With heat indexes soaring into the triple figures this past weekend, many people sought the comfort and cool of staying indoors.

Then there is Mason Ligon. The multi-talented 2025 graduate of Aberdeen Central spent the majority of his time outdoors competing in physically draining events.

On Saturday, Ligon competed in a long match during the Hub City Open Tennis Tournament and played in three softball games in the church league tournament. He then worked on some music in the evening. On Sunday, Ligon was back on the courts earning a championship in the men’s doubles final.

“I’ve always been really busy my whole life. In high school I did everything I could, so all day I was doing things. … I got used to be being busy and the hot days really don’t feel so hot,” Ligon said. “I had no air conditioning my freshman year of college so, I got used to the heat.”

Ligon is majoring in Music Education and Music Performance in Trumpet at Morningside in Sioux City, Iowa. He also plays in the city municipal band in the summer.

“I love to stay busy,” Ligon said. “When I’m not busy I feel like there’s always something I could be doing.”

Ligon said tennis and softball are both physically demanding in their own ways.

“I think tennis is more physically taxing, just because there’s a lot more hip movement and stuff like that,” he said, “but sometimes I get pretty aggressive in the outfield. I dive for a lot. … and I run really hard when I run, and I run a lot.”

Ligon teamed up with John Vogel to win a championship in doubles. It marked the first time they have played together.

“I’ve been long-time friends with Mr. Vogel. I was best friends with his son, Coen, so I’ve known him for a long time,” Ligon said. “We’ve always been talking about getting a doubles team together. We finally did it and it was a lot of fun. We clicked. We never played before together, but it was like we played together for a long time because we know each other so well.”

When asked if he had one activity that brings him more enjoyment than the others, Ligon paused for a second and responded, “That’s a hard one. I think that music overall gives me enjoyment, because it’s something that I feel can connect to everybody. When you’re on the court, sometimes it feels like you’re zoned in, there’s four people. When you’re playing music, I played for concerts with a lot of big people and soloed, there’s nothing like that feeling, the feeling that you connected with hundreds, maybe thousands of people sometimes.”

Ligon and Vogel weren’t the only first-time partners to experience success in doubles at the tournament.

Cason Hellwig of Aberdeen and Mirra Frohling of Maple Grove, Minn., won the open mixed doubles title in their first tourney together.

Last year, Frohling, a 2020 Central grad, won the title playing with Colton Hellwig, Cason’s brother, but Colton was unable to play this summer.

“They honestly play a lot like the same,” Frohling said.

Frohling has been on the same court as Cason before, just not on the same side of the net.

“Cason and I hit every once in a while together, not like on the same team, obviously, but against each other,” Frohling said, “and so I think that also creates a chemistry, too.”

Frohling, who has not played tennis since last year’s tournament, appeared to be right at home on the court, nailing one shot after another.

“I don’t know it just kind of comes back,” Frohling said. “It’s just like my body remembers it more than like my mind does, and so my confidence just has to follow.”

Hellwig said the new pairing worked out well, despite having no prior experience being teammates.

“It went really well. I know that she’s played with Colton,” Hellwig said. “We’ve never played competitively together, just hit some times together, but we had good chemistry on the court, just basically picked it up out of nowhere. … We kind of just meshed together really well, overall.”

So now, what happens next year if Colton and Cason both want Mirra for a mixed doubles partner?

“Some rock, paper, scissors or something,” Hellwig said. “I’ll have to figure it out.”

Aberdeen’s Sarah Knie won three championships at the tournament on Sunday, also including one with a new partner. Knie won the women’s open singles, teamed with her sister, Julia, to win the women’s open doubles, and won a hard-fought mixed 4.0 doubles title playing with Gavin Johnston for the first time.

“The person that I usually play with, he’s gone,” Knie said, “and Gavin’s also really good, so it makes sense to play with him.”

The duo won the mixed doubles title in dramatic fashion, rallying from an 8-5 deficit in a super tiebreaker to pull off a 10-8 victory.

“Stay positive,” Knie said of her mindset with the match on the line.

Knie, who played number two for Central’s squad as an eighth-grader last year, said that competing in summer tournaments pays dividends for the upcoming season which is fast approaching.

“Most of the people that I play for challenge matches are in these tournaments,” Knie said.

MEN’S DIVISION

Open Singles

Championship: Aric Tennant def. John Vogel, 6-3, 5-7 (10-5).

Consolation championship: Mika Dannen def. Mason Moe, 8-4.

4.0 Singles

Championship: Benjamin Jestice def. Riley Tople, 6-1, 7-6 (7-2).

Consolation championship: Dave Vilhauer def. Gavin Johnston, 10-6.

Open Doubles

(Round robin)

Casen Hellwig-Landon Zikmund def. Mika Dannen-Brock Anderson, 6-0, 6-4; John Vogel-Mason Ligon def. Dannen-Anderson, 6-3, 7-5.

First place: Vogel-Ligon. Second place: Hellwig-Zikmund.

WOMEN’S DIVISION

Open Singles

Championship: Sarah Knie def. Estelle Riggs, 1-6, 7-5, (10-5).

Consolation: Penelope Vogel def. Mady Holman, 8-5. Championship: Elisabet Weber def. Vogel, 10-6.

Open Doubles

Championship: Julia Knie-Sarah Knie def. Estelle Riggs-Avery Tennant, 6-3, 6-1.

MIXED DOUBLES

Open

Aric Tennant-Avery Tennant def. Ron Meier-Julia Knie, 6-2, 6-2; Cason Hellwig-Mirra Frohling def. Thomas Eskro-Alice Vogel, 6-2, 6-1.

Championship: Hellwig-Frohling def. Tennant-Tennant, 6-1, 6-3.

4.0

(Round robin)

Benjamin Jestice-Janice Jestice def. Adam Buckhouse-Halle Buckouse 6-3, 6-2; Gavin Johnston-Sarah Knie def. Jestice-Jestice, 3-6, 6-3, (10-8).First Place: Johnston-Knie. Second Place: Jestice-Jestice.