. She rides and shows horses competitively, which she says has taught her patience.

When it comes to the student in student athlete, she is a big fan of biology. She said that although she still has some time to decide, she would be interested in the medical field when her high school education is complete, maybe going into the diagnostics field.

Galion’s No. 1 singles player Kaylee Gimbel serves against River Valley at Heise Park on Sept. 13. (Photo by Don Tudor)
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/38/2016/09/web1_inquirer-091316j-GHSvRV-tennis_0025.jpgGalion’s No. 1 singles player Kaylee Gimbel serves against River Valley at Heise Park on Sept. 13. (Photo by Don Tudor)
Sophomore Kayley Gimbel

By Chad Clinger

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