On a beautiful fall day, perfect for tennis, participants of all ages in the Bucks County Tennis Association’s public park tennis programs ably vied for gold and silver medals in a team competition that enabled them to test their tennis skills against their peers in Yellow, Green, and Red Ball divisions. The county-wide event was held at Council Rock North High School tennis courts and included plenty of player support by family and friends.
The BCTA organizes two Team Tennis Challenges each year to give its public park tennis athletes a chance to experience competition in an informal, fun format. Athletes are divided into two teams, Northern and Southern Bucks, and compete in their respective divisions to combine their individual points with their teammates for a total team match score. For many players, this is their first time entering a competitive event.
Yellow Ball Division:
At the end of the 90-minute round-robin match play, the Northern Bucks team bested the Southern Bucks team in a friendly but tightly earned victory for the gold medal.
Team Northern Bucks—Gold Medalists:
Anastasia Korshun
Will Shipe
Scott Apgar
Zachary Guyer
Sathvik Putti
Christian Santamaria
Jaison Koshy
Alison Ficociello
Lucia Ficociello
Anna Shorr
Jessica Apgar
Rohan Rastogi-wilson
Wesley George
John Scott
Team Southern Bucks—Silver Medalists:
Hunter Gallagher
Nancy Lin
Leah Jiorle
Cailin Stamate
Margaret Gottschalk
Ayaan Patel
Maggie Lin
Darya Korshun
Jailan Elsarha
Mia Beasley-bonds
Kamren Sanders
Kevin Gottschalk
Nunzio DeMarchis
Green Ball Division:
The lead bounced back and forth with the Southern team, the Legends, narrowing the gap with a surprise victory in the “team spirit” competition. However, the Northern Team Skeletons solidified its lead by winning a bonus game of Team Singles.
“What a fabulous end to our 2025 outdoor season!” BCTA Coach Craig Batton exclaimed. “The courts were filled with smiles, sportsmanship, and great play. The sheer number and range of ages was a testament to how impactful BCTA is in the Bucks community.”
Team Skeletons —Northern Bucks—Gold Medalists:
Elijah Markowitz
Ella Koshy
Emma Doremus
Ian Weaver
Lucas Munn
Rita Miller
Team Legends—Southern Bucks—Silver Medalists:
Avery Cheng
Brielle Rivera
Jack Newlin
Jenivieve Palmeri
Oreofe Peters
Red Ball Division:
Red Ball is played on modified 36-foot courts, and the competition definitely illustrated players’ ability to keep a rally going. The Tennis Titans rallied to win a bonus game of “Tennis Sandwich,” but were just shy of snatching the gold medal from the Red Bloods.
BCTA Coach Marge Hoffman noted, “It was a terrific day for tennis!”
Team—Southern Bucks Red Bloods—Gold Medalists:
Anderson Jarmusik
Aura Hameed
Harper Dexter
Jacob Rendeiro
Kate Mcmullen
Marlo Mielke
Penelope Steffney
Kaden Bernstein
Team—Northern Bucks Tennis Titans—Silver Medalists:
Chloe Lian
Keira Zarenkiewicz
Luke Miller
Mia Deleone
Oscar Forman
Trevor Vang
Yasmin Alhassani
BCTA Coaches Craig Batten, Tim Donney, Susan Gordon, and Marge Hoffman kept the ball moving on all the courts and encouraged players with helpful tennis tips and strategies. A huge thank you to all the parents and family members who supported the players, and especially to the parent/family volunteers who helped on-court with scorekeeping. Also, thank you to USTA Middle States for providing all the sportsmanship awards.
BCTA indoor programs swing into action from November through March with the outdoor tennis resuming in April and running through October 2026.
