Ceremony Held for Longtime Assistant Tennis Coach Ralph Bencivengo

On Saturday, September 20^th a small informal ceremony was held at the Mercer County Park Tennis Center to honor longtime Assistant Tennis Coach Ralph Bencivengo.  Bencivengo passed away in February 2025 and assisted both the men’s and women’s tennis programs at Mercer for years.

A tree was planted on a on a hill in between the Grand Stand Courts and near courts 23 and 24, where 5th and 6^th singles positions typically played. This spot that was one of Bencivengo’s favorite place to stand and watch matches.     Former player Barbara Pal came up with the idea to honor Ralph.  Pal was a member of the 2002 Women’s National Championship team and of the 2001 National Runner-Up team.  A tree was planted in this spot in the spring and will continue to grow. 

There is an inscription on the tree that reads: “Coach Ralph Bencivengo.  He taught us that love means everything.  With Love Family, Friends and Mercer Teams 2025.”  For those who may not be tennis fans, love means zero (or nothing) in the tennis scoring system. 

Bencivengo was known for his constant smile and the positive words of encouragement he would whisper to his players in between changeovers. 

Bencivengo’s family attended the ceremony as did some former players, many of which shared memories and stories of Ralph, who as longtime Head Tennis Coach Marc Vecchiolla always says was “one in a billion.” 

The tree will overlook the courts at the Mercer County Park just like Coach Ralph did and will continue to.

For the latest on MCCC tennis visit: https://www.mccc.edu/athletics_home.shtml