This story originally appeared in the Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat & Chronicle. Also view a PDF on SMCAthletics.com here.
He could barely move and was depressed. After celiac diagnosis, he became a tennis star
By Marquel Slaughter
Olive oil drenched popcorn and bread-less sandwiches are some gluten free favorites Pittsford's Josh Weiss makes when he's being a "lazy chef".
"It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen," Jason Boucher, Weiss' college tennis teammate at Saint Michael's College, said jokingly.
Weiss' odd meal concepts come from his celiac disease. Preparing for a Ph.D at the University of Georgia after thriving in academics and tennis, everyday Weiss overcame the mental and physical effects of a disease he wasn't diagnosed with until high school. Weiss had Division I tennis upside, but missed tournaments crucial for college recruitment, and ended up at Division II Saint Michael's in Colchester, Vermont.
Coach Jason Hammel likened Weiss becoming a Purple Knight to the program finding a winning lottery ticket no one picked up.
"He believed in the college. We're lucky to get him as a player and member of the community," Hammel said.
Weiss' biggest career win
The biggest match of Weiss' career was a huge trigger.
It was Feb. 6, 2022 when Weiss defeated Le Moyne star Tom Jarry, who was ranked No. 1 in the region and 28th in the nation, in a hard fought 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-3 early season battle. Weiss took 20 minutes during warm ups to calm his anxiety.
"I wanted to win the match for myself and the team," Weiss said.
It was the best moment of Weiss' career. He pointed to his improved two-handed backhand, slicing, and longer baseline rallies for the win — each technique Weiss practiced with coach Hammel for hours.
"Leaving high school with zero stars, zero offers, I wanted to compete with the top kids recruited on scholarship, and show the system at Saint Michael's works," Weiss said.
Boucher witnessed Weiss breaking down into a cry after the win and hugged him.
"I was really proud of him," Boucher said. "He was in disbelief that he actually did it. He was shocked even three days later."
Hammel said Weiss was the team's best player as soon as he arrived as a freshman. Weiss developed leadership skills as a sophomore captain during COVID, then won his second Team MVP award as a junior. He defeated the region's fourth-ranked player as a senior, ending his career with 55 wins — fifth most in program history. His 10 wins at first singles are tied for the program's record. Weiss gave Hammel all the glory.
"We basically came to the school because coach Hammel. … Maybe I could've gone to a better program on paper, but I'm not as good as I am today without coach Hammel," Weiss said.
Celiac disease a nightmare
Celiac disease progressed slowly for Weiss. He didn't notice day-to-day problems early on, but in hindsight the symptoms were clear. Little did Weiss know that tennis was the catalyst.
"It was a complete nightmare," Weiss said.
At 10 years old, Weiss began facing physical pain. His muscles seized up, he'd develop cramps, and would lose weight. He suffered painful headaches and had trouble recovering from exercising. Later as a teen he'd experienced depression and anxiety. On the tennis court, Weiss went on an unusual yearlong losing streak.
Weiss was 16 when he couldn't get out of bed. A doctor then linked Weiss' physical pain and mental health, finally discovering celiac disease after proper testing. Weiss' mother and grandfather were eventually diagnosed too after decades of unknowingly living with the disease.
"Not until I was 15 or 16 is when I began drastically underachieving," Weiss said. "I literally lost every match for an 11-12 month stretch."
Much of Weiss' tennis success came after the diagnosis. At Pittsford Mendon, Weiss was a three-time All-Greater Rochester first team selection and Monroe County MVP. After missing matches mandatory for college recruitment rankings, Weiss had Division I talent but zero stars. At D-II Saint Michael's, Weiss became a captain, Team MVP and Northeast-10 Conference first team selection.
The Vermont college checked many boxes for Weiss, specifically for its attention to gluten free diets. He requested to meet the campus chef to know how often counters were cleaned, and if employees can change into clean gloves to serve gluten free items. At the dorm, Weiss' dishes and sponges are different from others'. He exclusively purchased Powerade until Gatorade recently produced gluten free sports drinks.
"If he was diagnosed with celiac a year earlier, we may not have got him," Hammel said. "I must admit, I've enjoyed people not believing in this kid."
Weiss' career path comes full circle to help cure diseases
Fascinated with genetics and genetic engineering ever since his celiac disease diagnosis, Weiss became a biochemistry major at Saint Michael's, and was recently accepted into University of Georgia's Integrated Life Sciences program to continue his studies.
"I learned how important genetics is while going through it," Weiss said. "It led me down this road of genetic engineering, and how you can manipulate genetics and cure diseases. Hopefully I can help people with worse conditions than celiac disease."
Weiss carried a 3.92 GPA at Saint Michael's, where he was a biology and organic chemistry teaching assistant. He even performed NASA-funded research, participated in two CRISPR-Cas9 research projects funded by the National Science Foundation, and won the Roger F. Keleher '15 Award as the top male scholar-athlete in the graduating class.
Weiss spent the 2022 summer interning at University of Georgia last summer before applying for the university's ILS program.
