Wallkill Valley tennis builds toward future after season of growth

Be it in victory or defeat-and rest assured that the Wallkill Valley High School boys tennis program had some memorable wins this recently ended season-the Rangers competed with enthusiasm and focus.

“When I look back at this season, one thing really impresses me from the first day of practice to our last match was how hard they all worked and how much better they got,’’ Wallkill Valley coach Diane Brown said. “Most stayed either after practice or a match and continued to hit tennis balls and it really showed.

“There are two matches that stand out to me both against Vernon. The first match was early in the season and very cold. We played well but lost the match, 2-3. They all said after the match, we know we can win against them. Next time we play them on our Senior Day and ended up with a 3-2 win when they were all proud of themselves, saying ‘we knew we could do it’.’’

Leadership was a constant in favor of Wallkill Valley this spring.

“This year our captains Jeremy Rockwell and Josh Muro show their leadership skills, always positive whether at a practice or a match,’’ Brown said. “Other team members would ask them questions, they always took time for them and they always made sure to have everything needed for practice or a match. They were always ready to help at any task they were asked to do.’’

Improvements in the sport were seen across the roster for the Rangers.

“This season we had two varsity players who never played tennis before,’’ Brown said. “Kajeton Lackosz came to our preseason meeting, intending to give a player a ride home not to play. Well things sure changed after he came to the first practice. He had a willingness to learn this sport and asked many questions. He would stay after practice to work on skills. Through his hard work he secured a spot on the varsity team playing second doubles.

“The other player who is new to tennis was Marcel Wolosik. Marcel what is eager to learn, always gave 100% every practice and match. Last year he did track and he came to us stating he wanted to try something different. He sure learned the game of tennis. He would come on weekends and could be seen after matches out on the court perfecting his game. Through his hard work and determination he was able to secure a spot on the varsity playing second singles. When I asked if he enjoyed playing tennis his response always was yes I do and I’ll be back next season.’’

The Rangers posted four hard earned wins this year and are getting well prepared for the 2027 season.

“I am very optimistic about next season,’’ Brown said. “We should have a solid varsity team. We lose three varsity players to graduation, but we had a lot of up and coming JV players who did get to play a varsity match when varsity players were out.

“We will return two singles players Marcel Wolosik who played second singles and Daniel DeFinis who played third singles this past season along with our first doubles team of Tristan Askew and Luke Nathan.’’