2000 E-Force 28th World
Intercollegiate Championships
Arizona Athletic Club & L.A.
Fitness
Tempe, Arizona: April 5-9
dailies
MEDIA ADVISORY! ... Call 719/635-5396, ext. 126 (pre-event) for more details from Christie Hyde, USRA Media/Public Relations Coordinator. For AP-style press releases and results, visit the U.S. Olympic Committee Pressbox.
Moreno, Acosta Win Intercollegiate Singles Titles
Memphis Ends 10-Year Dry Spell — Southern Colorado & BYU Continue Streaks
The E-Force World Intercollegiate Championships wrapped up today with Javier Moreno (Univ. of Memphis) and Susana Acosta (Univ. of Chihuahua/Mexico) winning the top singles titles.
The University of Memphis, coached by Larry Liles, ended a 10-year dry spell by capturing the men's national and international team title. Memphis, who has more than 30 team titles to its credit, had captured a men's team or #1 singles title since 1990 when Todd O'Neil won the top men's singles divisions.
The University of Southern Colorado continued its winning streak by capturing its third-straight overall national and international team title, while Brigham Young University earned its sixth-consecutive women's national team title, however the women's international team title went to Mexico's University of Chihuahua, making it the first time a college or university from outside the United States has won a title at the championships.
Both Moreno and Acosta are members of the Mexican National Team and defeated members of the U.S. Junior National Team in the gold-medal matches. Moreno topped Baldwin Wallace's Shane Vanderson, 15-14, 15-7, while Acosta took a 15-13, 15-11 win over Brooke Crawford (Santa Clara Univ.).
Moreno and Acosta were also both winners over Southern Colorado duos in the top doubles divisions. Moreno and Ceasar Carrillo defeating Erin Brannigan and Willie Tilton, and Acosta and Dina Garcia knocked off Johanna Shattuck and Branda Toloumu.
Semifinal Action
Semifinal action was full of excitement at the E-Force 28th World Intercollegiate Championships presented by Penn Racquet Sports at the Arizona Athletic Club in Tempe on Friday.
Baldwin Wallace's Shane Vanderson met Arizona States' Luis Munoz in the first men's #1 singles semifinals and the set the tone for a thrilling afternoon of matches. Munoz took an early lead in the first game, leading 14-9, but Vanderson battled back to 14-13 before Munoz managed to put away the first game. However, the Sun Devil was unable to hold off his younger opponent in the second game, as Vanderson took the 15-11 win, forcing at tiebreaker.
In the first rally of the tiebreaker, Vanderson dove for a ball in the rear-left corner of the court and slide headfirst into the wall, injuring his neck. After being temporarily immobilized to access the injury, Vanderson was able to walk off the court and took an injury timeout, before coming back to the court and rattling off eight unanswered points, leading to his 11-3 tiebreaker win.
In the second men's #1 semifinal match, University of Memphis' Javier Moreno topped Chris Crowther, 15-12, 15-6, to advance the Tigers' hopes of ending its title dry streak.
Two-sport all-star Rhonda Rajsich (Stephen F. Austin State) met Mexico's Susy Acosta in the women's #1 semifinals. Although Rajsich gave Acosta, who had dominated her opponents all throughout the draw, a run for her money, she was unable to top the Mexican National Team player, falling to her 15-10, 15-11.
World Junior-champion Brooke Crawford (Santa Clara Univ.) faced tough competition from Southern Colorado's Joanna Shattuck in the second women's #1 semifinal match. Although Crawford won the first game, 15-5, Shattuck rallied to take the second 15-14 to force a tiebreaker. However, Crawford quickly moved back into her grove shutout her opponent with the 11-0 tiebreaker win.
Hometown-university Arizona State advanced three singles players and a doubles team to the finals. Sonny Harrison topped Mexico's Aaron Palomino, 13-15, 15-10, 11-9, and Brian Rigney came back to beat Memphis' Joel Bogorad, 13-15, 15-4, 11-2, in the #4 and 5 singles divisions, respectively. Andy Warner also knocked off BYU's Merrill Dibble, 15-5, 15-3, in #6 singles. Harrision and Warner teamed up to top a pair from the University of Minnesota, in the #3 doubles semifinals, 15-7, 15-7.
