Home News Tribune 2016 All-Area boys tennis team
SINGLES
Josh Marchalik, East Brunswick, SR.
The Home News Tribune Tennis Player of the Year went 13-0 during the regular season before suffering a tight loss as the defending champion, and the No. 1 seed, in the quarterfinal round of the NJSIAA New Balance State Singles Tournament to West Windsor-Plainsboro South's Kabir Sarita. As a senior Marchalik earned the GMC Tournament first singles title to complete a three-peat. He is committed to Division III Amherst College.
Vishal Walia, J.P. Stevens, SR.
The GMC Tournament Champion runner-up at first singles earned a stellar 23-6 record this season. Walia captained his team to its fourth consecutive GMC team title and to the North 2 Group IV final where the Hawks lost to Westfield. Walia, who advanced to the round of 32 in the state singles tournament, will continue his tennis career at New York University.
READ: Pingry's Jeff Zucker is the Courier News Boys Tennis Player of the Year
READ: Courier News 2016 All-Area boys tennis team
READ: Home News Tribune 2016 All-Area boys tennis team
READ: East Brunswick's Marchalik is Home News Tribune Tennis Player of Year
Satish Kumar, Wardlaw-Hartridge, JR.
Kumar, a two-time, third-place GMC Tournament finalist, earned a 22-3 record this season going 12-0 in the White Division. He was chosen by league coaches for the All-Conference and All-Division teams for the second consecutive year. Kumar was a finalist in the Prep B Tournament and he, along with the rest of the Rams, advanced to the semifinal round of the Non-Public South B Tournament.
DOUBLES
Gouttham Chandrasekar, SR. and Arjun Krishnan JR., J.P. Stevens
The talented duo managed a 24-4 record and became the GMC Tournament champions at first doubles. Chandrasekar and Krishnan had great reaction volleys and consistent ground strokes coupled with powerful spin serves. They advanced to the quarterfinal round of the state doubles tournament before losing a three-set match to Livingston. Amazingly, Chandrasekar, who will attend Duke University, played the entire tournament with a broken finger on his racket hand.
Harold Trakhman, SR. and Akshay Malavade, SR., East Brunswick
Trakhman and Malavade advanced to the final round of the GMC Tournament at first doubles where they were taken down by the J.P. Stevens duo. The pair's only in-conference loss during the regular season came at the hands of J.P. Stevens, resulting in a 5-1 in-conference record. Trakhman will be attending Penn State in the fall, while Malavade will stay in-state at Rutgers.