Featured Story

Boys Varsity Tennis: Season Outlook

Daniel Clarke
The St. Luke’s boys varsity tennis team welcomes Frank Russo as its new head coach and program director for the 2022 season.

Coach Russo comes to St. Luke’s with a full resume and deep experience that features multiple coaching stints at the collegiate level, including as the head coach at Adelphi University and assisting at both Fordham University and St. John’s University. Russo also has strong connections to club programs at New Canaan Racquet Club and New Level Sports in Darien.

Russo is excited for the new opportunity and believes he can take the St. Luke’s players to the next level: “I think my experience and knowledge will be beneficial to all the players and could make a big difference to their games. We will work a lot on mental preparation and tactics to give the players the best opportunity to win matches.”

The Storm is captained by Noah Rizvi ‘22, Reed Parmelee ‘22, and Aarit Bhatnager ‘22. Russo plans to lean on them and some of the other upperclassmen to help guide the team: “Noah, Reed, and Aarit’s leadership will be extremely important and key to our success. Phillip Etergino ‘23, Dean Ambrose ‘23, and Sam Heine ‘22  also have a wealth of experience and will play significant roles.”

In addition to the upperclassmen, St. Luke’s roster is filled with excellent young talent, and Russo is eager to see what the younger team members will contribute: “The young guys have stood out during preseason. We could have as many as three eighth-or-ninth-graders in our starting lineup this year. Todd Cannaliato ‘25 and Nate Samelson ‘26 will play in the number one and two slots in our singles lineup. It will be exciting to watch these guys grow during the next few years.”

Although new to the independent school league, Russo knows there is a ton of talent in the Fairchester Athletic Association and his team will face some tough opposition. However, he is confident his squad will be competitive against every opponent. “We know Greens Farms Academy and Brunswick School have a lot of depth, but I want our kids to play smarter and not harder. I think it will be a learning experience for all of us. We will learn quickly and give our best effort every time we step on the court.”

St. Luke’s opened its season at home on Wednesday, March 30, against Cheshire Academy. In an impressive start, the Storm won 7-0 with Todd Cannaliato (7-5, 6-2) Max Kavan (6-1, 6-1) Sam Heine (6-1, 6-1), and Nate Samelson (6-0, 6-1) winning their single matches and Reed Parmelee/Phillip Etergino (6-0, 6-1),  Noah Rizvi/Dean Ambrose (6-0, 6-0), and Aarit Bhatnagar/Dylan Barkley (6-0, 6-3) closing out their doubles matches.

Boys varsity tennis is back in action on Friday, April 1, at Wooster School, before it hosts Wilton High School on Wednesday, April 6.
Back
Download our brochure
New call-to-action
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 35 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Center for Leadership builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.