Conrad Weiser Hits for Hope wraps up a successful week of tennis – Reading Eagle

The annual Conrad Weiser Hits for Hope Tennis Tournament was a success this year both on and off the court.

Together with a record number of participants, the tournament raised $5,250 for the IM Able Foundation.

“Hits for Hope 2024 will always be remembered not only as one of the crown jewel tennis events in Pennsylvania and beyond for its record 313 players, but more importantly for the lives we impacted through the IM Able Foundation to help people with disabilities to live a healthier and more productive life,” said Ryan Knarr, tournament director of Hits for Hope. “Together with our players, sponsors and tournament volunteers, we have continued to live out our mission of 'Playing for something bigger than ourselves' and using tennis as a platform to make the world we live in a better place.”

On Saturday evening during the Hits for Hope Night of Champions, presented by the Berks County Tennis Association, Hits for Hope donated $5,250 to the IM Able Foundation, which aims to remove obstacles for paralyzed and wheelchair-bound individuals and give them opportunities through access to programs and activities to promote healthy living.

Also honored Saturday night were the 2024 BCTA Berks County High School Players of the Year Armaan Malik and Emma Perkins, both of Conrad Weiser.

The 2024 BCTA Community Aces Award went to Antietam High School head coach Bill McClain for his efforts to overcome and persevere with his program after the devastating floods that ravaged the school district and tennis courts last July.

The BCTA also inducted two new members into its Hall of Fame.

Kyle Bailey, a former Wilson High School standout and two-time Berks County champion, was inducted along with former Berks County and District 3 singles champion Whitney Simcik-Ravesloot, who played at Exeter.

Bailey, who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, is the head men's tennis coach at UNC-Charlotte.

After playing at Exeter, Simcik-Ravesloot played at the University of Connecticut and now lives in Tucson, Arizona.

The recipients of the BCTA Merv Heller Memorial Scholarship were Zachary Schrader of Reading High and Emma Perkins of Conrad Weiser.

Tournament results

Men's singles: Dr. Andre Fick, the 2014 state champion in Wyomissing and former St. Joseph's standout, won a record sixth title. He defeated former Kutztown University standout and local tennis professional Kaushik Das 6-1 1-0 (retirement injury). The men's singles draw featured 54 players and the largest field of this year's tournament.

Men's doubles: Tom Mastromarino, a Berks Tennis Hall of Famer and one of the best tennis players in Berks history, teamed with Dylan Tull, the current No. 1 player at Millersville University, to defeat Kaushik Das and Alvernia head tennis coach David Emkey, 6-3, 6 to beat -3. Emkey is a member of the Berks Tennis Hall of Fam and a former Berks County champion.

Mixed double: Caitlin Le, of Souderton, and Christopher Coo, of Upper Darby, both of the Temple Club Tennis Program, Kaushik Das and Emma Perkins in the semifinals before taking on former Conrad Weiser standout Alex Pancu and Liviu Trifoi, a former former Berks champion, defeated 6-1 6-1 in the championship match.

Women's doubles: The 2020 PIAA championship duo of Conrad Weiser of Emma Perkins and Alexandra Pancu defeated Sarah McComas of Hanover and Katie Berra of Harrisburg 6-1. 6-1 in the final.

Women's singles: Caitlin Le defeated Alex Pancu 6-2 6-1 in the championship match.

Other Championship Match Results

Men's Over-45 Doubles: Chris Von Nieda and Chris Wentling, both from Reading, defeated Revy Meny of Lebanon and Chairman Ung of Roanoke, Virginia.

Father/son doubles: Former Albright standout Matt Muoio and his father Joe Muoio of West Chester defeated Charlie and Jeff Robbins of Lebanon for their sixth father-son doubles title.

Men's singles over 35: Former St. Jospeh's University standout AJ Garabedian of Philadelphia defeated Bill Neal of Bethlehem.

Most Valuable Players Tournament

Junior Most Valuable Player: Conrad Weiser's Juliet Perkins won the Hits for Hope Junior MVP award for the second year in a row. She won five draws (Girls 12U Singles, Girls 14U Singles, Girls 12U Doubles (with partner Natalie Nelson), Girls 14U Doubles (with partner Ariana Plevrakis) and Mother/Daughter Doubles (with mother Erin Perkins) and was a finalist for two more equal playing in Coach/Player Doubles (with Coach Kausik Das) and 18U Mixed Doubles with partner Armaan Malik.

Adult Most Valuable Player: Caitlin Le, the former Souderton High School player and standout on the Temple Club tennis team, captured both the Women's Open Singles Championship and the Mixed Open Doubles Championship with partner Christopher Choo.

The 313 players in this year's tournament came from six states and the number of players surpassed the old tournament record of 300 set in 2016.