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Athlete Of The Week: Stephanie Wiener

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Stephanie Wiener is a co-captain for the Syosset Braves varsity girls tennis team. (Photo courtesy of Stephanie Wiener)

The reigning Nassau County championship-winning Syosset High School girls tennis squad wouldn’t be what it is today without Stephanie Wiener.

This senior star is coming off an All-County effort. She’s already off to a great start, going 5-0 in doubles play to start the 2019 season. Thanks to the early success, head coach Shai Fisher believes Wiener can be one of the team’s top players before she graduates.

“Two things that make Stephanie unique and stand out,” Fisher said. “The first is her high level of character. Stephanie is always concerned about the feelings of other members of the team and always go out of her way to help her teammates.”

Wiener was named as a co-captain for the Braves this year, acting as “an assistant coach in many ways for the team,” according to Fisher.

For Wiener, the success on the court is thanks to starting at a young age. She began playing at the wry age of 3, following in the footsteps of her grandfather, mother, father and brother.

Rather than playing singles, she prefers to play doubles, often paired with one of the freshmen or sophomores.

“I enjoy the whole aspect of doubles and the strategy behind it,” Wiener said. “I love playing with another partner, and I think it’s more fun to be with someone to have that motivation. I love being able to mentor someone, because I’m usually paired with a younger partner. I coach them and help them grow.”

Wiener’s teammates look at her as a big sister on and off the court thanks to her incredible communication skills. She sits down and gives them plenty of advice, something Fisher said makes her “a role model and a leader.”

“The reason I love doubles so much is because it’s all about strategy and you don’t have to better fire to win the match,” she said. “Communicating with my partner and realizing the other team’s weaknesses to capitalize on them is important to achieve success. It’s just teamwork. You have to work with your partner and communicate.”

Now, Wiener has her eyes set on the Long Island title. Though Syosset might be considered an underdog, even after winning a county championship, she believes they can get the job done before she graduates.

“I don’t think we realized how much talent we had until midway in the season,” she said. “People don’t recognize our team as having a top breed of players. Winning would just be amazing.”