STATE EXTRA: After year in Iraq, Lovell wins title

RADFORD
As he made the trip from Radford to Harrisonburg on Interstate 81, Wilson Memorial High School girls tennis coach Seth Lovell had an interesting phone conversation with WMHS principal Doug Shiflett.
Shiflett assured Lovell that his team would receive parking in front of James Madison University’s Convocation Center for Wilson’s graduation ceremony, scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Just two-and-a-half hours before that, Lovell’s girls had wrapped up a 5-3 victory over Gate City in the Group A state championship.
“He said things will be alright,” Lovell said. “He’s got somebody waiting out there for us to make sure we get preferential parking right up front.”
Lovell’s team was returning with Wilson’s third state championship in school history and its first since 1980. But even more remarkable than that accomplishment was the fact that just over a year ago, Lovell was completing a tour of duty with the United States National Guard in Iraq.
Lovell worked in convoy security, escorting supplies from one U.S. military base to another across Iraq. That’s how he earned his living from June 2007 until May 2008. He had already served in Afghanistan for a period of about a year between 2004-05.
While he was in Iraq, he kept in touch with the Wilson girls tennis team through interim coach Marcy Baker. Baker had actually been Wilson’s head coach before Lovell took over for the 2007 season.
“Marcy e-mailed me on a daily basis,” Lovell said. “Even after practice, just to let me know how things were going.”
Said WMHS senior Jamie Stark: “I knew that they kept in contact a lot, and every now and then we would talk to Seth through e-mail.”
While Lovell returned as head coach this season, Baker returned as an assistant, determined to help Wilson’s senior class of four girls, which she has coached since their freshman year.
With her ties to the four seniors, Baker was as elated as anyone that they were bringing back a trophy. But that satisfaction paled in comparison to the relief she felt when Lovell came back from Iraq alive and healthy.
“I would e-mail him all the time with all the scores and all that was going on, and he would keep me posted on things that he would have done,” Baker said. “But of course, I was always concerned about his safety being in Iraq.”
As a ninth grader at WMHS, Seth was a student of Baker’s in geometry. A 2003 Wilson graduate, Lovell is not far removed from being under her tutelage.
Of course, Wilson’s state championship is just icing on the cake of his return. He deferred attention to his team when asked about the impact of winning a state title in his first year back from military service.
“It’s been a great ride, and I’ve just been honored to be a part of it,” Lovell said. “I wish I could take more credit for it, but the credit really lies with them.”
Next year, Lovell will face a new transition. Wilson is making the switch to Group AA competition, competing in the Southern Valley District, which will include six schools.
Not surprisingly, Lovell is embracing the task.
“We’re excited about being in a different district next year,” Lovell said. “The [Southern] Valley District [will] probably be a little more competitive for tennis, you know. We’re excited about playing against better competition.
“…We’re excited about the move. It’ll be a new set of challenges.”