2002 Ektelon USRA 35th
National Singles Championships
Downtown Houston YMCA: Houston, Texas
Memorial Day Weekend, May 22-27

preview | releases | drawsheets | finals & finishers

Guidry upset defending champion and top seed Jack Huczek (Rochester, Mich.) in one of the most thrilling national championship matches in years. Guidry got off to a fast start, winning the first game 15-10 and building a 6-1 lead in the second before Huczek changed his strategy. "He changed up his serve," said Guidry. "Which was a good decision on his part." Huczek ended up winning the second game 15-12.

The tiebreaker was an amazing showcase of the country's best racquetball players battling it out for a national title. Points came slowly for each player as they recorded over 40 side-outs. Guidry slightly held on to the lead for most of the game but had trouble at match point. Finally, on his sixth try, he was able to score the final elusive point to win the championship.

"It's something that I am very proud of, especially at my age," said Guidry, who turns 32 on Tuesday. "I probably don't have a lot of years left."

Gudinas earned her fourth straight national title when she won convincingly over Laura Fenton (Overland Park, Kan.) in straight games. The first game looked as though it would be a battle with the score tied at 5-5 and both players playing well. Gudinas then went on an 8-0 run to take a 13-5 advantage. Fenton could only muster up one more point before Gudinas closed out the first game 15-6.

Gudinas was in control for the second game and quickly built an 11-5 lead. She then finished the match with a 4-0 run to earn the title once again, 15-5. "I think that I played my best racquetball of the week today," said Gudinas. "It just all seemed to come together."

Although the men's and women's open divisions have been played out, there is still plenty of competition slated for Monday. There are over 60 divisions of age, skill, and age/skill competition yet to be decided on Memorial Day.

Also brought to the dias were Athlete of the Year award winners Jack Huczek (ProKennex) and Cheryl Gudinas (E-Force), along with Debra Tisinger (Wilson), who accepted the Peggy Steding (Age Group Athlete of the Year) award for the second time in her career. Among the juniors, Huczek was also recognized for his Junior Athlete of the Year award, with co-named counterparts Adrienne Fisher and Kristen Walsh (Head/Penn). All three juniors were named to the honors last summer, and have been on hand to compete in the adult ranks here in Houston this week.

Annual "surprise" awards were also announced at the banquet, including the Joe Sobek Contributor designation given to the World Senior Racquetball Championships organizing committee [WSRC] for their outstanding work in developing the highly popular event. Held in the week leading into Labor Day each September in Albuquerque, the event is a major fundraiser for the IRF, and has generated over $250,000 in cumulative donations over almost a decade. Committee member Paula Sperling has been "on task" as a volunteer at the registration desk this week, in between matches in the Women's 50+ and 55+ divisions.

The John Halvorsen Fair Play award was given to Lee Beckwith, for his noteworthy performance at the Colorado State Singles earlier in the season. Not just one, but a series, of overturned calls and displays of good sportsmanship set the tone for the event from early rounds — thanks to Lee's insistence on fair play.

To round out the award line-up, Lynn Stephens was presented with the USRA's annual "Presidential Award" for his service at the state level. Under his direction, Stephens has seen membership grow and tournaments flourish in his home state of North Carolina over the past year. The hard-working lefty has been on hand this week, competing in the Men's 40 and 45+ C/D divisions.

Defending champion Jack Huczek defeated former two-time national champion Adam Karp 15-1, 15-12. Karp won back-to-back titles in 1998-99 and Huczek hopes to accomplish the same feat by winning the title this year. Huczek double-qualified for the U.S. National Team Friday after already securing a spot on the team by winning the U.S. Intercollegiate Championships in April.

No. 2 Mike Guidry also double-qualified for the team when he defeated former U.S. Intercollegiate champion Shane Vanderson (Dublin, Ohio) 15-9, 15-11. Guidry already earned his spot when he teamed up with Ruben Gonzalez to win the U.S. National Doubles Championships.

Rejoining the team after a two-year hiatus was No. 5 Michael Bronfeld. Bronfeld, a longtime player on the national team failed to qualify in 2000 and 2001 but worked his way back on to the team by defeating Dan Llacera in straight games 15-12, 15-4. Bronfeld is also a former back-to-back national champion winning the title in 1994-95.

