For Bryant, one title is enough

There was blue and gold everywhere last Thursday afternoon at the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. William Bryant was represented in the PSAL Class B city finals, on the boys and girls side.
“I hope somebody begins to see we’re doing something [special] at Bryant,” the girls coach, Angel Salazar, said.
His team certainly did. One year after losing in the final, the Owls were victorious, topping East New York, 3-2, the first girls championship for the school. The boys, meanwhile, who won in 2000, fell short, losing to Manhattan Center 3-2.
Salazar had much to celebrate after Alisa Jaganjac clinched the girls crown in second singles, besting Shanika McIntyre, 6-1, 6-3. Bryant was favored to win last year, but after rain delayed the title match three days, the Owls faltered. Their quarterfinal was also delayed this year, but history would not repeat itself.
“It feels even better,” Salazar said, “because I have pretty much the same group.”
“I knew we could do it. Last year we should have had it. But it helped a lot because we had experienced players coming back,” Jaganjac said. “Our first doubles [sophomores Marta Armatys and Ranjeet Kaur] were both new girls and they pulled through. We all came together as a team - new girls, old girls - we did not discriminate. Hopefully, we’ll come back next year and win again.”
Repeating is not the only enticing carrot the Owls can look forward to. Because of their victory, they will host a bake sale at the school. Salazar, whose players pay up to $50 for their own uniforms, felt his team was too “high class” for the event, but promised if they won, he would comply.
“That’s what made me work hard,” joked Jaganjac, one of five returning starters.
The boys, on the other hand, could not match the girl’s crown. Yet, for a program that did not even qualify for the postseason last spring, just qualifying for the city final was quite an accomplishment.
“The kids played their hearts out and that’s all we can ask,” Coach Fred Dreier said. “I didn’t expect to go as far as we did, but the kids just really started to play at a higher level. I give them all the credit.”