It’s not hard to define success. You can point to a record of events or statistics and definitively say “that is success.” However, the type of success that Wakefield has recently come into contact with is a special breed of success. This type of success goes beyond rudimentary numbers and extends into a more ethereal stage. This description perfectly encapsulates the qualities of Wakefield’s very own Susanne Boyden.

“I was proud of myself for being able to accomplish my goals and being able to represent my school and team,” said Boyden.

Boyden is currently a junior at Wakefield and has just finishing capping off a  tennis season as the Girl’s State Singles Champion. Boyden is no stranger to success however, having won the title last year, several dozen matches and many tournaments in her career so far. Tennis Recruiting Network’s system ranks the top junior girls in the country by way of number of wins and many other factors called the RPI List. According to this system, Boyden ranks 19^th in the nation and is only 5 percentage points behind the best women’s tennis player in the country.

Susanne comes from a family of tennis players. Her brother, Bo, is a also a player for the Men’s Tennis team at Wakefield and recently committed to UNC, and her father was the one who got her interested in the sport in the first place.

“I think the first real time that I wanted to play tennis was when I was watching my brother play one day and I wanted to play myself because I was so bored,” said Boyden.

Boyden is now trying to decide what she wants to do after high school. She is interested in attending a university although she does not currently know which exact schools she wants to apply to just yet.

“Hopefully I’ll know where I’m going by senior year. I’ve started talking to colleges this year but I still don’t have really any idea where I want to go.”