After five rounds of competition, freshman Stacey Zhang won first place in badminton’s  Individual City Championship on June 8.  Along with making THHS history, Stacey also left her mark on PSAL by becoming the first individual girl badminton champion.

Stacey and sophomore teammate Belinda Wong were the only two from their team to qualify for cities.

Although Belinda lost in the first round, she and senior captain Ellen Huynh cheered Stacey on to victory.

Stacey said, “Belinda and Ellen’s support really helped me. It relaxed me during my games.”

Stacey felt calm in each round because she was able to watch her opponents’ games.

After placing, Stacey said, “When I won, I was really happy and proud of myself, because it showed my work throughout the whole season paid off.”

In addition to playing on the team, Stacey also trains and competes at the College Point Badminton Club.

Junior teammate Mirza Ahmed said, “Stacey’s training inside and outside of school has definitely helped her play the way she has during the season and at cities.”