Thursday, October 1, 2026
Propelled by its first All-County player in 23 years, Kennedy boys tennis finished 9-5 in a deep and talented Nassau Conference 2A with a youthful roster one year after capturing the 2B title.
“The kids worked hard and improved so much during the offseason and we were able to compete against and beat some really strong opponents,” coach Brian DeGaetano said. “We beat every team in the conference at least once but fell one win short of the playoffs. That’ll be a goal for sure next year.”
Two of the Cougars’ singles players served as last year’s second doubles tandem. Both freshman Dylan Stone and eighth-grader Noah Winiarsky shot up the lineup to No. 1 and 3 singles, respectively, and went 9-5.
Stone won two matches at the Nassau County tournament May 9-10 to become Kennedy’s first All-County player since Dan Brous in 2003.
“Dylan made an incredible jump to not only first singles but All-County,” DeGaetano said. “It’s a direct result of his tremendous hard work, dedication and commitment during the offseason. He’s a perfect example of what it takes to improve, compete at a high level, and work toward becoming an elite player. He loves the sport and has such a well-rounded game.
“Noah, same thing,” he added. “For an eighth-grader to play singles and have the success he had in this conference is rare.”
Stone, Winiarsky and junior David Krass (second singles) all play lots of outside tennis, DeGaetano said. Krass, a talented and steady baseliner with a sound all-around game, played in the top spot in 2025 and helped lead the team to a conference championship. He followed up by going 11-3 this spring.
“All three of those guys are extremely aggressive and look to hit winners,” DeGaetano said. “They just don’t sit back and wait for someone to make a mistake against them.”
At first doubles, senior Dan Heaney and Nico Vergara thrived as a new tandem a year after playing singles. They won 13 of 14 conference matches and advanced to the round of 16 at the county tournament in a bracket with 64 teams.
“They embraced the challenge of playing doubles and had fun,” DeGaetano said. “Every match, someone spoke highly about them. They had great chemistry. Watching them, it wasn’t like seeing two singles guys playing doubles. They looked like a smooth doubles team. They were like an automatic win.”
Junior Kellan Auyeung and eighth-grader Dragan Radulov were solid at second doubles, going 9-5. One or both could move up the ladder next spring with Heaney’s departure. Sophomores Owen Kam and Vincent Carella held their own at third doubles, finishing 7-7, while senior Nate Domb and freshman Zach Grabov formed the primary fourth doubles pair.
The Cougars completed their season May 7 with a 4-3 win over Garden City. “We started 7-1 and had a couple of tough 4-3 losses in the second half,” DeGaetano said. “I know these kids are going to come back next year even more motivated.”
