| Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016, TRIB-LIVE
Two Fox Chapel graduates will continue their tennis careers with college teams in the fall.
Siddharth Rajupet (Case Western) and Laurel Shymansky (Duquesne) made commitments.
Rajupet, 18, of Indiana Township was a standout on a Fox Chapel boys squad that won its first WPIAL title and placed second at the 2016 PIAA Class AAA championship.
The Foxes were undefeated before losing in the state final.
Rajupet was WPIAL runner-up and the third-place finisher at the PIAA singles championship.
Case Western coach Todd Wojtkowski expects Rajupet to thrive with the Spartans.
“Sidd is a team guy (who) will play his best in that environment,” Wojtkowski said. “It would not surprise me if he were to become all-American.”
Case Western, a private university in Cleveland, lost in the third round of the NCAA Division III championship tournament in May.
Rajupet said he just wants to improve and have fun.
He plans to study chemical engineering and pursue a career as an environmental engineer.
Shymansky, 18, of Fox Chapel was a three-time WPIAL and two-time PIAA girls doubles champion.
Before playing doubles, she was a quarterfinalist at the WPIAL singles championship last fall.
She will compete right away for the Duquesne women’s team.
“Her aggressive style of game is one that will contribute in both singles and doubles starting (in) her freshman year,” said Vanessa Steiner, Duquesne director of tennis.
The Dukes were eliminated in the quarterfinal round of the Atlantic 10 Conference championship in the spring.
Shymansky said she chose Duquesne because it is close to home and has an academic program that interests her.
She hopes to become a physician assistant.
“I knew the whole (Duquesne) team,” she said.
Fox Chapel coach Alex Slezak said both players are hard workers.
“Laurel is smart,” Slezak said. “She is coachable and hungry to learn.
“Sidd does all the right things (and) leads through his actions.”