Finals action will kick off at 10 a.m. today, with the men's no.1 singles divisions finishing out the championships at 5 p.m.
Final Four Set for World Intercollegiates
The Final Four is set for Friday's semifinal rounds at the E-Force 28th World Intercollegiate Championships presented by Penn Racquet Sports, and the road to the semifinals was full of excitement.
Hometown-college Arizona State scored a major win with eighth-seed Luis Munoz upsetting top-seed Aaron Granberg (Minnesota) in the men's #1 singles division quarterfinals, 15-11, 15-6. Munoz, a former-Mexican National Team member, has been dubbed the dark horse of the tournament and is living up the nickname.
He will meet Baldwin Wallace's Shane Vanderson who handed defending-champion University of Southern Colorado a major blow in its quest for a repeat title when he knocked off its #1 singles-player Erin Brannigan in a tiebreaker quarterfinal match. Vanderson, the '99 World Junior silver medalist, took the first game 15-9, but Brannigan battled back to win the second 15-7. However, he could not hold on during the tiebreaker as the freshman Vanderson topped the junior 11-7.
While Vanderson was battling Brannigan, in the adjacent court, which is separated by a clear wall, his U.S. Junior National teammate and '99 World Junior champion Josh Tucker (Southern Missouri State) was battling Chris Crowther (Cal-Riverside) for a spot in the Final Four. Tucker picked up a 15-13 win in the first game, but Crowther managed to comeback for the win the match with a 15-9 second game victory and 11-9 tiebreaker.
Crowther will now meet the University of Memphis' Javier Moreno, who topped Mexico's Oviedo Baca (Chihuahua), 15-8, 15-2, in the quarterfinals. Moreno was one of a string of Memphis players to picked up wins in the quarterfinals, moving Memphis one step closer to recapturing a team title. The Memphis Tigers have scored more than 30 team titles in the championships history, but have been on a dry spell in recent years, with their last title going to the women's team in '94.
Hometown-favorite Rhonda Rajsich (Stephen F. Austin State) hit the court for her first match today, knocking off Jamie Johnson, 15-4, 15-0, in the round of 16. The other top seeds in the women's #1 singles division also dominated their opponents to advance to Friday morning's quarterfinals.
The first title was awarded today to BYU's Jodie Ellsworth and John Mattson in the #3 mixed doubles division. They crushed their only opponents in the division, Rob Albright and Becky Kerber, in two perfect 15-0 games.
The rest of the final matches will be played on Saturday, with Friday holding semifinal action for all the remaining divisions.
Arizona State, Phoenix College Gives Strong Opening-Day Performance at World Intercollegiates
The International Racquetball Federation began its 28th World Intercollegiate Championships at the Arizona Athletic Club on Wednesday. More than 230 student athletes representing 31 colleges and universities have converged on Tempe seeking the title of world champion, and Arizona State and Phoenix College are among them.
The Sun Devils men's team had a strong opening day, winning five of six round-one singles matches. Luis Munoz led the ASU team in the #1 singles division by making quick work of Raensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Shane Staats, 15-3, 15-3. Although Munoz is the eighth seed in the draw, many view the former-Mexican National Team member as the dark horse of the division, and are expecting big things from him in the coming rounds.
Jason Bronson and Andy Warner both topped University of Colorado opponents in the #2 and #6 singles divisions, respectively, while Brian Rigney squeaked out a Sun Devil win, 15-14, 9-15, 11-8, against University of Minnesota's Ben Johnson in a tie-breaking #5 singles division. After picking up a forfeit in the first round of the #3 singles draw, Anthony Voorhies dropped his second-round match to University of Memphis's Jeffery Garner, a current-U.S. National Junior Team member.
In women's team action, ASU's Megan Hauck and Casey Espinoza both dominated University of Missouri opponents in the opening round of the #3 and #4 singles divisions.
