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05/03/2020 12:00 AMThe Hand boys’ tennis team was poised for another stellar season in 2020. The Tigers were coming off a 2019 campaign that saw the squad post an overall record of 22-0, defend their SCC title, and then take third place at the Class L State Championship.
However, two weeks ago, the CIAC announced the cancellation of postseason play for all spring sports due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As a result, Head Coach Dawn Fagerquist and her players are disappointed that they won’t have a full-fledged season.
“You want the health of the kids to go first. I agree with their decision to cancel, but it’s tough,” Fagerquist said. “We don’t know what’s going to happen, and I think we’ll be lucky if we are able to play in any matches this year.”
On the heels of last year’s success, Hand brought back No. 1 singles player, junior Josh Israel, who went 26-1 with his only loss coming in the semifinal round of states. The Tigers’ No. 1 doubles team of senior captain Darby Rogers and junior Reilly Vejar was equally impressive by notching a mark of 25-1 on the year.
With some great players returning to a prestigious program, Coach Fagerquist felt that Hand had a legitimate shot to claim state gold this spring.
“We had a really impressive season. This year, our expectations were equally as huge,” said Fagerquist. “We’ve come in third the past two years at states, and we really felt like this year would be the one to get over the hump and win the state title.”
Even with a few savvy veterans leading the way, there were still several spots open on the Tigers’ roster. Coach Fagerquist was looking forward to seeing some up-and-coming athletes try out for the team.
“We had some very competitive sophomores coming back. These kids worked hard and anything could have happened,” Fagerquist said. “I generally have a no-cut policy, but we had a lot of kids set to try out, and I was excited to see all the talent we had coming in.”
Like Fagerquist, senior captain Rogers also feels disappointed, especially since he may not be able to take the court for his final high school campaign. However, Rogers knows that doesn’t take away from what he and his teammates from accomplished throughout the past three years.
“We’ve had a great last three seasons. This year would have been another great season. I think we could have gone on to win SCCs and states,” Rogers said. “I was looking forward to leading the team. Just as a whole, it’s been a family. I’ve learned so much from my previous captains. I was looking forward to trying to guide some of the younger players.”
Despite the fact that there will be no playoff contests, Rogers said he would be happy to play in exhibition matches if that possibility comes to pass.
“Tennis for me isn’t all about winning. The reason we play sports is because of our love for the game and the camaraderie it brings us,” said Rogers. “If we are even able to play again this season, I’d be happy to just be out there with the guys, because it’s a great experience for us.”
Rogers and fellow senior Ryan Hennessey were named the Tigers’ captains for the 2020 campaign. Coach Fagerquist has all the confidence in the world that Rogers and Hennessey would be exemplary leaders for her squad.
“We had some great leadership set up for this season,” Fagerquist said. “Both Ryan and Darby have been great leaders throughout their high school careers, and I know they would have done a great job with the younger athletes this season.”
Fagerquist, who has coached at Hand for 12 years, is also a tennis pro at the Madison Racquet & Swim Club. Fagerquist’s job has been temporarily put on hold due to the pandemic, but she’s still finding ways to keep busy.
“I’ve been having fun at home. I figured out Netflix. I’ve been reading and I’ve done some work around the house, so the break has been nice in that sense,” Fagerquist said. “I’ve been keeping in touch with the boys in the hopes that we actually do have a season. I’ve also been teaching tennis lessons at home through Zoom. [The club is] set to open up again in some capacity on [Wednesday] May 20, so I am looking forward to that.”
While the club may be opening up, there is no guarantee that the doors of Daniel Hand High School will be reopening before the school year is finished. Fagerquist expressed how sad she feels that her athletes, particularly her seniors, may never get the chance to play tennis for the Tigers in 2020.
“My heart goes out for them, because they’ve given so much to this program,” said Fagerquist. “We want to be out there so badly, and we are going to continue to prepare like we will still play in some way this year.”