Spring is known for April showers bringing May flowers, but it is also known for initiating the start of the tennis seasons. With goals in place and brand new members added to the roster, the boys’ tennis team is in it for the long run.

“My goals for the season are to improve as a team and make it to the state tournament as a team. We have a lot of new and fresh tennis players this year,” junior Blake McHale said. “It’s very different from last year. We nearly had a full team of seniors, but now our team consists of mostly underclassmen. I am really hopeful this year because they have shown that they have a lot of talent.”

Sophomore Brandon Donovan recruited several sophomores to play this season, recruits also include senior Kevin Hutchins.

“I wasn’t really nervous to join because there are 18 new people and only four returning members so I was in the majority. Plus, I joined with a bunch of friends which makes it more fun,” Hutchins said. “The team is crazy. Everyone hypes each other up, and practice is hilarious especially since we’re all new. Coach really has his work cut out for him.”

Sophomores Nate McCracken, Trevor Hutchins and Will Reynolds are all multiple sport athletes and were excited to play.

“The tennis team is like a lot of other teams in the fact that what each person puts in affects the outcome, but we definitely have fun with it and aren’t afraid to go out even though most of us are playing for the first time. We like to keep the mood light, but we also have a desire to win some matches,” Reynolds said. “The reason me and most of the new players decided to try tennis was because Brandon Donovan asked us to join. I wasn’t going to do a spring sport and it sounded fun, so I figured i’d give it a shot.”

Hutchins is focused on long term goals, “I  want to get better so junior year I can get my USTA rating up. Then from there I plan to help the team win ECC’s and go on to even greater things.”

With a young team, the program will be able to build off their growing talent. The future is bright for Ledyard boys’ tennis.

Megan Brawner, Editor-in-Chief

Senior Megan Brawner is the Editor-in-Chief of the 2015-2016 Colonel. She is the captain of the cross country team and runs Indoor and Outdoor Track. She participates in Youth United for Global Action and Awareness (YUGA) Club and is the secretary of the Senior Class. She is the Editor of Key Club. She will attend Central Connecticut State University to study Business next fall.