Daniel Nuzhny has been a student at Dwight-Englewood since pre-kindergarten.
So though everyone knew the tennis standout finally was arriving at the high school this year, Bulldogs coach Joe Iwanski admits there was concern.
“When a star player is coming, you’re always a little leery,” Iwanski said.
“We knew Daniel was a great player but our concern was, ‘What’s he like as a teammate?’”
By all accounts, Nuzhny was a great teammate. And his addition at first singles transformed Dwight-Englewood from a very good team into a great one.
Playing one of the toughest schedules in the state, the Bulldogs went 24-3 and won the Bergen County small-schools championship. They are The Record Boys Tennis Team of the Year.
How strong was Dwight-Englewood’s lineup?
Well, after two years at first singles, senior Jordan Runyon was bounced to third. Sophomore Nikhil Kokra managed to hold on to his second singles spot, while the first doubles pair of Zach Canelos and Martin Schecter returned at that position.
Sam Garden, Brandon Grill and Rick Sivarak, all outstanding players in their own right, rotated at second doubles.
Iwanski called it “by far the deepest team” he’s had in his eight years, and said the biggest problems were “sorting out the wealth of talent” and finding enough quality competition.
Fortunately, Dwight-Englewood was invited to play in two prestigious tournaments — the Bryan Bennett and Haddonfield invitationals — in which they faced fellow state powers from Newark Academy, Holmdel, Delbarton and West Windsor-Plainsboro South.
Iwanski said this elite competition prepared his team for the Bergen County tournament. The Bulldogs had asked to compete with the large schools but were turned down.
Iwanski said, “We felt like we would’ve won that tournament, too.”
In winning the small-schools title, Dwight-Englewood swept all 20 of its matches and took home all five position crowns.
“Winning all five spots and going undefeated at [the county tournament] is something we never dreamed of doing,” Iwanski said.
“At that point, everyone realized we were part of something special.”
