Cassie Stanyon / The Citizen
Sam Tenney / The Citizen
Skaneateles senior Tyler Wilcox overcame offseason shoulder surgery to win 12 matches and finish fourth at the Section III tournament this season. He is The Citizen's player of the year for tennis.
Skaneateles senior Tyler Wilcox overcame offseason shoulder surgery to win 12 matches and finish fourth at the Section III tournament this season. He is The Citizen's player of the year for tennis.
After undergoing shoulder surgery last year, Skaneateles senior Tyler Wilcox was unsure of his tennis future.
But it didn't take Wilcox long to return to form - he quickly earned the squad's first singles slot and was helping the Lakers compete for a Liberty League title.
Wilcox, The Citizen's tennis player of the year, said his senior season can be summed up by one match.
“Against Cazenovia, we knew that whether or not we finished second in the league would depend on the match, and then it ultimately depended on my individual match that day,” Wilcox said. “It was all down to me, my match went three sets and was very heated but I was able to stay calm and win it. I think that is why the team and my coach would choose me (for MVP).”
He had come a long way from the surgery, which admittedly, left him doubtful.
“I really thought that being able to play tennis was something I wouldn't be able to do again,” Wilcox said. “I was just happy to play and knew that I wanted to play singles. Going into it I knew that Joey (Robinson) was a strong player, we had had a rivalry for years and I wasn't sure if I could beat him but was happy to play either way.”
He ultimately beat out Robinson for first singles, finishing the season 12-4 and earning fourth place at the Section III tournament. Robinson went on to win the Class B second-flight singles title Wilcox believes his rivalry with Robinson evolved into a friendship this year - one that helped him strengthen his game at every practice.
“It had been an ugly rivalry in the past, but we both had grown a lot,” Wilcox said. “After singles was decided, that focus on the competition between us ended.”
As a junior, Wilcox and Robinson teamed in doubles play to win a sectional title. This season, he was more focused on an individual title, but ran into Matt Nardella, CBA's first single who issued Wilcox his only four losses of the season. In his high school career, he's 0-5 against Nardella.
“I would definitely welcome the opportunity to play Nardella again,” Wilcox said. “He is a heck of a player and it makes me feel good about my progress as a player to know that my only losses were to him.”
Wilcox is now off to college, where he hopes to play tennis at the Rochester Institute of Technology. But he won't soon forget his senior season, one he wasn't sure he'd every get through.
“I am very satisfied with how the team did this season and happy with my personal performance,” Wilcox said.
But it didn't take Wilcox long to return to form - he quickly earned the squad's first singles slot and was helping the Lakers compete for a Liberty League title.
Wilcox, The Citizen's tennis player of the year, said his senior season can be summed up by one match.
“Against Cazenovia, we knew that whether or not we finished second in the league would depend on the match, and then it ultimately depended on my individual match that day,” Wilcox said. “It was all down to me, my match went three sets and was very heated but I was able to stay calm and win it. I think that is why the team and my coach would choose me (for MVP).”
He had come a long way from the surgery, which admittedly, left him doubtful.
“I really thought that being able to play tennis was something I wouldn't be able to do again,” Wilcox said. “I was just happy to play and knew that I wanted to play singles. Going into it I knew that Joey (Robinson) was a strong player, we had had a rivalry for years and I wasn't sure if I could beat him but was happy to play either way.”
He ultimately beat out Robinson for first singles, finishing the season 12-4 and earning fourth place at the Section III tournament. Robinson went on to win the Class B second-flight singles title Wilcox believes his rivalry with Robinson evolved into a friendship this year - one that helped him strengthen his game at every practice.
“It had been an ugly rivalry in the past, but we both had grown a lot,” Wilcox said. “After singles was decided, that focus on the competition between us ended.”
As a junior, Wilcox and Robinson teamed in doubles play to win a sectional title. This season, he was more focused on an individual title, but ran into Matt Nardella, CBA's first single who issued Wilcox his only four losses of the season. In his high school career, he's 0-5 against Nardella.
“I would definitely welcome the opportunity to play Nardella again,” Wilcox said. “He is a heck of a player and it makes me feel good about my progress as a player to know that my only losses were to him.”
Wilcox is now off to college, where he hopes to play tennis at the Rochester Institute of Technology. But he won't soon forget his senior season, one he wasn't sure he'd every get through.
“I am very satisfied with how the team did this season and happy with my personal performance,” Wilcox said.
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