Secaucus High School Girls Tennis Team Wins Division Title For 6th Year

SECAUCUS, NJ — The Secaucus High School girls' tennis team won the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference (NJIC) Meadowlands division title, with an undefeated record of 10-0 this season.

This is their third championship win in the last four years. The Lady Patriots' overall record of 19-2 was the most wins in the history of the Secaucus girls tennis program.

This is the sixth year the Secaucus girls' team won this conference since 2009. To win the title, they had to beat Rutherford, Becton Regional High School in East Rutherford, Hasbrouck Heights, Weehawken, Harrison, plus other teams.

"Last year we actually had a really unsuccessful year, so we just worked really hard this year," said Simran "Simi" Bhatla, 17, a Secaucus High School senior and team captain.

She said the girls have been practicing since early July. As soon as school ended last year, the girls tennis team would meet at the courts, determined to improve on their 2024 season.

"It was a lot of work. I really think it was our coach pushing us," she said. "As soon as school ended, we were practicing all summer long."

The girls on the championship-winning team are:

Front row kneeling left to right: Anisha Desai/Grade 11, Alyssa Lee/Grade 10, Diya Chandarana/11

Back row standing left to right: Head coach Mark Schroback, Simran Bhatla/12, Emma Chan/11, Katerina Sakatos/12, Isha Patel/12, Jaylyn Beeston/12, Assistant coach Ron Mroz

This was all under the coaching of Secaucus High School head tennis coach Mark Schroback. He's been the head tennis coach for the past 25 years, starting in 2002.

Schroback played tennis in high school and college, and he was teaching at High Tech H.S. in 2001 when he was told Secaucus High School needed a girls' tennis coach.

"I said I've never coached girls, but I'll do it. And I've been there every since," said Schroback.

"There is no secret: They are smart girls and smart players," he said. "We just try to create an atmosphere where the girls like to go, exercise and compete after school and learn the game of tennis."

"It was teamwork, sportsmanship and a willingness to come to practice and work as hard as they can at practices and games," he said. "They really played their hearts out."

The Secaucus HS girls tennis team also won the Hudson County championship in 2022.