AHA Tennis Standout Brooke Hess Wins First Team All-State & First Team All-Non-Public Honors

Varsity tennis player Brooke Hess has been named First Team All-State and First Team All-Non-Public. Hess, who resides in Cedar Grove, is a member of the Class of 2022 at the Academy of the Holy Angels.

Hess and Isabella Darmanin co-captain the AHA Varsity Tennis Team, which has been ranked fourth in the State of New Jersey and second in Non-Public A.

“Brooke had a great season in a year that was truly difficult considering the constraints that the pandemic placed on our schedule,” AHA Athletic Director Patti Gorsuch noted. “She is an amazing player who hits hard and has an overall game that is superb. A true team leader, we can’t wait to see what her senior year will bring.”

AHA Varsity Tennis Coach Meaghan Williams said, “Brooke’s dedication, sacrifices, and commitment to improving her tennis game are an asset to our school. She is emerging as a motivated team leader, offering positive thoughts to her teammates before each match. I look forward to all the possibilities her senior season will bring to Holy Angels.”

Hess said she is honored to receive this prestigious recognition. She shared that she started playing tennis nine years ago, following in the footsteps of her mother, who also played tennis in high school.

“I tried out the sport when I was very young, and really enjoyed playing,” Hess explained. “I decided to stick with it, and have been playing competitively ever since.”

During her freshman year, Hess was named Second Team All-County and Third Team All-Flight. The following year, she was named First Team All-County and Third Team All-Non-Public. In addition to her latest achievements as a junior, Hess has been awarded First Team All-County, and Third Team All-Flight. She is also nationally ranked Top 100 in her Junior Class.

“Achieving First Team All-State and First Team All-Non-Public means so much to me, as it really shows how much I have improved and grown as a player. Freshman year, I played second singles under my older sister (Ashley Hess, AHA ‘19), and sophomore year it was quite a disappointment to not make an all-state team despite an impressive season. Making an all-state team was definitely a goal of mine this year, and it is such an honor to be named First Team of the entire state. It reaffirms my hard work and it is such an honor to be recognized as one of the top players in the state.

“I love the sport so much and it is a huge part of my life, so I definitely see myself continuing to compete in college.”

Outside of AHA, Brooke is a volunteer instructor for GRIT, a program AHA alumna Chennie Kim (AHA ’20) established to make tennis accessible to underprivileged children.

Hess also enjoys sharpening her business skills as a member of AHA’s DECA team. She recently finished first at the North Jersey Principles of Marketing Regional Conference and the New Jersey for Retail Virtual Business Challenge. She placed second in the North Jersey Principles of Business Test and became a state qualifier.

As a sophomore, Hess was accepted to Sister Kathleen Cornell’s leadership seminar, a special course offered to selected AHA students. She represented the Academy at the 2020 Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Conference, and served as sophomore class president. She has also been a member of Anjoules (robotics club) and the Middle States Planning Team. She is member of the French Honor Society, and medaled on the National French Exam. This motivated scholar takes Advanced Placement courses and maintains a stellar grade point average.

Founded by the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 1879, the Academy of the Holy Angels is the oldest private girls’ school in Bergen County. While AHA is steeped in Catholic tradition, this prestigious high school serves young women from a broad spectrum of cultural and religious backgrounds. Over time, thousands of women have passed through AHA’s portals. Many go on to study at some of the nation’s best universities, earning high-ranking positions in medicine, government, law, education, public service, business, arts, and athletics. The Academy’s current leaders continue to further the SSND mission to provide each student with the tools she needs to reach the fullness of her potential—spiritually, intellectually, socially, and physically, by offering a first-rate education in a nurturing environment where equal importance is placed on academic excellence, character development, moral integrity, and service to others.