OCHS First Decade Teams

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Caitlin Reich was top Raider girls tennis player in First Decade!

By TOM WILLIAMS
Gazette Staff Writer

Four of Ocean City High School's final five girls tennis teams in the First Decade had winning seasons in a decade where the Raiders reached the South Jersey Group 3 final four times and qualified for the tournament seven times. Ocean City was the South Jersey champion in 2000.

The best of the OCHS players was Caitlin Reich, who played in the No. 1 singles spot for two seasons starting the decade and compiled 19 victories against some of the top players in South Jersey. Reich was selected to the all-conference second team twice.

The other singles players are Shelley Lavis, who played No. 2 behind Reich in 2001 and then moved up to the top spot in 2002 and won 12 matches. She was selected all-conference second team. And Emma Kelsey, who also filled the No. 1 spot in the singles lineup two different seasons, winning 19 times. She was all-conference second team once.

The doubles team of Kim Baker and Carrie Jaquett from 2007 accounted for Ocean City's only first team all-conference selection during the decade in girls tennis. And the other doubles team comprised Kelsey Boylan and Tamara Cox from 2008, also named to the all-conference second team.

It was a good decade of tennis at OCHS, beginning with a South Jersey title in Phil Birnbaum's final season and ending with a tournament qualifier in the first season by new coach Samantha Newgas. In between, Wendy Nickles, the winningest coach in OCHS girls tennis history, guided the Raiders to three South Jersey finals.

Caitlin Reich was the best of those 10 years, joining Jen Frank (90s and 80s) and Anne McGinnis (70s) as OCHS Girls Tennis Players of the Decade.


OCHS Girls Tennis in the First Decade
Year....Record....Coach
2000........14-7........Phil Birnbaum
2001........12-9........Wendy Nickles
2002........10-10.......Wendy Nickles
2003.........6-15.......Wendy Nickles
2004.........5-11.......Wendy Nickles
2005........11-8........Wendy Nickles
2006.........9-9........Wendy Nickles
2007........14-7........Wendy Nickles
2008........15-4........Wendy Nickles
2009........12-9........Samantha Newgas

The First Decade Raider Girls Tennis Team
Singles.....Caitlin Reich (2001)
Singles.....Shelley Lavis (2002)
Singles.....Emma Kelsey (2008)
Doubles.....Kim Baker-Carrie Jaquett (2007)
Doubles.....Kelsey Boylan-Tamara Cox (2008)