This year’s girls varsity tennis team from Wellington High School has had a sensational season so far. The squad, under the tutelage of head coach Peter Lang, has dominated every opponent in every match. This year, Wellington’s undefeated regular season run was followed by a sweep of the Class 4A district and regional titles.
“It was our second straight regional championship,” Lang noted. “We are now 21-0 and headed for the state tournament.”
This kind of success is not new for WHS. The girls tennis team compiled a 15-2 record during the 2023-24 academic year.
Of those 21 wins this year, 14 were shutouts, where WHS won all five singles matches and the two doubles matches. This season, the only team to show any kind resistance to Wellington’s power, might and depth has been Jupiter High School. In the two regular season meetings between Wellington and Jupiter, Wellington won five of the seven matches in the first encounter and six of the seven matches in their second meeting. The two schools played one another in the regional final on Thursday, April 24, and Wellington won the first four matches out of seven possible matches. By virtue of the four wins, it gave WHS the 4-0 visit and its second straight regional title.
Wellington’s next competition was the Florida High School Athletic Association’s state tennis finals, which were held from April 30 through May 2 at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs near Orlando. Results were not available at press time.
At the Class 4A state finals, there were eight teams competing. In addition to Wellington, which played Spruce Creek High School in a quarterfinal match, the other three quarterfinals were Lake Nona versus Winter Park, Cypress Bay versus Palmetto, and Newsome versus George Steinbrenner. Those four quarterfinal matches took place Wednesday, April 30. The winners on Wednesday advanced to the two semifinal matches.
As well as Wellington has played this season, the Wolverines were not one of the top four seeds in the state matches. The top four seeds #1 Lake Nona, #2 Palmetto, #3 Spruce Creek and #4 George Steinbrenner.
The number of schools playing high-level competitive tennis in Florida is significant.
“Hard to imagine with a 21-0 record in 2025, 14 by shut out, and a 15-2 record the year before, and then for our first ever trip to the states, we are hardly mentioned in the mix,” Lang said.
Because Wellington’s individuals have been so consistently strong the entire season, Wellington was represented in both the team and individual competitions at the state competition. The individual portion of the state tennis finals was set for Friday, May 2.
Wellington’s top singles player is sophomore Raya Ditfurth, who has remained unbeaten for a second straight high school season. Senior co-captains Keira Uter (11-1) and Scarlett Stephens (12-0) fill the second and third line, while sophomores Anushka Naidu (12-0), Laasya Movva (11-0) and Jayden Jaraczewski (7-1) filled lines four and five. Ditfurth and Uter have dominated line one doubles, while Stephens and Naidu remain unbeaten at second line doubles.
One of the keys to Wellington’s success has been the bench support, which has been intact the entire season.
“The other players who have all been an integral part of the success of this team include Isabella Ochsner, Larissa Sakamoto, Ella Jiveh, Camila Castillo Perez, Samantha Newiger, Kaylie Paredes and Paula Gutierrez,” added Lang, whose assistant coaches include Aaron Uter, Josh McElwain and Thad Millsap.
Lang is cautiously optimistic that his team will have successful experience in the state finals because of his squad’s overall competitive spirit.
“My players have been getting better this spring,” Lang said. “My team plays with a great deal of tenacity. They fight for every point.”