The two-member Phoenix College team of Jeremy Hammond and Tommy Medina won all their opening-day matches. Hammond, a linebacker on the Phoenix football team, crushed Benedect Estepona of the Philippines with a perfect 15-0, 15-0 #1 singles match, while Medina defeated Missouri's Brian Kleiber, 15-6, 15-8 in #2 singles. The two also picked up a forfeit in their first-round doubles match.
Championship action will pick back up today at 9 a.m. at the Arizona Athletic Club and continue into the evening, with the final matches of the day scheduled at 8:30 p.m. The finals will be held on Saturday.
Chat with a Champion
- Two-time U.S. National High School Champion
- Stephen F. Austin State University Women's Basketball Team Guard
- World Intercollegiate Championships Women's #1 Singles Fourth Seed
Since you just got finished with basketball season, have you had a chance to play much racquetball? I've been trying to. As soon as we got home (from the NCAA tournament) I think I took a one or two day rest, and I have been playing everyday since. Actually, I'm hitting a lot better than I expected to be.
How was your first season in NCAA Division I basketball? It was fun. It was a learning experience. Not necessarily the style of play, because that's going to go up regardless, but the getting used to all the other changes: a different state, a different style of coaching.
Were you happy finishing the season in the second round of the NCAA tournament? Yes, we were. We hoped to go as far as we could. At the beginning of the season, as a team we wrote out goals, and we achieved every goal except for making it to the Final Four. We still did very well. We lost to a team that was playing very well. It wasn't like we were playing bad. They deserved to win that game. We can't be ashamed at all. We did a lot of things that even surpassed the goals that we had.
Do you have to mentally switch gears between basketball and racquetball? I don't think I've ever thought of it as switching gears. It's almost a relief to be back into racquetball. After nine months of basketball, its great to say that I'm going to hit the court and know there is going to be four walls and a little blue ball instead of big orange one. It's just refreshing. It's nice to know that after I've had a lot of racquetball tournaments in a row, I can go shoot a basketball.
What are the differences competitively between the two sports? In basketball you have to rely on four other people. We all have to be on the same page, whereas in racquetball if adjustments need to be made, you have to take care of it yourself. No one is going to do it for you. The competition is much more personal in racquetball. Depending on the structure of the court and crowd size, the crowd can either be a big factor or hardly a factor. But, in basketball if you have 1,500 people sitting around, you are going to hear it after every shot.
Do you mentally prepare yourself in a different way before a major racquetball match compared to big basketball game? No, not really. My mental approach to what I do is that it really doesn't matter what they do. If I play my game, or if we play our game, it doesn't matter what they do. They can do all they want if I'm on my game. I can't let them take my game away from me. If we are on our game, that puts pressure on them. It makes them have to beat us. We don't have to beat them if we are on our game. They have to beat us.
Is it nice coming home for the World Intercollegiates? It's wonderful! I can't tell you how nice this is. I'm so excited. This is like the best time of my life right now. It's so wonderful to be home. I love it here. I haven't been home since Christmas break, and I had to leave on Christmas Day to go back for practice. I love it here though. The weather is great. I was born here and I'm going to die here.
How do you feel about being the number-four seed? I'm surprised! I was like, "Wow! I'm seeded at all?" I haven't been playing much recently, so I didn't expect it. But, I am hitting a lot better than I thought I would.
Does the power and success of the top-three seeds [intimidate you? No, not at all. I look forward to it. No matter what happens, at least I can gauge what I need to do in the next month when I get out of school and return to playing racquetball full time. I would much rather play these three powerful players than three that were weaker than me. This way I can gauge my skills for the coming summer.
Since you are planning on playing in the women's open division at the U.S. National Singles Championships in May, if you made it to the semifinals, would you accept a slot on the U.S. National Team, even if conflicted with basketball? Yes I would! I would have to tell the basketball coach that I have to go do this. I've always wanted to be on the U.S. National Team. And that is good part of playing two sports. If I had to transfer schools because of making the national team, I would have to sit out a year from basketball anyway. Making the national team might be a once in a lifetime opportunity. I would hope not, but you never know. I've been working towards making the team for so long. Its something I've always dreamed of. If I finally got it, I wouldn't let it go.