No. 6 Jason Thoerner earned his first ever U.S. Team appointment by edging Josh Tucker (Joplin, Mo.). Thoerner dropped the first game 15-14 but stormed back to take the next two 15-7, 11-4. Although it is his first appointment to the team, Thoerner says he isn’t through yet. “My goal coming in was to win the tournament.”

All top four seeds advanced to the semifinals in the women’s open division led by No. 1 Cheryl Gudinas who was tested by former doubles partner No. 8 Kim Russell . Russell started out hot, winning the first game 15-10, before Gudinas stepped up her play winning the second and then the tiebreaker 15-6, 11-6.

“Kim has really improved her singles play in the past year,” Gudinas said after the match. The two teamed up together to win the U.S. National Doubles Championships in October.

No 2. Jackie Rice got past No. 7 Kristen Walsh in straight games 15-6, 15-8. Rice has never won the national title, finishing second several times, but feels that this may be the year. “I am playing well,” she said. “I am playing mentally consistent and that is what I need to do to win here.”

No. 3 Laura Fenton had a close match with No. 6 Kerri Wachtel. Fenton lost the first game to the Wachtel, the current U.S. OPEN champion, 15-7 before earning the next two 15-12, 11-6. Fenton recently won a gold medal for the U.S. at the Tournament of the Americas held in Bolivia.

Finishing out the women’s quarterfinal action was No. 4 Kersten Hallander (San Diego, Calif.) who ended Elaine Albrecht’s (Delaware, Ohio) run, defeating her 15-12, 11-15, 11-5. Albrecht upset No. 5 Rhonda Rajsich (Phoenix, Ariz.) during Thursday’s action. Although she built a large lead in the tiebreaker, Hallander never relaxed during the match.

“It was hard not to think of her (Albrecht’s) comeback capabilities,” she said. “I just tried to focus on the basics to keep those thoughts out of my head.”

"He's (Shane Vanderson) a good shooter and rips the ball real hard. I just wanted to keep the pressure on him so I went offensive at every opportunity." Mike Guidry -- Carrollton, Texas.

"I played well. I played mentally consistent and that is what I need to do in order to win here." Jackie Rice -- El Cajon, California.

"It was hard to not think about her (Elaine Albrecht) comeback capabilities. I just tried to relax and focus on the basic things to keep the other thoughts out." Kersten Hallander -- San Diego, California.

"She's (Kim Russell) the best doubles player in world and she's really improved her singles game in the past year." Cheryl Gudinas -- Chicago, Illinois.

"The tournament brings a good atmosphere to the city of Houston and with the 2012 Olympic bid it creates more interest in sports that are less mainstream." Jack Huczek -- Rochester, Michigan.

Cheryl Gudinas was tested by former doubles partner Kim Russell and was forced to stage a comeback after finding herself down one game to none. The points came slow as both players forced one side-out after another but Cheryl won more rallies on serve than Kim to win 10-15, 15-6, 11-6.

Laura Fenton found out just how tough U.S. OPEN champion Kerri Wachtel could be when she had to make a comeback of her own after losing the first game 15-7, but Laura has been in tough situations in Houston before. She edged Kerri in the second game 15-12 then finished the match 11-6 to keep her spot on the U.S. National Team.

Kersten Hallander took a different route to the semifinals by winning the first game but losing the second to Elaine Albrecht. Elaine was the only unseeded player to make the quarterfinals after knocking off fifth seeded Rhonda Rajsich on Thursday after being down 7-0 in the tiebreaker. Kersten knew about Elaine's comeback capabilities and tried to keep the thought of it out of her head by concentrating on the basics. It worked and she won the match 15-12, 11-15, 11-5.

For example, IF Mike Guidry were to win the event (he's also the current doubles champ with Ruben Gonzalez), he would have the option of either playing #1 singles, or #1 doubles at Worlds. If he chose to play doubles, the singles roster would be one player short and the coaching staff would then have to select another player from the team "pool" (presumably -- but not guaranteed -- the next in line by finish). The same scenario applies for Cheryl Gudinas and Kim Russell (reigning doubles champs).

The men’s open division lost two top eight seeds when No. 3 Dan Fowler (Rockville, Md.) and No. 4 Chris Wright (Ballwin, Mo.) were both eliminated. Still on the mend from a shoulder injury, Fowler was defeated in a close match by young up-and-comer Josh Tucker (Joplin, Mo.). The players split the first two games with identical scores of 15-12 before Tucker, 22, edged Fowler in a tiebreaker, 11-7.

