Summit Boys Tennis Reaches 13-0 as Coach Vinnie Turturiello Earns 500th Career Win in Milestone Sweep

SUMMIT, NJ — The milestone didn’t arrive like a finish line so much as it arrived like something inevitable — built slowly over years of teaching, coaching and relationships that long outlast any single season.With a 5-0 sweep of Scotch Plains-Fanwood on Monday, Summit boys tennis improved to 13-0 and delivered Coach Vinnie Turturiello his 500th career win, capping a program run defined by consistency, senior leadership and an identity that has held steady from the first match to the last.The performance itself followed the same script Summit has written all season: control from the opening points, depth across the lineup, and a collective focus that never wavered even as the stakes grew.For Turturiello, the number is the end result of a journey that began far from Summit’s current dominance.“I started in 1973 when they started building tennis courts for recreation,” he said. “I grew up in Belleville where tennis was not a prevalent sport and I don't think our high school had a team at that time.”What began as time on public courts eventually turned into a lifelong path in coaching and education, shaped in part by mentorship and opportunity.“Then a good friend of mine and longtime mentor, Pete Tierney, asked me to be his assistant tennis coach,” he said. “I started at the JV level and quickly moved up to varsity girls first, and then the boys team.”Along the way, coaching became less about role and more about identity.“I have been coaching for 16 years,” Turturiello said. “I’ve coached JV and varsity boys and girls teams, and I coached girls softball for many years, taking teams from Berkeley Heights to national competitions.”But for him, the personal side of the job has always mattered most.“I coached my three daughters for many years, in softball and tennis,” he said. “And I knew that it was my HAPPY PLACE coaching high school sports.”Even after retiring from teaching in Scotch Plains, he said the pull toward student-athletes never went away.“Once I retired from teaching in Scotch Plains, I knew I still wanted to try and be a positive influence with high school students,” he said. That philosophy has shaped a Summit team that has spent the season building its own identity — not just as winners, but as a unit.Team captain Dylan Schulberg said the impact of that approach is felt every day within the program, especially in moments like this one.“Coach T is now at 500 wins, and that says everything about who he is and what he’s built here,” Schulberg said. “He is the definition of a role model to us all.” He added that the coach’s influence extends far beyond match day.“Even though he isn’t on the court with us as we play our matches, his commitment goes beyond the two and a half to three hours, Monday through Friday,” Schulberg said. “What he’s created is a standard for how we compete and how we carry ourselves.”Schulberg summed up that standard simply: “We win with class, and we lose with class.”On Monday, there was only winning — and a 500th victory that felt less like an endpoint than another chapter in a career still defined by connection, continuity, and a team that continues to reflect its coach in every match it plays.Turturiello said the support behind that success has been just as important as the results on the court.“I feel lucky that I was able to coach in the Summit school district,” he said. “The administration and parents are very supportive of the tennis program. Our athletic boosters support our program and have helped with indoor court time when needed."But when reflecting on 500 wins, he returned to what matters most to him.“My family has been a huge part of my success,” Turturiello said. “They are the reason I have achieved this goal of 500 wins.”And even now, the perspective hasn’t shifted.“All of my teams have been special to me one way or another,” he said, “but I have to say this group of young men continue to impress me on and off the court.”Summit returns to action Tuesday against Oratory Prep (12-7), as the unbeaten season continues and a team that helped deliver a milestone now looks to keep its run moving forward.