Both Newton’s high schools swept the MIAA Division 1 state tennis championships this spring, with Newton South’s girls and Newton North’s boys teams each capturing state titles – and their coaches and top singles players earning Boston Globe honors.
As a result of their hard work, head coaches Noura Guermazi (NSHS) and Philip Goldberg (NNHS) were recently named the Boston Globe’s tennis coaches of the year. Additionally, Newton South girls’ first singles player Olivia Whitaker and Newton North boys’ first singles player Johnny Wastcoat were selected as the Globe’s tennis players of the year.
The honors capped one of the most successful seasons in recent Newton tennis history, recognizing both athletic achievement and the team cultures that helped produce it.
Newton South Girls Tennis
Guermazi said that one shift this season was that the South girls tennis team decided to practice every day, regardless of the weather. When it rained, the team would move indoors and go to the weight room or stretch.
“We’re not gonna take a day off,” she said. “We’re gonna put on some music, and we’re gonna get to know each other. I think that really makes them better players, better athletes, and also mentally stronger.”
She said players work to ensure the program does not feel split into varsity and JV teams, but instead is one cohesive team. In addition to team dinners every Friday night, the team has big sister-little sister mentorship and “psych buddies” – teammates giving each other notes and candy.
“Yes, we play tennis, we’re competitive, but there is way more that you can get from [a] team,” she said. “The camaraderie and the friendship that comes, that really pushes making you a better team, if you really love the player that you’re going to see every day.”
Players reflected after each match and arrived at practice with specific skills they wanted to improve.
“That was a huge factor in their success,” Guermazi said. “The second factor is that each of them is pushing the other one to get better… I think that knowing that your team, your teammates, are here to support each other, they really played really well.”
Guermazi said that Whitaker took a gap year to play USTA tournaments but returned this season, to the excitement of her teammates.
“Her tennis has improved tremendously,” she said. “But also, she’s a very nice team player. Everybody likes her on the team.”
Newton North Boys Tennis
While the South girls emphasized accountability and team bonding, the Newton North boys credited their championship run to a similar combination of camaraderie and disciplined preparation.
Wastcoat said one of the goals of the team was to win the state championship while enjoying themselves.
“The best part of this team is we were all friends. We would all love to hang out with each other,” he said. “So we made sure that was the culture of it. We’re all friends, we’re all gonna have a great time together, but when we’re practicing, we’re practicing.”
The team’s biggest strength, Wastcoat said, was their coach.
“He’s a great leader, and he kind of paved the path for us,” he said. “He [is] very smart in the tactical and mental aspect of tennis, but he’s also a fun person to be around.”
In addition to their coach, the team found success through the mindset they developed.
“We weren’t like ‘Oh, we have to win this match, we have to win that match’. No, we’re like, ‘Okay, we’re going to play tennis for two hours,’’ he said. “Let’s have fun while we do it.”
Clara Borus is a Fig City News summer intern, a rising senior at Newton South HS, and a Sports Editor for the NSHS Lion’s Roar.