The 2016 boys tennis season was notable for producing a series of first-time achievements, making it one of the most successful years ever at Whitehall.

That list has to begin with the boys qualifying for the District XI AAA Boys Team Tennis Championship, They earned that berth by finishing the season 10-8, placing them as the eighth seed. It marked the first time a boys tennis team qualified for the team tourney during Robert Hartman’s tenure as Athletic Director.

Another first was getting two pairs of doubles teams into the semifinals of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Boys Doubles Tournament. Both Max Nuscher and Nick Rohn, who played at No. 2, and Nick Demjan and Hazem Abdelaal, the No. 4 team, made it all the way through to the semis.

Head coach Austin Berg said that Nuscher and Nick Rohn’s battle for the third-place against Freedom’s Jon Fiorentino and Jon Chu in the district tourney may have represented the best moment of the season. The pair fought back from being down a number of times to finally send it to a tiebreaker which they eventually won, 10-9, 7-2.

That feistiness was on display all season. It took hold in the beginning as they stormed out of the gate with five consecutive wins. Once they ran into some adversity during the season, Berg said that they didn’t give up once they started to lose. Their early season success was still fresh in their minds.

“That momentum we had started to propel us,” said Berg.

They went 3-3 down the stretch, claiming a tough 4-3 win over Northampton to help catapult them into the district team playoffs.

At their end of the season banquet, Berg said that its customary to present the Zephyr Award to a deserving senior. In prior years, he usually had just one senior eligible for the award. However, this season a number of seniors were deserving, making the choice very difficult.

Those numbers represent how far the program has come since Berg took over the reins. At the banquet Hartman said that 80 percent of Whitehall sports teams were above .500 for the year. The boys tennis team was one of them.

“I was so proud of that.” said Berg.

A lot of that success goes to the graduating class who helped get the program where it is right now. That list includes Alex Rohn, Nuscher, Daniel Herrera Acevedo, Clement Mei and Abdelaal.

That leaves the Zephs looking to replace their No. 3 singles, and revamp their No. 2 and No. 4 doubles team next year.

Berg said that Erik Poon will probably slide into No. 2 doubles, and then he’ll see who else emerges to fill those other slots.

The Zephs will have a lot of experience returning as No. 1 singles player Jeremy Lim will be back. Lim was able to play consistently all season, and will benefit from competing against the top players in the league as he prepares for 2017. Berg said that Lim is a devoted player who will work on his game this summer, making him even stronger next season.

Gavin Meters also returns. He was the team’s No. 2 singles player lsat year and should only get stronger.

Nick Rohn is also back and he’ll most likely be featured at No. 2 doubles once again. The sophomore displayed a devastating first serve that led to a lot of aces last season. That ability to whiz the ball by an opponent gives him a solid stroke on which to build.

They also return Demjan who will need a new doubles partner since Abdelaal departs. They also return Jordan Saliby, another seasoned vet who was a mainstay at No. 3 doubles this season.

Berg believes the future is bright. While they have to fill some holes, he knows they return a lot of solid players.

“I think we’re still going to have some success next year,” said Berg.