PENN TWP — Jody Offstein and Elle Santora played on teams that shared the 2016 Dave Barnes Pro-Am tennis championship Sunday at Butler Country Club.

That seemed only fitting — both of their lives have been affected by Barnes’ dedication to the sport.

Barnes died April 30 at age 76. He coached tennis at Butler High School for 35 years, accumulating 741 wins between the boys and girls programs, He also started the youth tennis program at Butler Country Club.

Offstein played tennis for Barnes at Butler from 1989-92, He first met him through a youth tennis program in town at age 8.

“I learned a lot of life skills through Dave,” Offstein said. “He taught me commitment and how important it is to lead by example.

“He was big on honesty and fairness and respecting your opponent, whether you won or lost. You shake hands after every match, appreciate the effort ... That’s the way it ought to be.”

Offstein teamed with Jared Howat to finish 5-1-1 in the round-robin format Sunday. Each doubles team played the other seven duos.

Santora, 14, the No. 1 singles player as a freshman at Knoch High School, teamed with Trevor Heck to go 5-1-1. Santora has been playing tennis since age 4 through the BCC youth program.

She is ranked 18th among 14-year-olds in the United States Tennis Association’s middle states region and was the youngest player in Sunday’s field.

“I’ve heard so many stories about Coach Barnes, about how committed and dedicated he was to tennis and teaching kids the game,” Santora said.

“There’s a lot of pressure to playing competitive tennis. Matches are so intense and sometimes you can lose the fun side of the sport. That’s why I like coming back here and playing in events like this. It reminds me to enjoy the game. I know Dave Barnes was all about that.”

Kristen Yoder Petcash was among the field of players Sunday as well. She played tennis for Barnes at Butler High School for four years before graduating in 1983.

“He held us to such high expectations, yet did so in such a gracious way,” Petcash said. “You respected the guy.

“Whatever the result, if you gave your best effort, he was OK with that. When I play today, I still have the competitiveness he instilled in me.”

Jack Barkley and his son, Jay played in the Barnes Pro-Am Sunday. Jay Barkley is a former Knoch tennis player and his father knew Barnes for years.

“Dave had his rules and he was uncompromising with them,” Jack Barkley said. “Today, you see parents always getting involved ... Dave did it his way. He always had that big smile on his face.

“Even as he got older, he’d hit balls with us on the court during warm-up and could still execute an American twist, putting an odd spin on the ball. He’d hit it and we’d be like ... ‘What did you just do?’”

Jay Barkley played tennis at Westminster College after high school and admired the courage Barnes showed in his latter years.

“Even when he was sick, you’d never know it,” Jay said. “He didn’t show it. He was a resilient man. So many people stayed in touch with him for years.”

BCC tennis pro Whitnety Snyder described the Barnes Pro-Am as “the highest level of tennis that is played on these courts each year.

“When the event was over, Jody Offstein and Jack Barkley spoke to the group about Dave,” Snyder said. “This was a high-caliber event that never got too competitive.

“This was a fitting tribute to Dave Barnes all the way around.”

DAVE BARNES PRO-AM

1st place (tie): Jared Howat/Jody Offstein and Trevor Heck/Elle Santora 5-1-1

3rd: Jay Barkley/Ron Jones

4th: Hayden Moyer/Curt Fleming

5th: Nishant Purewal/Thom Roberts

6th: Will Nocito/Jack Barkley

7th: Trent Goerk/Kristen Petcash

8th: Katie Moritz/Ken Boben