Senior Jay Weinacker, an important leader on the men’s tennis team, has spent much of his time lately trying to help the men’s tennis team prepare for what could be its final match of the regular season. 

The Wolfpack will compete in the ACC Championships this afternoon in Cary.

“We could make a serious run,” Weinacker said. “But we have a big task in front of us.”

Weinacker, from Birmingham, Ala. broke the school record for singles wins this season, currently having 104 career wins, and has competed throughout the year at No. 1 singles. Weinacker has a national ranking of No. 36 and has been a rock for the Pack since day one. 

“He’s been a consistent part of this program for the past four years,” coach Jon Choboy said. “He’s had very few off days.”

As a junior in high school, Weinacker fell a little under the radar and was not heavily recruited. Yet that didn’t stop Choboy from selecting what turned out to be a superior athlete.

“Choboy saw in me what a lot of coaches didn’t,” Weinacker said. “He had a plan for me right from the start.” 

Choboy’s plan consisted of all-around game improvement, including a big effort to improve Weinacker’s leadership abilities.

“It’s great to be a leader for these guys,” Weinacker said. “We have a ton of young guys that have a tremendous amount of talent and they will be great players in the future. I just wish I could be here for a few more years to see players like Jamie [Pulgar], Akash [Gujarati] and [David] Chermak grow.”

Weinacker said he takes his leadership role seriously. Choboy said Weinacker never thinks about himself despite his accomplishments as an individual player.

“Jay really loved being on the team even more than he loved playing tennis,” Choboy said. “His personal record, when he looks back, will be special but the team part of it is much more special.”

According to Weinacker, being a leader also adds a lot of pressure on a daily basis.

“You have to come out every day and make sure that no matter what’s going on with you, if you’re having a bad day or not hitting the ball well, you still have to have the right attitude on the court, whereas some of the other guys have more leeway.” Weinacker said.

Reflecting back on his years at State, Weinacker said he has accomplished most of the goals he set for himself, including getting an ATP point, beating Carolina, and making it to the NCAA Tournament in doubles.

“I have done a lot more with my tennis game that I ever thought I would,” Weinacker said. “I’ve achieved almost everything I wanted to achieve out of it.”

One moment Weinacker said he will never forget was during his sophomore year when the Pack beat UNC in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

“Beating Carolina 4-0 at their place was the best experience in my entire life,” Weinacker said. “Just jumping on each other and celebrating was amazing. I still have the pictures all over my room.”

After graduation, Weinacker said he doesn’t have pro dreams because for a brief three weeks during his sophomore year he took a dip in the pro-circuit and said he realized it wasn’t quite for him.

“For a while I though I wanted to go pro,” Weinacker said. “I went out there to try it and got an ATP point and was ranked professionally, but it was miserable living in hotels in crummy cities and sharing a bed.”

Weinacker said his heart is in giving back to the tennis community. He plans on returning to Birmingham to teach tennis to juniors and ladies. 

“I’m not going to give up tennis,” Weinacker said. “I hope to get into college coaching at some point. I’ve talked to Choboy about it so you never know, I might end up back here some day.”

Today State travels to the Cary Tennis Center to rally against Georga Tech in the first round of the ACC Championships. The Pack suffered a disappointing loss when it traveled to Georgia for its first meeting this season March 29. Weinacker walked away with the lone win against the Yellow Jackets. 

“We did not perform well against George Tech the first time, but we’ve played better since,” Choboy said. “We are in range to do what we need to do, but it’s going to come down to composure and wining key points on every court.”