With a serve and a swing, the boys tennis team is undefeated this season.
The boys tennis team was inspired by a new coach, AnnMarie Michol, this school year, after long-time coach Rick Farr retired.
“First of all, coach is great,” senior Kyle Pezanowski said. “She has brought a whole new feel to the team. She worked us hard, and at the same time, made it super fun.”
“I am a big believer in team conditioning,” Michol said. “We have been able to pull out a many three-set matches in the league, and it is because of the hard work and conditionings that the boys did.”
Michol, who teaches at De La Salle, has helped the boys become an undefeated team. Michol has taught the boys how to play better as a team and individually. She conditioned the boys just enough for them to become the team that they are now.
She has lead the team to become MAC white champions. Not only did the team get a new coach, but they also gained many new players to the team.
“We lost a lot of seniors last year,” senior Chris Suszynski said, “so all the new kids that joined gave us that full team we needed.”
Most sports are made up purely of motivation. With Michol being a new addition to the team, she helped them gain the motivation that they truly needed to win. Captain and co-captain Pezanowski and Suszynski showed great leadership skills and helped lead the team to success this year.
“It would make Farr very happy to see a team he used to coach for so long be so successful,” principal Thomas Lietz said.
Farr, the former boys tennis coach and English teacher at Utica High School, retired at the end of the 2016 school year. What he taught the tennis team, combined with what the new coach taught, has helped them lead to victory this season undefeated.