H.S. TENNIS / 2017 BOYS’ AND GIRLS’ PREVIEW CAPSULES
BOYS ECC DIVISION I East Lyme
Coaches: Susan Welshock and Mike Abate (10th year).
Key returnees: Charlie Lyden, Conrad French, Davon Chen, Eric Gu, Eric Wu, Matei Coiculescu, Sumeet Kadian.
Top newcomer: Finn Power. Outlook: The Vikings won their 10th straight divisional title in 2016, finishing 14-0, and they will be the favorites again with a veteran cast returning led by Wu, an All-Area pick last year, and Chen, an accomplished doubles player. East Lyme returns all but one of its starting singles players.
Fitch
Coach: Andrew Small (1st year)
Key returnees: Sr. Chase Brown, Sr. Shiloh Feldman, So. Aiden Sullivan, So. Max Cartier, Jr. Matthew Krick, Sr. Ben Flax, Sr. Gabe Messina, Jr. Chris Russo, Sr. Francis Del Campo.
Outlook: Small, a former player and coach at Mitchell College, takes over the Falcons, who are coming off a 9-7 season and hope to challenge East Lyme for the Division I title. Fitch has experience up and down its lineup with the return of five singles players and four doubles players. “Our goal is to win at least 12 matches and be one of the more hard working and competitive teams in the division,” said Small, adding he hopes more players qualify for the state tournament this season.
Ledyard
Coach: Jay Bazinet (14th year)
Key returnees: Brandon Donovan, Nate McCracken, Jack Woodruff, Will Reynolds, Trevor Hutchins, Chris Charette, Sam Lahti, Blake McHale.
Outlook: The Colonels move up to Division I after going 10-4 a year ago, but Bazinet expects big things from Ledyard, which returns eight of its 10 varsity starters. NFA
Coach: Tom Rolfe (8th year)
Key returnees: Allen Deng, Kevin Huang, Austin Pegram, Bobb Zhang, Andy Ng, Kevin Chen, Neil Henostroza.
Outlook: The Wildcats went 9-9 in 2016, and despite losing top singles players Wes Chen and Priyank Shelat, Rolfe believes NFA will field another competitive team led by Pegram, a four-year varsity singles player. “I’m optimistic since there are seven returning players with good experience,” Rolf said. Pegram will be joined in singles by Deng, Huang and Zhang. ECC DIVISION II Stonington Coach: John Adriano (3rd year)
Key returnees: So. Jacob Stiger, So. William Micheson, So. Sean Bessette, Sr. Chris West, Jr. Ben Anderson, Sr. Spencer Jones, Jr. Sam Snediker.
Top newcomers: So. Graham Johnstone, Sr. Sam Banks, So. Kyle Remmert, Fr. Filip Aubrecht, Fr. Alexander Mann.
Outlook: The Bears went 10-4 a year ago, but must replace three seniors, including two key singles players. Stiger, Micheson and Bessette are returning singles plays while West, Anderson, Jones and Snediker provide Stonington with some experience in doubles. Stiger, an ECC semifinalist in 2016, will play No. 1, but Adriano is still tinkering with his overall lineup. The Bears are now in Division II of a revamped ECC tennis alignment.
Waterford
Coach: Ralph DiSaia (15th year) Key returnees: Sr. Hugh Sokolski, Sr. Adam Pinch, Jr. James Zhu, Sr. David Perez, Sr. David Hausmann, Sr. Hugh Mugavero.
Top newcomers: Fr. Fadi Hage, Sr. Jayson Page.
Outlook: The Lancers must replace their top two singles players, Camiren Carter and Mike Gianakos, from a team that went 13-3 and whose only two conference losses were to Large Division champion East Lyme. Sokolski, Pinch, Zhu and Perez return to singles while Hausmann and Mugavero are veteran doubles players. Waterford should contend in Division II and have success in the postseason. ECC DIVISION III St. Bernard Coach: Hugh Caldara (1st year)
Key returnees: Sr. Alex Zuczek, Sr. Patrick Mahoney, Sr. Sean Crowe, Sr. Jordan Huang, Sr. Bailey Boetttchler.
Outlook: The Saints return a senior-laden lineup after going 3-12 a year and will once again be led by Zuczek, the three-time defending ECC tournament champion and one of the favorites to win the Class S state singles title. With a veteran cast, Caldara feels St. Bernard should be competitive within the new divisional setup.
GIRLS ECC DIVISION I East Lyme Coach: Laurie Zrenda (12th year)
Key returnees: Sr. Kelly Peterec, Sr. Lily Slemp, Sr. Tanvi Dadekar, Jr. Colleen Keller, Jr. Erin Peterec, Jr. Ashley Brown, Jr. Neha Ande, So. Shauna Kim, So. Mary Katherine Taylor, So. Emily Zhu.
Top newcomers: So. Sophie Arustei, Fr. Liz Beaulieu, Fr. Sophia Rogers, Fr. Sana Gupta.