The other upset in the men’s division belonged to Dan Llacera (Rehoboth, Del.) when he easily handled No.4 Wright in straight games of 15-12, 15-4. Llacera experienced a similar run at the USRA National Doubles Championships last October, when he and partner Brian Pointelin (Salt Lake City, Utah) entered as an unseeded pair and later made it to the finals to earn U.S. Team appointments. “You have to back up your play,” Llacera said. “I didn’t want it (his finish at National Doubles) to seem like a fluke.”

On the women’s side No. 5 Rhonda Rajsich (Phoenix, Ariz.) was upset by Elaine Albrecht (Delaware, Ohio) in one of the closest and most entertaining matches of the evening. Albrecht lost the first game 15-10 but came back to win the second 15-12. The tiebreaker was a nail-biter, but Albrecht squeaked by 11-9 with an amazing offensive shot choice for the match. “My goal was to come here and make the U.S. Team,” Albrecht said. “I need to step it up a notch tomorrow to make it further.”

This year, most of the players in today's round have nothing to lose, with the exception of Laura Fenton and Kersten Hallander, who each must win today to remain on the team. And while most of the remaining hopefuls have already served on a U.S. team squad, several are making debut bids for the elusive spots.

For the men, either Jason Thoerner or Josh Tucker are guaranteed a rookie slot, while Dan Llacera could log a second career peak with a singles advance and appointment today ... if he eliminates two-time former champ Bronfeld.

On the women's side, each prospect has served on a former squad, but it's been over ten years for Albrecht, and eight for Wachtel, since the Ohio neighbors have won a qualifying round. All of last year's semi-finalists (the top four seeds) have a chance to re-qualify in singles, while Kristen Walsh will be making a strong bid for a re-appointment, after losing her intercollegiate title in April.

"It does seem a lot like Vegas to me," Llacera explained. "Before I serve I even imagine seeing Brian in the box." Llacera likes to point out that Pointelin and friend Tommy Delledonne are the main people that keep him "pumped up" at big events such as the National Championships.

Llacera admits that he felt pressure to reaffirm his spot on the U.S. National Team, "You have to back up your play. I didn't want it to seem like a fluke." He continued, "I've beaten good players before (at Nationals), I just haven't strung a good tournament together."

The tournament won't get any easier for Llacera when he faces two-time former champion Michael Bronfeld in Friday's U.S. Team qualifying round. "I've always wanted to do well at this tournament," Llacera said. "When I lose here it hurts worse than when I lose at any other tournament."

"I love coming out here and seeing the competition. I like seeing the people from my area do well." Russ Bruns, Chesapeake, Virginia.

"I look forward to seeing everyone. The level of competition this year is excellent." Elaine Albrecht, Delaware, Ohio.

"I think it's a very exciting tournament having all of the top athletes around showing their talents." Eddie Burton, Cenikor Volunteer, Houston, Texas.

"I like the banquet and I enjoy all of the people here. It's harder to calm the nerves here because there are so many more people than there are at an LPRA (Ladies Professional Racquetball Association) event." Cheryl Gudinas, No. 1 ranked racquetball player, Chicago, Ill.

"Thanks to Malia Bailey, I still have a few more years left to play." Kelley Beane, Manchester, New Hampshire.

"I love coming back to Houston because of the humidity." Brian Pointelin, Salt Lake City, Utah.

"I usually play well at this tournament so I like coming back and surprising myself every year." Rhonda Rajsich, Phoenix, Arizona.

Gonzalez, 50, is the oldest member of the U.S. National Team and most recently teamed up with Mike Guidry to earn a gold medal for the U.S. at the Tournament of the Americas held in Bolivia in April. He will be honored as the USRA's Muehleisen Award winner (Age Group Athlete of the Year) on Saturday evening at the banquet.

Gonzalez was chosen as the Bud Muehleisen Award recipient after another spectacular year on the courts in 2001. Last fall he and Guidry won their second USRA National Doubles Championships title in three years, which placed him on the U.S. National Racquetball Team for the sixth straight year. Gonzalez also earned the men’s 45-and-over USRA National Singles Championship and the men’s 45+ International Racquetball Federation [IRF] World Singles title. In 2000, Gonzalez was inducted into the USRA Hall of Fame.

