Tennis Team Makes Its Mark During 2012 Season
February 6, 2013

Tennis Team Makes Its Mark During 2012 Season

While the Vaughn College tennis team is new to competition, having only formed three years ago, and many of the team members are new to the sport of tennis, they have been working hard to become competitive in the Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference (HVWAC). As a result, the team received two high profile honors in 2012, while finishing 5th in the conference.


Estefania Collazos, a sophomore at Vaughn was recognized in early November by HVWAC for her outstanding play during the 2012 tennis season. She displayed much needed leadership as well as drive to become a better tennis player, which led to her being selected to the 2012 All Conference Team.

"I originally started playing tennis to stay fit, but it is a really enjoyable experience and it's now my second year on the team," said Collazos. "I am working very hard to help propel Vaughn ahead in the rankings, raise visibility for the College and help the team win more matches."

In addition, the team's coach, Laszlo Jurak was named coach of the year in 2012. Jurak, a longtime tennis enthusiast and all around athlete, has instilled his winning tradition into the girls on the team. When asked about Jurak, team members describe his love of the game and the joy he feels in teaching tennis each day.

Jurak credits the girls' achievement for his being named coach of the year. "It's great to work with students who enjoy the game and want to achieve," said Jurak. "Some of these girls didn't know anything about the sport and had never played tennis before joining the team. We have the basics for a good team here at Vaughn, and with commitment and hard work we will continue to improve." 

Jurak enjoys coaching the girls at the USTA US Open facilities and reminds the girls that "not everyone gets to play at such premier facilities."

In addition to coaching at Vaughn, Jurak coached the handball team at the '72 and '93 Olympics, was athletic director at the Waldorf School for over 30 years and an adjunct professor in the physical education department at Adelphi for over 35 years.