History was made at the JTC on Tuesday, May 20, 2003. The Johnson tennis team celebrated the 3rd annual Senior
Day with a 4-1 win over Rahway.
Ceremonies for the seniors included a special cake and Senior Day certificates. In addition, first singles Mike
Klimchak set the school record for most career singles victories with his 61st career win and the team won their 25th straight
regular season home match.
For the seniors: Victor Broccoli was victorious at 3rd singles, Craig D’Amico and Luke Swantek were winners
at 1st doubles, John Kosempel played a close second doubles match, while Devin Felter and Chintan Patel celebrated by taking
the day off.
The record 25 home match win streak spread over the course of nearly three full seasons (May 2000 - May 2003)
and 1,097 days. Despite Johnson’s 25 match home win streak ending at the conclusion of the 2003 season, the Crusaders
still have maintained annual dominance at the JTC.
In recent history, the Crusaders have hosted a home state playoff game in 2003, a 3-2 win over Madison. In the
2004 and 2005 seasons, more than 60% of the team’s total wins were at home and in 2006, 50% of the team’s total
wins were at home.
In the fall of 2006, the JTC was renovated. Construction began in August 2006, with the resurfacing of the courts
and the addition of a new fence around the premises. The first match played on the new courts was held on October 6, 2006,
as the Girls Tennis Team lost to Roselle.
The new facility had an official “Grand Opening” ceremony prior to Johnson’s April 3rd opener
against Oratory. For the first time in history, Johnson hosted the #1 team in the state of New Jersey in 2007, when the Westfield
Blue Devils visited on April 15th. The Crusaders had a successful inaugural slate on their new home courts by going 9-4 at
home in 2007.
