Tennis - Girls' Varsity
2019 MPrep GVT [NEPSAC Class C] will be long-remembered for perseverance in the face of a very cold and rainy campaign with 6 cancellations and challenging court limitations (only 2 playable courts) and only 1 home match all season.
Our 1-6 overall record does not tell the full team story. Under adverse conditions, GVT grew in its sense of purpose and camaraderie week in and week out. 12 players saw actual varsity match time and 15 student-athletes braved all kinds of physical and emotional "weather" to learn and practice lifelong fitness and tennis skills, including match-day training as well as nutrition, hydration, and weight room work. Student-Athlete wellness remains front and center and was just as important as a redesigned serve, understanding doubles strategies and learning how to compete in a new sport!
Coaches O'Hara and Ryan truly value the uncomplaining grit and grace that GVT demonstrated in 2019; not only in the late-night win over MacDuffie but in tough losses to the likes of NEPSAC B powerhouse Pomfret and big city Worcester Academy. We are proud of our girls' sportsmanship and their on-court and off-court conduct all year. Consistent with MPrep's mission, each and every girls' tennis student-athlete learned and practiced resilience in real and memorable moments in 2019.
Our annual appearance in the year-end Suffield Academy Girls' Tennis Tiger Invitational was again a fabulous prep school, all-female athletic opportunity against the likes of Wilbraham and Monson, Pomfret School, The Gunnery, Ethel Walker and Suffield.
Special shout-outs, high-fives and good luck to our four 2019 graduating seniors: Co-captain Michelle Zhou, Shuri Okada, Queeny Qu, and Linh Mai.
All returning players, and all new students joining the Golden Knight community interested in tennis, please join us for the Advantage Tennis Camp at Marianapolis the first week of August. Kindly see Athletics website link below for more information.
https://www.marianapolis.org/
GVT and the coaching staff thank our dedicated training and athletic department colleagues for all of their support in 2018-2019.
Schedule
Roster
Coaches
Coaches
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Keith O'Hara
Head CoachCoach O'Hara enters his 5th season at the helm of the Golden Knights girls' tennis team. In 2016, Coach "O" taught developmental and advanced tennis at week-long clinics in Woodstock, CT and with Advantage Tennis Camp at MPrep. O'Hara, who attended Middlebury undergrad and Trinity for his Master's degree, began his coaching career at Lyman HS, Lebanon, CT and at Windham HS, Windham/Willimantic, CT. He led both programs to CIAC State tournament berths. O’Hara played his youth tennis and soccer at Oak Park-River Forest HS (IL). He coaches tennis and soccer privately and has coached at recreational, travel, school and elite club levels. In his first stint (1990-1997), O’Hara served the school as the varsity girls’ soccer and varsity boys’ tennis coach and as Dean of Students, Spanish and English teacher as well as advisor. O'Hara's tennis teams won 3 QVC league titles and his 1991 boys' tennis team was 2nd in CIAC Class State Championships, losing to Weston by 1 point in an epic match played at Wesleyan University. He has coached all-state players and a state champion, Hector Ortiz (QVC champion), Gonzalo “Chalo” Castaldi (2-time state champion) and Fernando Gil (state open semi-finalist). Both Castaldi and Gil played at the highest professional levels in their native Mexico in tennis and soccer respectively. In girls’ soccer, O’Hara led a program renaissance to bring the ladies their first-ever state championship berth at East Granby, CT. His players have gone on to play soccer and other varsity sports at Bowdoin, Bates, Connecticut College, Elon, Nichols College, Wesleyan, Sacred Heart University and have attended the likes of Northeastern, Notre Dame, University of Florida, UCONN, St. Michael’s, Brown University, and Trinity College. -
Kellie Ryan
Assistant CoachKellie Ryan teaches classes in the visual arts discipline. In addition to teaching, Kellie coaches girls’ varsity soccer and serves as a house parent in Villa St. Joseph. Kellie’s favorite artistic mediums are mixed media and painting, as well as furniture building.