Do you have a favorite between basketball and racquetball? No. I get asked that question all the time, and I don't. There are so many elements that are so different. With racquetball, you learn how to be dependent on yourself, but with basketball you learn how to work with others. It's refreshing to play them both. If I had to have chosen one or the other a long time ago, I would have burnt out.
Intercollegiate Championships Kick Off on Wednesday
The worlds' best collegiate racquetball players have converged on Tempe, Ariz., and the Arizona Athletic Club for the International Racquetball Federation's E-Force 28th World Intercollegiate Championships presented by Penn Racquet Sports. More than 230 student athletes will represent thirty-four colleges and universities at this year's championships.
Draw sheets, round robin pairings and seedings were announced earlier today, with defending overall and men's team champion the University of Southern Colorado picking up seven top seeds, while the University of Chihuahua (Mexico) and Brigham Young University (Utah) both garnered four top seeds.
However, the men's #1 singles top spot went to Aaron Granberg of the University of Minnesota. Granberg captured the silver medal at last year's championships, losing to University of Southern Colorado's Luis Bustillos in the finals. Bustillos has pursued a pro-circuit career after using up his four years of eligibility. His Mexican National teammate Javier Moreno, who won the bronze medal at the '99 championships, garnered the number-two seed for the University of Memphis, while U.S. Junior National Team member and reigning World Junior champion Josh Tucker, of Missouri Southern State University, picked up the third seed.
The top seed in the women's #1 singles division went to Mexico's Susy Acosta, of the University of Chihuahua. Acosta captured the gold medal in the #2 singles division for the University of Southern Colorado at last year's championships, but has returned home to Chihuahua for this school year. U.S. Junior National Team member and World Junior champion Brooke Crawford, of Santa Clara University (Calif.), picked up the number-two seed. Crawford and Tucker were co-captains of the 1999-2000 National Junior Team in their final year of eligibility for the team. University of Southern Colorado's Jo Shattuck earned the third seed, while Phoenix-native Rhonda Rajsich, of Stephen F. Austin State University, received the fourth seed. Rajsich, a two-sport all star, recently completed a successful basketball season at Stephen F. Austin State University, where the Ladyjacks advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championships.
The women's #1 doubles division will be led by top seeds Acosta and Dina Garcia of the University of Chihuahua, and the top men's #1 doubles spot went to University of Southern Colorado's Erin Brannigan and Willie Tilton. Acosta won last year's #1 women's title with Shattuck, while Tilton capture the #1 men's title with Bustillos.
The championships will kick off at the Arizona Athletic Club at 8:50 a.m. on Wednesday with doubles play, while singles play will begin at 11:10 a.m. Tournament action will continue until 9:10 p.m. on Wednesday. The championships will run through Saturday, with semifinal action on Friday and the finals on Saturday. Six singles and three doubles divisions for men and women and three mixed doubles divisions are up for grabs at the championships, in addition to men's, women's and overall team titles.
