The New Trier boy’s tennis team has their eyes set on State Finals after placing fourth in a multi-state tournament on April 1 and 2.

The fourth-seeded Varsity boys competed at the Tiger Invitational in Edwardsville, IL. The tournament hosted 46 teams in 12 locations. Senior captain Tom Bickel called his opponents “solid competition” and the tournament is seen as one of the most competitive in the region.

The players are proud of their performance at their first tournament of the season. Senior Alex Dudek said, “Just based on our first tournament last week, I think that the team is really looking great, perhaps even better than last year.”

Last year’s team finished strongly at state, with senior Thomas Hanley and juniors Mahir Wagh, Scott Bickel, Tom Bickel, Jeffrey Chen and Wyatt Mayer leading the team to a third place finish.

Hanley was the only senior in last year’s state lineup, and the team believes its new members will be able to fill his spot nicely.

Coach James Wright, who coaches girl’s tennis and volunteers with the boy’s team, said, “We have at least two impactful newcomers in senior Michal Kusznerko and freshman Jake Zipoli who will be playing near the top of the lineup.”

Bickel also has high hopes for the rookies. He said, “They each had exceptional tryouts and they are playing as high as number one doubles so far.”

Though the hole in the lineup has been handled, the team is still feeling the void of the players they lost.

“The seniors that left last year were more of a loss socially because they were all so outgoing and engaged,” Bickel said.

Despite this, the team is adjusting to their new dynamic. Senior Wyatt Mayer said, “It provides great opportunity for leadership. The senior concentration also makes it feel a lot closer knit.”

Seniors make up 10 of the 16 players on the team. Their eyes are set especially on state this year as Wright said they “all want to end their high school careers on a high note.”

Those who may not make the state lineup are still excited for the season. Dudek said he wants “to have fun both on and off the court with the team. I think that playing in state would be a really awesome experience, but I’m just as happy to cheer on the team from the sidelines.”

Bickel, who is hoping to make a fourth appearance at state, said he loves having the support of his teammates. “It creates a pretty fun atmosphere when you got the whole squad leaning on the fence and becoming part of the long, scrappy rallies.”

The loss of competitive seniors from other teams means NT has a shot at taking the state trophy from Hinsdale, who has won the title every year since 2012.
Wright said, “It should be an open team race now that Hinsdale Central finally graduated their historic senior class, and we like our chances.”

The improving health of returning players should also help the squad. Bickel said, “My twin brother Scott’s right wrist is healthy this year. Having our best player miss almost all of last year really cost us.”

Though it seems like everything is falling into place for the team, the road to state will not be easy. Mayer said that duel matches against Highland Park on April 19 and Hinsdale Central on April 30 will be especially challenging.

Bickel hopes that the desire to win it all will challenge the team. “Although we are all excited to hopefully live up to the expectations of winning state, it puts big red targets on our backs during pretty much every match. Every team wants to take us out. We have to keep our cool and not get too far ahead of ourselves.”

The squad is looking to dominate the competition one match at a time. Mayer said that a team goal is to have “an undefeated duel match season.”

Last week’s tournament showed that the Trevians will do whatever they can to get to the State Finals. Bickel said, “All we know is that it’s time to return the trophy back to Winnetka!”