JMTA Honors Seniors At College Signing Day Ceremony

March 10, 2023 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff

 

The John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) held a special event to honor and recognize nine of the program’s top players, all of whom earned scholarships to play collegiate tennis starting this coming fall.

The players come from all parts of the greater metropolitan area, including Long Island, New York City and New Jersey, but all of them call JMTA home, and signed their official letters of intent to play college tennis at the 2023 JMTA College Signing Day:


►Luka Butera, University of Pennsylvania

►Ansh Chadha, Bentley University

►Tola Glowacka, Boston College

►Erin Ha, Yale University

►Nicolette Loeffler, Fairfield University

►Dasha Perfiliev, Stony Brook University

►Thea Rabman, University of North Carolina

►Evan Wen, Princeton University

►Stephanie Yakoff, Harvard University


Held at Sportime Randall’s Island, the flagship home of the JMTA, players and their parents gathered as JMTA coaches spoke glowingly about these juniors. Speakers included John McEnroe, Patrick McEnroe, Lawrence Kleger, Brian Helm and Richard-John Mensing, who all talked about their positive experiences working with these players, as well as the excitement of the college tennis experience.

Click Here to see more photos from 2023 JMTA Signing Day

“I cannot express how proud I am of our student-athletes who signed their letters of intent! ,” said JMTA co-director Lawrence Kleger. “To see them from a young age develop their tennis skills and more importantly their life skills is incredibly gratifying.”

For the players themselves, signing their letters of intent and committing to a school where they will further their tennis and academic careers is a an important moment and the culmination of a lot of hard work.

“JMTA is such an amazing place that really treats their players and parents like family. They have helped me so much on my tennis journey, helping me to round out my game and got me prepared for tournament play and beyond, including college life,” said Dasha Perfiliev, who will be playing for Stony Brook next season. “The ceremony was just one example of their consideration and pride they have in their players.”

Yakoff, who is headed to Harvard, added:

“I’ve only been with JMTA since September of 2021, but during this short time not only did they help me understand the process and all of the different components, but they also offered me great advice on how to approach everything. From the start, I felt that Patrick, John, Brian, Lawrence, Richard, and the rest of the crew had my best interests in mind and were genuinely invested in helping me reach my goals. The signing day ceremony was a momentous event for everyone involved, it signified sort of a new beginning, an occasion that welcomed the future and the potential that it holds.”

 


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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