100 wins, helicopters and New York: The unique journey of a Richwoods tennis ace

PEORIA — Julia Wojtowicz can fly an airplane, once arrived at a high school tennis sectional in a helicopter, and as a kid played tennis in front of 18,000 spectators at Madison Square Garden with world-ranked stars Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams.

But she experienced something Saturday morning during the Dunlap Invitational that she never calculated.

The Richwoods senior and No. 1 singles player cooly dispatched Bloomington Central Catholic's Francie Kostelnick, 6-0, 6-0, then walked off the Richwoods tennis courts and right into a celebration.

She had just won her 100th career varsity match, a total despite a COVID-shortened season early in her career and playing against every opponent's best player in the No. 1 singles slot throughout it. By the end of the day, she won again and left the weekend at 101.

She looked stunned as she was presented with a celebration cake, flowers, balloons that created the number 100 and a sign, surrounded by coaches, family and teammates past and present.

More: Meet the Journal Star girls tennis players of the year and all-area team for 2022

"I didn't even realize I had that many wins," Wojtowicz said. "I was standing there, just couldn't process it. My friend, Shikha (Agarwal), has over 100, and I know how excited she was to get there.

"It's hard to absorb this."

Agarwal, the star Dunlap player, reached the 100 milestone this season, too. She owns a win over Wojtowicz, a 3-6, 6-2, 10-3 decision last September.

Reaching 100 wins is rare in high school girls tennis, especially around the Peoria area.

"I'm just blessed to have a player with her kind of talent and history," Richwoods coach Terry Cole said. "She is the best player I've ever had the privilege to coach on this girls team, the best I've ever seen here.

"Whatever we ask her to do, she can do it. She's just a great player."

And soon, it might all end for her.

'The end of tennis'

Wojtowicz could play college tennis. But she's leaning toward ending her career after Richwoods completes its stretch run this season and a final trip to sectionals and state.

"I have NCAA Division II and Division III offers from all over the Midwest," she said. "But I just don't think I'm going to play. I think high school will be the end of tennis for me."

Cole says there's no doubt she's a college player.

"Julia is a dynamic player. She's been playing No. 1 singles all four years at the varsity level, so she's had a really difficult schedule, one that I think has been the hardest in the state south of I-80. Yet here she is at 100 wins and counting.

"But we knew she was special from the moment we met her."

That was after she finished eighth grade in New York and moved with her family to Peoria. Her aunt coaxed her into trying out for the tennis team at Richwoods. So Wojtowicz showed up at the school and introduced herself to Cole.

" 'OK, let's try out right now,' " she recalls Cole saying. "I didn't have shoes, I was just wearing Air Forces. I didn't have my racquet. Nothing."

Wojtowicz borrowed a racquet from Cole and stood her ground as he cranked shot after shot at her.

"She beat me wearing tennis shoes and using my equipment," he said. "I said, 'OK, yeah, you can play for us.' "

The Bronx, tennis and a helicopter ride

Wojtowicz grew up in the Bronx, N.Y., with her mother, Kasia, and her father, Tomasz. He was a professional table tennis player in his native Poland, and also a helicopter pilot who still goes back to his native country to teach flight school. He serves today as a pilot for OSF Life Flight in Peoria, and also flies as a crop duster.

"She's been going with me when I fly all her life," Tomasz Wojtowicz said. "She knows how to fly a fixed-wing aircraft, she's quite comfortable with it.

"I started pushing her hard to play tennis when she was 5 in New York."

He played tennis, and would bring Julia with him.

"He'd hit balls to me over and over," the Richwoods senior said.

When the pandemic hit, the family moved in July of 2020 to Peoria. And Richwoods welcomed its star tennis player.

Wojtowicz finished in the top 12 at state as a sophomore in 2021. As a junior last season she shifted from singles at the end of the regular season to doubles, teaming with Reynolds for a state run. They finished third in the Class 1A IHSA state finals, a historic effort.

The Richwoods duo was only the third from the Tri-County area to make the final four of an IHSA girls tennis state finals — joining two other duos from Richwoods.

The Richwoods doubles team of Emily Ransburg and Debbie Snyder finished third statewide in the 1986-87 school year. A decade before that, Sue Moore and Cindy Reiman of Richwoods took third place statewide in 1976-77 and followed that with a second-place finish the following season.

Those finishes came in the single-class system; girls tennis split into two classes in 2016.

"We had an amazing season last year, finishing third in the state with Olivia, she's a tremendous partner," said Wojtowicz, who shared 2022 Journal Star girls tennis Player of the Year honors with Reynolds. "I have a strong serve and Olivia has a presence at the net, is so dominant in making all the shots. I think we just fit and flow well together.

"We're getting moved up to Class 2A this year, so we know our path is going to be tougher. But I think we have a shot."

More: Richwoods duo becomes part of Peoria history at IHSA girls tennis state finals

There's a story about Wojtowicz from her freshman year at Richwoods. It was sectional tennis time, and she was supposed to be traveling to Geneseo to play.

Rides fell through. Drivers became unavailable. Options and time were running out.

"I didn't want to drive an activity bus in the wind to transport me and one player to the sectional," Cole said, laughing. "So Julia's father said he'd take us in his helicopter. I called (an administrator) and said, 'Hey, do you mind if we go by helicopter to the sectional?' I got a yes because they thought I was joking."

And so Tomasz Wojtowicz piloted her and Cole by helicopter to the sectional, getting clearance to land nearby in what must have been a stunning scene.

18,000 at Madison Square Garden

Julia Wojtowicz was 10 years old when she stepped onto a court at Madison Square Garden and took a racquet from Caroline Wozniacki in 2016.

Wozniacki had been the No. 1-ranked women's player in the world for 71 weeks. Born in Denmark, she was of Polish descent — just like Wojtowicz — her mother on Poland's national volleyball team, and her father a professional football player.

In 2016, Madison Square Garden hosted the World Tennis Day celebration, with Wozniacki playing Serena Williams in an exhibition match between world-ranked giants. Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils — two more of the game's greatest players in the world — were set to play as well.

As part of the festivities, four kids were chosen to serve as "lookalikes" and be treated to a "day in the life" of their tennis heroes, from clothes, hair styling, equipment, and everything the pro players experience.

"She didn't know what an amazing opportunity that was," said her mother, Kasia Wojtowicz.

Julia Wojtowicz was in fourth grade at the time and played the role of Wozniacki, concluded on the court in front of 18,000.

"It was such an exciting day," Julia Wojtowicz said. "I was a little kid, but I've never forgotten any of it."

She's had quite a tennis journey. Whether she plays in college or ends her career in high school, she will have more than 100 wins and countless memories from the game.

"I love the competitiveness of the game, that's what is fun to me," she said. "I really love singles because you are out there on your own. It's all up to you, and what happens is your responsibility.

"The end of all this? I don't want to think about it too much yet. I just want to enjoy it."

Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IHSA tennis: Amazing career journey of Peoria Richwoods tennis ace