Max Felsenstein
The Rangers’ men’s and women’s tennis teams began practice this past week with a change in leadership. Scott Veith will be taking over as the Head Coach of both the tennis teams after spending 14 years at cross-town rival Fairleigh Dickinson University in Florham Park.
Veith grew up in Jefferson Township, a town just under 40 minutes northwest of campus. From there, he attended Wilkes University in Pennsylvania. He went on to coach tennis at FDU-Florham in two different stints from 2002-06 and 2009-17, where he also served as the team’s Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach.
Veith is the all-time winningest tennis coach in FDU-Florham history, compiling 94 wins from the men’s team including nine conference playoff appearances and three conference finals appearances, as well as 28 wins from the women’s tennis team.
“Drew has an outstanding tradition of championship tennis. Our last championships here were in 2012. I’m hungry to get the Rangers back on top of the Landmark Conference,” Veith said. “I’m excited to make a difference here at Drew.”
While a decorated tennis coach, Veith did not grow up pursuing a career in tennis or even as a tennis coach. He grew up playing and watching baseball, football, basketball and hockey. It was not until Veith graduated from Wilkes that he wanted to coach tennis, when his father, “Stressed the importance of finding a job that you want to do rather than one you have to do,” Veith said.
Veith prides himself on coaching with passion and a desire to teach and inspire young athletes. He believes college athletics make a big difference in young people’s lives and he wants to have an impact on those he coaches. This passion and desire is something he learned as a teenager from his high school football coach and English teacher.
“I struggled with what turned out to be undiagnosed ADHD in high school. [My English teacher] was the most effective teacher I ever had and helped me understand my strengths and work through my weaknesses. I’ve always wanted to help young people the way she helped me,” Veith said of his English teacher.
While Veith spends much of his time on the court, he also enjoys his time off the court and looks forward to spending time with his wife and three children, as well as, “A good workout and all things baseball.”
Veith brings a strong work ethic and confidence to a men’s and women’s tennis program that boasted a combined 30-6 record this past season. His winning attitude brings a new source of energy to an already strong program that boasts a strong core of returning players.
The men’s season kicks off at home with the Ranger Invitational on February 17 and the women open up against their crosstown rival and Veith’s previous team at home against FDU-Florham.
“I’m expecting competitiveness to become comfortable for everyone in our program, and I’m expecting our players to be able to depend on each other,” Veith said. “Once we know that competitiveness and dependability are part of the culture for Drew tennis, the sky is the limit.”
