Senior Savannah Cohen announced her commitment to Rutgers University on Oct. 6 via Instagram.
Cohen began her tennis journey at the age of four, following in her mother’s footsteps. She had a dream of playing a collegiate sport at the highest level possible, thus she pursued her passions for lacrosse and tennis, two sports where she excelled.
Entering high school, Cohen made the varsity tennis and lacrosse teams, finishing the fall season with a 15-4 record as first singles and a sectional championship trophy on the tennis courts, along with racking up 19 points as a starting attacker on the turf fields.
Even with many prospects, Cohen did not continue her lacrosse career the following year. “I thought I had a higher chance of playing at a higher level with tennis compared to lacrosse,” she said.
During Cohen’s sophomore year, she proved her dominance in the North 2 Group 4 section once again, ending the season with a 16-2 record and receiving another sectional trophy over J.P. Stevens.
Her “awesome tennis skills” were not the extent of her contribution to the Blue Devil culture according to teammate Natalie Debowski. “[Cohen] added her goofy spirit to the team off the court. On the court she added dedication and determination… Off the court she always had something interesting to say that made the whole team laugh,” Debowski said.
Junior year of a tennis player’s career is a vital time for the recruiting process and making yourself known to colleges. Cohen made the difficult decision to stop playing with Westfield and focus on her recruitment.
Cohen explained the process: “You do USTA (United States Tennis Association) tournaments, and through those tournaments you go to nationals, and the college coaches come to nationals and that’s how you get official visits.” The USTA tournaments require full commitment in order to qualify for nationals. “You just play throughout the whole year,” Cohen said.
To prepare for these tournaments, Cohen practices at the Garden State Tennis Center. “I train with a coach at the facility, and there are clinics as well, and you hit with people on your own time on weekends when you don’t have tournaments,” said Cohen.
This past summer, Cohen’s intense work ethic propelled her to the National Hard Courts tournament in San Diego, where she received her offer from Rutgers University.
Rutgers University is a public institution in New Brunswick, NJ, with approximately 50,000 total students according to usanews.com. The Scarlet Knights are a part of the Big Ten Conference and compete at the Division I level.
Cohen reached her goal of playing for the highest level and is eager for its benefits. “Because it is in the Big Ten, I can do a lot of traveling… so I think that’s what drew me to it,” Cohen said.
The women’s tennis team is coached by Hilary Ritchie who is celebrating her 9th year as a head coach and 15th year with the Rutgers program. For the 2023-24 season, Rutgers finished with a 12-12 record, including a 2-9 record in the Big Ten.
Cohen will make big contributions to the Scarlet Knights according to Debowski. “She is such a strong player and makes her opponent run around so much that it makes them tired and frustrated. She has a very strong backhand and forehand, but the best part of her game is her defense and her anticipation on the court to where that ball goes. No matter how hard the opponent hits the ball, she will be able to cover,” said Debowski.
Cohen will use the remainder of her senior year to continue preparing for her Rutgers career, but she is excited about the personal connection to be made. Cohen said, “I’ve met a lot of people throughout the years and made a lot of close friends that I will see in college.”