Although the youngster, Williams (20), was focused in yesterday's straight game win over veteran Gonzalez, it won't get any easier. He'll face two-time national champion Adam Karp (Stockton, Calif.) — who won back-to-back titles in 1998-99 — today at 2:00 pm.

All other top seeds advanced including defending champion Jack Huczek (Rochester Hills, Mich.) and No.2 Mike Guidry (Carrollton, Texas). Huczek made quick work of Mitch Posner (Livingston, N.J.) 15-1, 15-1 and faces Mike Orr (Monroeville, Pa.) in the round of 16. Guidry also had no trouble advancing past Sanjay LaForest (Queens Village, N.Y.) 15-5, 15-4 and will face Mike Dennison (Tallmadge, Ohio) in the next round.

Top seeds also advancing were No. 3 Dan Fowler (Rockville, Md.), No. 4 Chris Wright (Ballwin, Mo.), No. 5 Michael Bronfeld (Pacific Grove, Calif.), No. 6 Jason Thoerner (Atlanta, Ga.), and No. 7 Shane Vanderson (Dublin, Ohio).

“It’s a good time to say ‘hi’ to people and get a lot of the greetings out of the way before I have to concentrate on my own matches.” She explained, “I enjoy watching some of the early round matches. I usually don’t get in until Thursday morning so this is kinda nice.”

Kersten also said that she took the opportunity to meet new people that she usually doesn’t see at the U.S. OPEN or LPRA events.

So what does she think about the men’s draw? “I just got done watching this match (Brian Fredenberg vs. Tim Hansen). It was good. Brian won the first game but Tim really stepped it up in the second.”

She also seems to like the underdogs in the men’s division. “I think that there are some real sleepers out there like Chris Crowther, Mike Dennison, and Brian Fredenberg. I also look for Shane (Vanderson) to do well if he puts his mind to it.”

Kersten is looking to put her “mind to it” tomorrow as she prepares to play the winner of Krystal Csuk and Amy Foster match. Kersten needs to finish in the top four again this year to keep her spot on the U.S. National Team. It is something that she has been able to do in the past quite regularly.

The board's election committee contacted nominees and released the verified tallies on Tuesday, which identified the four successful candidates seeking election. By percentage of votes cast, Ed Willis (Va.) lead the list of board hopefuls by earning 45.5%, followed by Randy Stafford (Tenn.) with 44.2%, Stephanie Munger (Alaska) with 41.8% and Jim Garner (Ala.) with 37.5%. Each has now been named to a three-year appointment to the board.

In the first meeting of the "new" board last night, officer positions were lobbied and appointments made for two-year terms. The new line-up is

• President: Otto Dietrich 
• Vice-President: Jan Stelma 
• Secretary: Van Dubolsky 
• Treasurer: Annie Muniz

Board officers (plus one athlete representative, currently Chris Cole) make up the executive committee of the working group.

tuesday: 05/21
the night before ...

Jack Huczek (Rochester Hills, Mich.) returns to defend his men's Open title and has been awarded the top seed. Last year Huczek, 19, became the second youngest player to capture the men's title. Expected to challenge Huczek for the title is No. 2 Mike Guidry (Carrolton, Texas) and former champions No. 5 Michael Bronfeld (Pacific Grove, Calif.) and No. 8 Ruben Gonzalez. Only seven players have ever repeated as the men's Open champion.

On the women's side No. 1 Cheryl Gudinas (Chicago, Ill.) will try to capture her fourth straight title in women's Open. Only Michelle Gould (Boise, Idaho) has more titles to her name (8). Last year's runner-up Jackie Rice (El Cajon, Calif.) received the No. 2 seed and attempts to earn her first women's Open championship. Also challenging will be the current U.S. OPEN women's champion Kerri Wachtel (Cincinnati, Ohio), who received the No. 5 seed.

The tournament begins Wednesday at the Downtown Houston YMCA with the men's and women's Open finals scheduled for Sunday and all other finals on Monday. Special activities are scheduled throughout the week to commemorate the tournament's 20th anniversary in Houston including an Anniversary Gala Saturday night when the Hall of Fame induction of Andy Roberts (Memphis, Tenn.) will take place along with the naming of the USRA Athletes of the Year.

top seeds in open