Every year, the core group of leaders for a collegiate team graduates, leaving a void that younger students need to step up and fill. Every athletic team at the college level is familiar with this challenge; however, likely none will be impacted as dramatically as the men’s tennis team.

After their spring season draws to a close, the tennis team will graduate a staggering 75 percent of their entire roster. Six of the eight players will leave Saint Anselm College in May, with junior Daniel Kmetz and sophomore Jason Wood remaining as the sole returners for the 2019-2020 season.

Team co-captain Adam Weinstein states that the rebuild process will have to be extensive. Since the tennis team needs a minimum of six athletes, the team next year will feature at least four first-year players – hopefully more.

“With a steady influx of recruits, we will be able to prevent this problem from occurring in the future,” says Weinstein. “But completely rebuilding a team takes time. It will probably take about two years for our team to fully transition.”

One way the tennis team is preparing to transition into a completely new team is by establishing a successor to co-captains Weinstein and Eric Howes. Kmetz will be tabbed to step up as the team captain next season. As a rising senior, Kmetz will only have one season with his new teammates, so it is crucial that he is fully prepared to foster team cohesion and provide a positive role model for the freshmen.

“Our coach has already begun transitioning him into a captain’s role by having him run drills and take more leadership responsibility on the team,” says Weinstein.

Another important part of the rebuild process is recruiting and signing new players to replace the exiting seniors. The team is already recruiting high school athletes by inviting them to visit the campus, participate in practices, and meet with members of the team. According to Weinstein, the team has already received two verbal commits for next season.

“The first official day for recruits to sign their national letter of intent is April 1st,” says Weinstein. “We are waiting to hear back from a couple more recruits regarding their decision.”

With one eye on the future of the program, the tennis team will play eight more matches this season. The seniors will seek to improve on the team’s current 1-10 record and finish their final campaign on a high note.