Outlook: The Vikings did graduate top singles players Lisa Gao and Julie Tan from a team that went 5-10 a year ago, but once Zrenda is able to establish a playing order, she believes her team will be just fine this year and hopefully challenge for a Division I title. “We have a pretty experienced team” Zrenda said. “Some of my upperclassmen have been playing varsity since their freshman year, so I’m hoping for a successful season.” Fitch
Coach: Todd Higgins (17th year)
Key returnees: Sr. Laura Krick, Sr. Kailey Sullivan, So. Samantha Cote, Sr. Jessica Cote, Sr. Nina Lupo, Sr. Jillian Leger, Sr. Sheha Kumar, Sr. Cheanna Holloway, Sr. Kailyn Lambert.
Top newcomers: So. Charlina Holloway, Fr. Graysen Scherer, Jr. Emmy Powdrill, Fr. Kavita Srirangam.
Outlook: The Falcons return virtually their entire cast from a year ago, when they went 11-6 and qualified for the Class M tournament. Krick, an All-Area singles players in 2016, is back at No. 1, while Lupo and Leger led the doubles contingent. Sophomores Samantha Cote and Kumar also also coming off solid freshman seasons and help make Fitch one of the favorites to win Division I. NFA
Coach: Samantha Ryan (1st year) Key returnees: Sr. Kai Chen, Sr. Taylor Willson, Sr. Madelyn Bell, Sr. Lauren Bower, So. Hannah Crary, Sr. Kaitlyn McGuire, Sr. Caitlyn Angeletti, Sr. Lauren Pearce, Jr. Juliette Berry, Jr. Emma Price, Jr. Vivian Tang.
Outlook: Ryan takes over the Wildcats, who went 4-14 a year ago, but return an experienced group led by senior singles players Chen, Willson, Bell and Bower. “I know the team has a lot to prove,” Ryan said, “but the girls are highly motivated to play. Coming into the season with a solid singles lineup with key returners will put us at an advantage.”
ECC DIVISION II Stonington Coach: George Crouse (30th year) Key returnees: So. Gabby Dellacono, Jr. Charlotte Johnstone, Jr. Mackenzie Sadler, So. Margot Goodman, Jr. Phoebe Townsend, Jr. Brielle Fratoni-Jaskiewicz, Jr. Hannah Middleton, So. Holly Foster, So. Cassie Onorato.
Top newcomers: Sr. Emma Burnside, Sr. Alyah Cook, Sr. Nina Gentile, So. Ainsley Johnstone, Jr. Madison Geiger, So. Ashley Culver, Jr. Morgan Letinsky.
Outlook: The Bears, whose only losses the last two seasons came in the state semifinals, are loaded again this season. They return their top four singles players, led by reigning ECC champion Dellacono and All-Area pick Johnstone, plus All-Area doubles picks Townsend, Fratoni-Jaskiewicz and Middleton. Crouse is also excited because he sees many of his new players challenging the veterans for varsity spots. Waterford Coach: Ed Kolnaski (2nd year) Key returnees: Sr. Alaina Moger, Sr. Sarah Verity, Sr. Sophie Impellitteri, Sr. Deepa Reddy, Sr. Margaret Lincoln, Sr. Tessa Dipollina, Jr. Sophie Wang, Jr. Catherine Yao, Jr. Stacey Tasoulas.
Top newcomer: Jr. Sophie Joseph. Outlook: The Lancers return a senior-dominated lineup with plenty experience after going 12-6 in 2016 and winning their opening match in the Class M state tournament. Moger is the No. 1 singles player who was an All-Area pick last year while Yao and Tasoulas were ECC doubles semifinalists.
ECC DIVISION III Montville Coach: Ted LaFemina (9th year) Key returnees: Jr. Luisa Alarcon, So. Tessa Rummel, So. Rachel Lian.
Top newcomers: Jr. Joanna Liang, Jr. Jie Yi Huang, Jr. Lori Li, Jr. Man Wei Chan, So. Linda Chen.
Outlook: The Indians are rebuilding after losing their top two singles players and all three varsity doubles teams. The good news is that Montville is young and enthusiastic with no seniors. “My players are practicing very hard, becoming more confident and improving every day,” LaFemina said. St. Bernard
Coach: Heather Bessette (2nd year)
Key returnees: Sr. Michaela Abate, Sr. Wendy Bessette, Sr. Anna McKinley.
Top newcomers: Fr. Laura O’Donnell, Sr. Kaila Sprecace, Jr. Grave Sullivan, Fr. Amber Caldwell.
Outlook: The Saints went 7-8 competing in the Large Division last season, but move down to Division III as part of the ECC’s revamped divisions this season and should challenge for the title. They return their top three singles players in Abate, Bessette and McKinley (Abate won the ECC singles title in 2015 and was the runner-up last season), but must develop some of their younger players in key spots, especially in doubles.
OTHERS Old Lyme Coach: Tracy Lenz (4th year)
Key returnees: Jr. Keelin Hurtt, Sr. Mackenzie Swaney, So. Brynn McGlinchey, Sr. Marissa Smith, Sr. Shannon Nosal, Sr. Maria Donato, Sr. Callie Kotzan, Sr. Kellie Sablone.
Outlook: The Wildcats are excited about the upcoming Shoreline Conference season, and who can blame them. Old Lyme returns its top singles players (Hurtt) and top doubles teams (Smith and Nosal), as well as singles players Swaney and McGlinchey. “We have multiple veterans returning,” Lenz said, “and a number of players who worked hard during the offseason.”