Jericho girls badminton's Sandra Chen helps Jayhawks roll to perfect season, 2nd straight Long Island crown
The Jericho High School girls badminton team won the Long Island High School Team Finals on May 20, 2026, in East Commack. Credit: Kelvin Loarca
After watching the boys hold up their Long Island championship plaque, Jericho’s girls badminton team wanted to do the same and share in the celebration. About an hour later, they accomplished that goal.
Jericho defeated Ward Melville, 9-0, in the Long Island girls badminton championship, securing a second straight title and a perfect season.
“I joined when I was a freshman and we didn’t even get a county title,” Sandra Chen said. “Experiencing that heartbreak and now experiencing being the back-to-back Long Island champs is a special feeling.”
Chen watched her brother Aiden win his match earlier in the day and put on a strong display from the opening serve. She defeated Angela Letong, 21-5, 21-3, at first singles.
“It’s really special, sharing this moment with my brother,” Chen said. “The girls came in second the first year that he won, but being able to have this moment with him two years in a row is really special.”
The Nassau doubles champions, Jasmine and Jessica Peng, split to play singles and each won in straight sets. Jasmine defeated Michelle Lu, 21-9, 21-6, at fourth singles, while Jessica defeated Sarah Xu, 21-3, 21-12, at fifth singles.
“Playing counties with my sister gave me a sense of security, but this was a completely different experience,” Jessica Peng said. “During the season, I really only played doubles, but I did practice singles, just knowing there could be a possibility I would have to play it.”
Aditi Deschi and Paulina Tsybysheva won the first set at first doubles for Ward Melville (14-6). It was the only set the Patriots won in the nine matches, as Jasmine Cheung and Chloe Wu responded by taking the next two sets, 21-17, 21-18.
“We moved our first doubles team up to singles and I wasn’t worried at all about them, because they’re excellent players,” coach Mark Burkowsky said. “All the doubles teams moved up and the girls I brought up to play fourth doubles did exactly what we’ve practiced all year.”
Olivia Liu defeated Clara Muller, 21-4, 21-4, at second singles and Judy Liang defeated Altuya Tripathi, 21-6, 21-5, at third singles.
“These girls are all great badminton players and I knew they would play their best today,” Burkowsky said. “The girls love the game. They show up every day because of their love for the sport and it shows in their results.”
Jericho (18-0) arrived later than originally planned due to a rescheduled AP chemistry test, but it did little to dull their performance.
“The test was probably harder than any match,” Chen said. "They’re both tough, but this was much more fun.”
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.
