The Classical girls tennis team dominated in the Northeastern Conference this spring. Classical went 16-1 during the regular season, won the NEC North crown and drew the No. 2 seed in the Division 2 North state tournament. Rightfully so, the Rams were well-represented among the NEC all-stars and awards for the 2019 season.
“I think it means a lot to the girls,” Classical coach Chris LeBlanc said. “It means a lot to the program in general. I think we’ve had good players in the past and we’ve been a bit overlooked. This year, with the record we had and the way we competed the girls really put themselves in position to earn that recognition. Every bit of it was earned.”
Rams first singles senior Daphne Pineda was named NEC North Player of the Year and logged North all-conference honors.
“Daphne was awesome all year long,” LeBlanc said. “She worked really hard on herself, her fitness and her game all season. It really paid off for her this year. The work she put in before the season even started is what carried her. She went from being third singles last year to first singles and all-conference this year. I just couldn’t be prouder of everything she accomplished.”
Also on the North all-conference team were the doubles pairs of Abby Stafford/Lexi Ferraro and Sophia DeFronzo/Jayden Carroca. Earning all-star honors were Anh Nguyen and Kenzie McLaren.
“At the beginning of the year I had a fairly good idea we’d be a good, solid, competitive team in the NEC,” LeBlanc said. “I had no idea we’d come out and perform as well as we did. We had a few holes in the lineup. We had a hole at second doubles, and Sophia and Jayden lost just one match all season. They grabbed that spot and never let it go. They really solidified our lineup and made it as strong as it was.
“Our first doubles team of Abby and Lexi went undefeated in conference play,” LeBlanc said. “That’s not easy, to go through the entire NEC at 15-0 without any hiccups. It’s not easy to accomplish that.”
LeBlanc was named NEC North Coach of the Year.
“I was super appreciative and super humbled by that,” LeBlanc said. “In complete honesty this was a team that was led by the girls and I didn’t have to do a whole lot. It was more about putting them in the right positions. I’m humbled by it but most of the credit goes to the girls for how they competed all year long.”
Everett’s Julie Do and Somerville’s Joselyn Martinez round out the NEC North all-conference team. The rest of the NEC North all-star team includes English’s Pam Rosales; Revere’s Lina Nguyen and Luisa Gil Vidales; Malden’s Kerri Gilligan and Astha Lama; Somerville’s Kristina Gurung and Kajal Patel; Medford’s Daria Agrba; Everett’s Isabelle Souza; Salem’s Kelly Caggiano.
For the NEC South, Marblehead’s Michelle Shub was named Player of the Year. Shub also earned a spot on the NEC South all-conference team along with teammates Hannah Porath, Simone Likterov/Cannan Whittier and Cahill Whittier/Tess Keaney. Swampscott’s Georgia Cilley rounds out the all-conference squad.
The NEC South all-star team includes Marblehead’s Jessie Munroe; Swampscott’s Allison Tribendis and Madeline Tribendis; Saugus’ Lanna Quieroz and Cadence Callahan; Peabody’s Brooke Hodas; Gloucester’s Tori Carini; Winthrop’s Sofie Lafratta; Danvers’ Samantha Weber and Reagan O’Shea; Beverly’s Jordan Butters and Emily DiPiero.
The sportsmanship awards went to Gloucester (North) and Everett (South).
