Greetings From RIT Tennis

We have a quote by Phil Jackson in both team’s locker rooms, “The strength of the team is each individual member… the strength of each member is the team.” With both programs having a combination of veteran leadership and young talent this season, this quote rings true for us. Starting in the Fall we have been striving to live up to this mantra. Despite tennis traditionally being an individual sport with everyone playing their own match, in the overall team setting we must rely on, trust and pull energy from each other in order to succeed.  

The next weeks will test us as we start Liberty League play. We have put in the work and have been building to this moment since our first fall practice. First-year standout Kira Kronenberg made it to the ITA Northeast Regional Round of 16, in September, losing to the two-time defending champion as both teams went undefeated in their fall matches.

This Spring we have played one of the hardest schedules to date, with multiple regionally and nationally ranked opponents. Kronenberg continued her run defeating the No. 33 ranked singles player in the country 6-1, 6-0. The men won both flights at the Spring Drew University Doubles Tournament.

All this has helped build momentum and bring both teams together. Despite the success on the court, each of the members of our program know that the work they have put in off the court, coming closer as a team and diving into the mindset training that we emphasize each day has been the most important. With such a young team, personal growth has been a major emphasis. Each day our players journal taking a deeper look into how everything in their day impacts performance on the court as well as opening up to each other about the difficulties of being a student-athlete.  

The future looks bright, and we are building a foundation that our mantra feeds. I am excited to see what each member of this team can accomplish for themselves but also what the group can achieve together.

Go Tigers!

From the Desk of RIT Track & Field

RIT Outdoor Track and Field started this past weekend at the Geneseo Invitational after a successful indoor season. Both men and women finished a strong third at the Liberty League Indoor Championships in February at St. Lawence. Sadie Rose earned Second Team All-American honors with her ninth-place finish in the 200 meters. 

On the women’s side, Rose will be one of our top performers in the 200 and 400 meters as well as an important member of our 4x100 and 4x400 relays. She will be joined by Caroline Hill in the sprints along with Rania Sabri, Allison Regnante and Samantha Crisci. 

Sabri, Regnante and Violet Ameele anchor a strong horizontal jumps group, while Crisci and Regnante could make a run in the Liberty League in hurdles. In the pole vault, Catherine Fox is one of the top competitors in the region and looks to set a school record every time she jumps. 

The distance group is anchored by veterans Katie Cobos, Amelia Gilbert, Sydney Burgard and Sierra Danieu along with a host of young up and coming competitors. The women throwers consist of a very deep roster in all four events led by Emily DiMarco, Marinna Heichberger and Sonya Shivok.

The scoring depth of the women’s team was on display at the Liberty League Indoor Championships as the women managed to score points in 14 out of the 17 events. Outdoor track and field could be even better as the ladies are even stronger in the outdoor events.

On the men’s side, Justin Jantzi will be one of our top performers in the 200 and 400 meters as well as an important member of our 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Jantzi will be joined by Max Stein, Jacen Mitchell, Ryan Senf, Jack DeFeo, and Mike Sardo. Stein and Mitchell could potentially post top-three scores in Liberty League in hurdles. 

The distance group is anchored by veteran transfer Paul Suflita along with Derick Koen and a host of other young up and coming competitors. The throwers consist of a very deep roster in all four events led by Aidan Hughes, Jason Mohr, Yohermry Kpodo and Andrew Bernacki. The additional events in the outdoor season are areas of strength for the men’s team as they look to move up from a third-place finish at the Liberty League Indoor Championships.

Tigers In The News