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Bulldog McCaig wins his fourth straight WAC title
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Ceres High varsity boys tennis star Nolan McCaig placed first at the Western Athletic Conference Singles Championships for the fourth year in a row this past week. - photo by DALE BUTLER/The Courier

Nolan McCaig's list of accomplishments keeps growing.

Already considered Ceres High's all-time greatest boys tennis player, McCaig achieved a first in program history by winning his fourth straight Western Athletic Conference singles title this past week in Livingston.

"I'm proud of myself," Nolan said. "This is a pretty big accomplishment. It's really special to do something no other player has done before. It motivates me to do better at sections and outside of school."

McCaig, a senior, won all three of his matches in dominant fashion.

Nolan didn't drop a single game in beating Los Banos' Quentin Barcellos, Ceres High's Christian Pimentel and Los Banos' Jared Haug by identical 6-0, 6-0 scores.

McCaig beat Barcellos 6-0, 6-0 in the conference finals for the second year in a row.

"It was really great having my teammates there rooting me on," he said.

Nolan posted a perfect 63-0 record versus WAC competition from 2014-17.

He had an unblemished 18-0 mark this spring.

"From my freshman to senior year, I became a smarter player," Nolan said. "I became really consistent. My mentality became really strong. I basically had the same goal every year. I maintained my focus and didn't take any of my opponents lightly. I let my game do the talking."

McCaig stands alone as Ceres High's most successful boys tennis player.

"All of my hard work paid off," he said.

Former Bulldog teammate Julio Ochoa captured three WAC crowns, including two singles and one doubles.

Julio's older brother Luis won a pair of league championships.

Nolan edged Julio 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 for his second consecutive conference crown in 2015.

"My first two years were my toughest," McCaig said. "He (Julio) helped me get better."

McCaig defeated Ceres High's Alick Liang 6-3, 6-4 for the 2014 title.

"He's a positive role model on and off the court," said junior Christian Pimentel, McCaig's teammate for the past three years. "We all look up to him. Everyone in the whole league respects Nolan. He's such a good player and person. He's a team player. I honestly don't think anybody will be able to top what he's done in the future."

McCaig and Ceres High, the top seed from the WAC, will face Tri-County Conference runner-up Inderkum in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-III team playoffs today at 4 p.m. in Ceres.

Nolan will participate in the Division-II Individual Tournament for the fourth year in a row, May 15-16, at Johnson Racquet Club in Roseville.

McCaig will continue his tennis career at Midwestern State University in Texas. He signed a national letter of intent with the Mustangs on April 13. The ceremony was staged on campus inside Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.