Kayla Wu, all four doubles teams win to lift Great Neck South badminton to fourth straight Nassau title
Head coach Allison Romeo Gottfried (back row left) and the Great Neck South badminton team are crowned champions during the Nassau girls badminton team final against Jericho on Monday in Plainview. Credit: Dawn McCormick
The fourth time was just as sweet for Great Neck South’s girls badminton team.
The top-seeded Rebels earned their fourth consecutive Nassau title by defeating No. 2 Jericho, 5-2, on Monday at Plainview-Old Bethpage middle school.
Great Neck South will face Ward Melville in the Long Island championship at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Smithtown East.
Great Neck South has won 57 consecutive matches and the last two Long Island championships.
Kayla Wu, the three-time reigning Nassau individual champion, put on a dominant performance at first singles, defeating Judy Liang, 21-4, 21-17.
“I’m excited to bring this team to compete in the Long Island championship,” the senior captain said. “It’s fun every year with this group and the way we support each other.”
Great Neck South (17-0) took all four doubles matchups.
Emma Ding and Eva Westbay, the reigning Nassau doubles champs, defeated Amy Chen and Hanna Miu, 21-15, 21-16 at first doubles.
Adora Cho and Akira Cho defeated Nikita Bajaj and Aarika Mehrishi, 21-15, 21-12 at second doubles. Kary Wong and Katherine Cheung defeat Sophia Zhu and AJ Santiago, 21-17, 21-17 at third doubles.
And in fourth doubles, Michelle Ye and Jessica Jacob earned the victory over Jayda Zhou and Ellen Li, 21-14, 21-9.
For Jericho, Sandra Chen defeated Hannah Cheng, 21-18, 21-15 at second singles. Jasmine Peng won at third singles for Jericho (14-3), defeating Bernice Wong in the only three-set match of the day, 15-21, 21-19, 21-10.
Despite the loss, Wong was all smiles with her teammates.
“Being a senior and knowing it’s my last year, winning a county title is a full circle moment since we also did it my first year,” Wong said. “This year was the largest team we had in my four years and it’s exciting to see the next generation that will be here.”
Led by coach Allison Romeo Gottfried, a former player at Miller Place and a participant in the Bimantara World Junior Championships in 1988, the Rebels have been an unstoppable force the past four seasons.
“That’s not what we emphasize here. My focus is on building great young women, who show poise and character,” Romeo Gottfried said. “All the winning is great, but that’s the part that I’m really proud of.”
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.