He started as the secret freshman phenomenon for the Pascack Hills varsity tennis team. Now, he is the third ranked high school tennis player in all of New Jersey. With the arrival of Michael Solimano, and his co-star Jason Prezant, the Pascack Hills tennis program shot up towards the top of the rankings in Bergen County.

Solimano’s stellar play has earned him a spot on the tennis team at Amherst College, which offers the perfect blend of a top-ranked Division III tennis program and one of the best academic schools in the country.

Recently, amidst his chaotic schedule and vying for a state title, I caught up with Michael to talk with him about his four years playing for Hills and his future at Amherst.

Trailblazer: Now that you’ve played on the varsity tennis team for 4 years, having success in each of them, how would you describe your experience playing for Hills?
Michael Solimano: My experience has been awesome. Having been on the team for so long, I’ve seen many different team dynamics and teammates, but we always were close and became great friends. As an underclassman, the seniors really welcomed me onto the team and I’m trying to do that now with our underclassmen. Also, spending four years under Coach Ganz has been great. He’s an awesome guy and a great coach who has really helped me get better.

TB: What would you say is your greatest accomplishment since joining the team when you were a freshman?
MS: Winning the Group II title my freshman year was our biggest team accomplishment, and hopefully we will do that again this year. Also, we won the team county title this year, which was a big goal of ours.

TB: What was your favorite part about playing for the Hills tennis team?
MS: I love just being a part of the team. We are a bunch of guys who were never really friends, but became really close during the season; we just have a great time being around each other.

TB: Recently, you were ranked the third best player in the state of New Jersey. How does such a huge honor like that make you feel?
MS: It feels awesome! I’ve worked hard in tennis for a long time and it’s very humbling to be ranked so high in the state. Obviously, I’m very happy with the ranking, but I need to make something of it for it to really mean something.

TB: Why did you choose to play tennis at Amherst?
MS: I loved the school and I thought their coach was a great fit for me. I also visited and stayed with the team and thought they were a great group of guys.
TB: How do you feel about your future playing for Amherst?
MS: I’m really looking forward to playing at Amherst. One of the biggest reasons I decided to play there was because I wanted to compete for a Division III title, and I’m hoping we win at least one when I’m there.

TB: Thanks Michael for a great tennis career at Pascack Hills and good luck going forward.