The Sun’s Girls Tennis All-Star Team

Tewksbury’s Renuka Late reaches for a return during a MVC girls tennis match against visiting Methuen. (James Thomas photo)

Emily Wang

Westford Academy

Player of the Year

Voted as the third best player in the toughest league in the state, Wang is now a two-time Dual County League All-Star, a two-time Sun All-Star, and now the Player of the Year. A junior who played No. 1 singles, Wang finished the season with a 16-3 record, losing two of her three matches to the top players from Boston Latin and Acton-Boxboro, who both advanced deep into the state individual tournament. Wang’s success on the court was the biggest reason why the Ghosts finished second in the league standings and compiled an overall record of 16-3, including Division 1 state tournament wins over Taunton and Brookline.

Katelyn Gray

Groton-Dunstable

A senior who played No. 1 singles, Gray finished with a 9-5 record, while helping the Crusaders finish 11-5, including a trip to the Division 3 state tournament. Last year she played No. 3 singles and the year before that was part of the No. 1 doubles team, ending each season with six victories, thus she ended her three-year career with 21 wins. Besides soccer, Gray was part of the girls soccer team, while she ranked No. 11 in her class and was nominated for the academic scholar award. She will attend Clemson University to major in psychology and criminal justice.

Jessica Bevens

Pelham

A senior, who is making her second straight appearance on the Sun All-Star team, Bevens finished the season with an impressive 9-4 record playing from the No. 1 singles spot, while helping the Pythons finish 1-1 in the New Hampshire Division 3 state tournament. A four-year member of the varsity team who displays tremendous leadership, Bevens is a two-year captain who won 15 matches in two years. She is also a member of the field hockey team and will attend Southern New Hampshire University in the fall.

Kathryn Haley

Pelham

Just a sophomore, Haley, like her teammate Bevens, is making her second straight aappearance on the Sun All-Star team. Last year she finished 11-2 rotating between third and fourth singles and this year she won 13 matches between the second and third singles spot . She also joined up with Bevens to form the team’s No. 1 doubles team. “Kathryn’s a joy to coach, polite, always appreciative with constructive criticism when needed. She’s gotten more confident, improved with attacking the net,” said coach Diane Thomas. Haley is also a cheerleader during the football and basketball seasons.

Renuka Late

Tewksbury

For the third straight year, Late played No. 1 singles for the Redmen. A senior, she is now a two-time Sun All-Star and two-time Merrimack Valley Conference second team selection. She guided the Redmen to an 11-6 overall record, which included a trip to the state tournament, losing to Hanover. Last year she finished with an 9-8 individual record. Late was the valedictorian at TMHS and a member of the school’s robotics team, which advanced to regionals. She will attend MIT in the fall.

Chloe Burns

Tewksbury

A senior captain who is known for her strong serve, Burns played No. 2 singles and finished with an 11-6 record, while helping the team make a trip to the state tournament. She had some critical wins for the team during the season, including a clinching victory against league rival North Andover. An outstanding student who was a member of the state champion volleyball team in 2022, Burns will play volleyball at Suffolk University.

Caitlin Hilterman

Tyngsboro

A senior captain playing in just her second year, Hilterman lost just one match all season and was named a Mid-Wach C All-Star, while helping the team to a 15-4 overall record and competing in the Division 4 state tournament. Hilterman played four years of soccer and did one season of track. She was a member of the National Honor Society and the Medical Professionals Club. She earned a number of academic awards, including the Rensselaer Medal for Achievement in Mathematics and Science, the Commitment to Learning Award, the THS Perreault Award for sports and academics, and the Mid-Wach Academic Achievement Award from the soccer season.

Nina Chawla

Westford

Chawla, a freshman, played No. 2 singles for the Ghosts and was an important part of the team’s 16 wins and advancing to the Division 1 Round of 8. She finished the season with a 14-5 record, while competing in the toughest tennis league in the state. Chawla plays tennis year-round. “Nina is strong from the baseline with power and consistency,” said head coach Tracy Capone. “She’s able to go the distance.” She has been involved in school activities such as DECA and SASA, a community club for South Asian students.

Melanie Chang

Westford Academy

A talented freshman like teammate Nina Chawla, Chang played No. 3 singles and was unbeaten all season, registering a 14-0 record. She plays year-round and also was a big part of the team’s 16 wins, including winning all three of her matches in the state tournament. Besides tennis, she’s an accomplished piano player. “Melanie has a complete game with a variety of shots,” said head coach Tracy Capone. “She’s able to finish points from the baseline or at the net.”

Savannah Beatrice

Wilmington

One of a handful of extremely talented freshmen to make the Sun team, Beatrice led Wilmington to a historic season. The Wildcats finished 14-5, the 14 wins the most in program history. The team also went 3-1 in the Division 3 state tournament after having never won a state match before. Beatrice played No. 1 singles and finished 14-2-1 regular season record. She was named the Middlesex League Liberty Division’s MVP and then went 3-1 in the playoffs. Beatrice also competes in softball and basketball and is a dancer. She is a member of the school’s band, honor roll and the Rotary Interact Club.

Jaslene Ryou

Wilmington

Another talented underclassman on the ‘Cats squad, Ryou played No. 2 singles all season and finished with an 11-6 record. She was a big part of the program’s historic season, which included a 14-5 mark and reaching the Division 3 Final 4, losing to state finalist Weston. Named a Middlesex League All-Star, Ryou is an exceptional student-athlete who is a member of the school’s honor roll. She is involved in a number of WHS clubs, including Art, 9/11, Environmental, World Cultures, Asian Heritage and DECA.

Shubhangi Tripathi

Wilmington

Tripathi has played in all different roles. This season she was at No. 3 singles, earning Middlesex League honors after finishing the regular season with a 9-6 record, before going 4-0 in postseason play, including the lone win against Weston. Tripathi is an outstanding student-athlete who excels in AP classes and volunteers her time when not on the court. She is part of the DECA, Environmental Club, World Cultures, Asian Heritage Club, Student Council, Peace Club and the Science Club.

Christina Woods

Wilmington

Coach of the Year

In her second year as head coach, Woods took a team that finished 4-14 to a complete turnaround of 14-6, the most wins in a season in program history. In addition, no Wildcat team had ever won a state tournament match, and this year’s team went 3-1 in the Division 3 tournament, advancing to the Final 4 before losing to DCL power Weston. Woods was a three-sport athlete at WHS, playing volleyball, basketball and tennis before graduating in 2017. She graduated from Worcester State and is working toward her master’s degree at Fitchburg State. Woods just completed her third year of teaching and first at Billerica High. She is also the assistant girls basketball coach at WHS.

Second team

Academy of Notre Dame: Artis Cravan, fr. Chelmsford: Amiyah Milona, jr.; Eva Barber, so.; Keya Upadhyay, sr. Greater Lowell: Sydney Geoffroy, sr.; Norah Rondeau, sr.; Abigail Honan, fr.; Annabel Senechiame, sr. Groton-Dunstable: Gwen Kimball, jr.; Ashley Christianson, so. Lowell Catholic: Ani Gray, 8th. Nashoba Tech: Riley Olsen, fr.; Khianna Ducharme, so. Westford Academy: Haasini Sriraman, so.; Shreya Goyal, so.; Haasini Paparaju, sr.; Ambika Arunrajhesh, fr. Wilmington: Sophia LaVita, sr.; Madison Benoit, sr.; Maria Cummings, sr., Alison D’Arco, fr.