Introducing our WXXV Student Athlete of the Week, St. Martin’s Paige Baronich!

What started off as a fun idea when approached by the coach ended up being a lifestyle for St. Martin senior Paige Baronich.

“I was really really really bad at first…like really bad, and then all the sudden something clicked and I started getting a lot better at it and I was like ‘Wow, I’m improving really fast, maybe I can do something with this,’ and then I started taking more lessons and I would stay after practice all the time and practice and I would hit with my friends every single day and every weekend and then I was like, ‘Wow, maybe I could do something with this!'” said Baronich.

“Being about to see her put in the work day in and day out is really what you have in mind when you tell your kids that hard work and dedication is going to take you where you want to go and she epitomizes that,” said St. Martin tennis coach Glenn Fosnacht.

After only three years on the St. Martin tennis team, Baronich has been the top seed female for two years in a row and is the reigning girl’s singles district champion. Because of her quick growth and desire to educate others, Baronich now helps give tennis lessons at Halstead Tennis Complex.

“Hearing them say Coach Paige is the best thing ever and I love it!” said Baronich with a smile. “Now I do private lessons and I give lessons to kids and it’s really rewarding getting to see them grow, and kind of like me, I just like seeing their hard work too and how they want to get better, and being able to be a part of that is really rewarding.”

“It’s funny because three years ago when she started, she was so frustrated and almost to the point of wanting to quit, but she stuck it through and in such a short amount of time is already giving lessons and helping others and encouraging others,” said Fosnacht. “She’s just an outstanding person, a great role model, great ambassador for St. Martin, and all of the community, and we’re very fortunate to have her.”

She’s a great role model and ambassador for the Yellow Jackets not just because of how she performs on the court, but also in the classroom. Baronich has made the superintendent’s list every semester, is a straight A student, and also has a 32 on the ACT. Her time in the book is equally important if not more important than her grind between the lines.

“I’m the type of person where whenever I’m about to take a test, I want to know absolutely everything so I can get a one hundred, so I study until I know absolutely everything,” Baronich said. “It’s very stressful and I have learned to not procrastinate and to try to stay on top of everything, but I try to have a nice schedule when I get home from practice, I do homework so I can go back and play tennis or I do my homework before my lessons and stuff. I try to keep school my top priority and then tennis because school is the most important thing.”

Another topic that’s very important to Baronich is positive mental health. Because of the academic and athletic standards she has for herself, it’s taught her to focus on the good and learn from the bad.

“It’s made me focus on instead of everything bad that I’m doing, like maybe I had a bad match or something, I take what I learned from that and improve myself and not be too hard on myself, and even if I play doubles I’ve learned how to be a team player and how to strategize with people. A lot of it just helps me out mentally because it taught me a lot of new mental skills,” said Baronich.

Because she prioritizes mental health, enjoys sports, and loves coaching and seeing others succeed, Baronich hopes to one day be a sports psychologist to help others be the very best versions of themselves.