Preview - Girls’ Tennis 
Cocozza-O’Hara to guide Centaurs
Dena Cocozza O’Hara is not a new face around the Woodstock Academy girls’ tennis team.
She helped boys’ coach Siana Green coach the girls’ team a year ago and also serves as the coach of the Pomfret School boys’ team, whose facility the Centaurs use throughout the course of the spring.
But now, she is officially the girls’ coach of the Woodstock program.
“I’m thrilled and to be honest, because Siana and I have worked so well together, it’s not like I’m going to try and spread my wings, I love it the way that it is. I have been training some of these kids since they were five or six years-old so it’s really nice to see them go and scaffold to see them do things. I just have never been in a position to do so,” O’Hara said.
But with her own children grown, O’Hara is free a bit more to pursue her true passion- tennis.
O’Hara was an All-American in three sports but opted to play tennis when she attended UConn. She then went off to Spain to play before returning stateside.
‘It’s a great game; a lifelong game. It’s like life. Make a mistake, correct it, and then you can do better, it’s about progress not perfection,” she said.
The players are certainly all for the elevation of O’Hara.
“I love Dena so much. She helps the girls out so much and is super-encouraging and super-kind,” said senior co-captain Linnea Barlow.
“I’m pretty excited for the year and just seeing the girls playing together is really nice,” said fellow co-captain Abby Budd.
The Centaurs will miss some key players from a year ago where they qualified for the state tournament with a 6-9 record and finished with a 4-2 mark in ECC Div. II.
The Centaurs did lose five players from a year ago; Peyton Bentley, Ellie Bishop-Klee, Maeve Lusignan, Emma Massey and Margaux Reck.
But many are  returning including the two co-captains and Katie Bruce as seniors; juniors Gianna Musumeci, Kerrigan Reynolds and Wynter Worth. Delilah Kesselman and Catherine Trudeau are sophomores.
Worth, Musumeci, Reynolds, Trudeau and Kesselman are all vying for singles spots and others could follow.
The program also has four freshmen that may or may not play some official matches as there is no JV team but O’Hara said they are important as she loses the three seniors next year.
The Centaurs do have the advantage of playing at Pomfret School.
Early in the season, it’s a gift as other teams are trapped inside a gym when the weather doesn’t cooperate.
“We are so grateful to Pomfret for letting us use the courts and we’re the only team that has inside courts right now so it’s nice to have this,” Budd said.
The division is what O’Hara has her sights set upon.
 “I would like to continue to compete for the Div. II title and make States again. More so, I look at it as skill-based. I want them to learn some new skills, because it carries over to life. I want them to enjoy themselves. This is a grind. You have to be out here day in and day out, win or lose, and my job is to establish that team culture. I have graduates who come back. That is my gold star,” O’Hara said.
She agrees that playing at Pomfret School is a profound advantage.
 “Our Woodstock families have been phenomenal” helping, O’Hara said.
The other nice thing about Pomfret is that it also has the outdoor option right next to the indoor courts which can be used when the weather improves.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

caption:

Seniors Linnea Barlow, left,  and Abby Budd will serve as captains for the Woodstock Academy girls’ tennis team this season. Photo by Marc Allard/Woodstock Academy.