Team Rosters
Arizona State University Jason Bronson Sharon Casino Kristen Dunfee Casey Espinoza Beth Grant Sonny Harrison Megan Hauck Kelley Moore Luis Munoz Brian Rigney Anthony Voorhies Andy Warner Mark Warner Baldwin Wallace College (Ohio) Micah Baird Tony Dunn Jim Eakin John English John Germaine Lindsay Jackson Jamie Johnson Jody Klauminzer Pat Knaze Karla Loebick Amy Matthes Steve Molnar Laura Schumaker Michelle Thornton Shane Vanderson Kari Wukela Brigham Young University (Utah) Karen Carter Jamie Christensen Jared Daniels Merrill Dibble Jodie Ellsworth Michelle Gollaher Holli Huff Ben Kartchner Hyrum Laturner John Mattson Travis Passey Ron Scoville David Shippen Paul Snyder Ning Spears Kara Watterson Karen Whitt Valorie Woodbury Bryant College (R.I.) Andy Cunningham Lauren Drury Dan Serafin Matthew Sicilia Justin Teman Clarkson University (N.Y.) Kevin Baldwin Neil Bartley Kevin Graves Karen Smith Jon Solomon Jeff Wager Matt Wheeler Emilio Aguinaldo College (Republic of the Philippines) Benedict V. Estepona Marist College (N.Y.) Lisa Bizzarro Lindsay Durner Jonathan Huffman Nicholas Kost Matt LaBalle Maria Rowland Sara Wetter Kyle Wood Missouri Southern State University Josh Tucker Nichols College (Mass.) Amy Bertrand Michelle Clauson Aaron Davis Adam Merrill Chad Muzzy Matt Perry J.R. Ranone Mike Torrey Giacomo Torsiello North Dakota State University Jason Jansen Ohio State University Paul Strike Penn State University Luke Auker Lai Man Cheling Scott Diehl Dave Fisher Shannon Fogal Paul Gamm Meghan Henty Kelly Lyon Kevin Mahoney Kristen Navara Jason Sylvester Bridget Todd Phoenix College (Ariz.) Jeremy Hammond Tommy Medina Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (N.Y.) Mark Hammell Jeffery Kornblith Thomas Lincon Matthew Priolo Jeffery Schrieber Shane Staats Ricks College (Idaho) Millie Curtis Santa Clara University (Calif.) Brooke Crawford Southwest Missouri State University Rob Albright Anwar Boustani Brandon Cueresma Silas Goldman Andrew Hahn Aaron Johnson Becky Kerber Jessie Kerber Chad Kukorola Eric Lackscheide Denielle Mathieu Suzanne Mathieu Sharon Streich Rhonda Rajsich Texas A&M University Kurt Anderson Brett Borgard Erik Haywood Aaron Novy Andrew Reardon James B. Williford U.S. Air Force Academy (Colo.) Russ Bastian Tom Cooke Jon Gallego Laura Hill Elaine Melendez Tom Pina Kim Pruett Erin Reynolds Casey Richardson Jennifer Shelby Tremayne Teasley Kristy Youngpeter U.S. Military Academy at West Point (N.Y.) Tim Benedict Dixon Brockbank Carlos Gonzales Jeff Jordan Jeff Matsen Alex McKinlay University of California-Berkeley Scott Annin Steve Bednar Mike Hanowsky Warren Lee Matt Pendleton Nathan Siegel University of California-Riverside Chris Crowther University of Chihuahua (Mexico) Susan Acosta Oviedo Baca Claudia Corpi Farah Estrada Dina Garcia Aaron Palomino Jair Silveira Miguel Soltero Hugo Vargas University of Colorado Jennifer Walker Seth Goldfogel Justin McLean Travis Morphew Jason Pahl Detterall Terren Michael Ventimiglia University of Florida Jonathan Burns Todd Feldman Kevin Miliffe Tony Payne Larry Peek Joddy Stahl University of Memphis (Tenn.) Joel Bogorad Ceasar Carrillo Jeffrey Garner Brad Jantz Javier Moreno Landon Pilant University of Minnesota Dave Buchanan Aaron Granberg Travis Gray Penny Hietala Andy Jacobson Ben Johnson Brian Pearson University of Missouri Cara Artman Amy Foerstel Jeremy Katcher Brian Kleiber Kyra Lienhop Anika Lodree Emmett Lodree Chester Moyer Pat O'Reilly Jen Venneman Scott Ziegler University of New Mexico Devin Cannady University of Southern Colorado Erwin Bernal Erin Brannigan Christie Funk Lee George Nick Giunta Jesus H. Gutierrez Sammy Menache Denna Pardee Johanna Shattuck Jackie Throndson Willie Tilton Branda Toloumu Vanessa Vaughn University of Texas Fernanda Arias Laura Barrera John Beakley Beau Briones Brian Feng Robert Fernendez Liza Lopez Ryan Rodgers Kathy Ropers Tish Seballos Jesse Wells Linsey Willaford University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Matt Stamborsky Utah State University Annie Bair Alicia Blackman Mathew Christensen Dan Dyer Jennifer Lynch Suzette Regis Ricardo Seto Brett Thompson David Timmons Lawrence Trujillo Wright State University (Ohio) Brian Druckenbroad