Fourteen teams from the Northern California Section of the United States Tennis Association have advanced to the national championship round of the largest adult recreational tennis league in the world by winning the just completed Section Championship of the USTA League presented by Chrysler. The championships were held August 22-24, 2008 at three sites in Monterey County: Chamisal Racquet Club (Salinas), Carmel Valley Ranch Resort and Meadowbrook Swim & Tennis Club (Seaside).
On Sunday, August 24th a women's team from Gold River Racquet Club of Gold River, California was crowned Section champion at the 4.0 level and will now travel to Tucson, Arizona to represent Northern California at the USTA League presented by Chrysler Championships, September 26-28, 2008, at the Randolph Park. The team is captained by Dana Newell and co-captained by Julie Carter. Team members include Kimberly Becker, Karin Bickel, Rebecca Britton, Kimberly Buffington, Carolyn Cole, Melissa Cole, Cynthia Dean, Laura Faber, Denise Hinchman, Stephanie Johnson, Nancy Katzberg, Kiran Lanfranchi, Kris Law, Doreen McCabe, Jayna Osborne, Lisa Rothfels, Oriel Strickland and Melissa Turton. The Gold River Racquet Club team compiled a 3-0 in round robin play on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Another women's team from Gold River Racquet Club of Gold River, California was crowned Section champion at the 5.0 level and will now travel to Indian Wells, California to represent Northern California at the USTA League presented by Chrysler Championships, September 26-28, 2008, at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The team is captained by Lanie Steers and co-captained by Mary Hill. Team members include Kristie Bilecky, Maria Brooks, Barbi Brown, Mary Bulich, Melissa Cole, Martha Downing, Laura Forlini, Jennifer Isaac, Virginia Joel, Mary Johnson, Isabella Kling, Seghi Mccarlie, Kelly Pace, Jill Tooker and Jennifer Young. The team is nicknamed the Tennis Maniacs. The Gold River Racquet Club team compiled a 3-0 in round robin play.
On the men's side, a team from Natomas Racquet Club of Sacramento, California was crowned Section champion at the 4.5 level and will now travel to Tucson, Arizona to represent Northern California at the USTA League presented by Chrysler Championships, October 17-19, 2008, at the Randolph Park. The team is captained by Jeff Gillen and co-captained by Brian Ishimoto. Team members include Alex Agurto, Brett Day, Matt Donaldson, John Dye, Steven Fabela, Steve Hattendorf, Maurice Herbelin, Rosauro Lacap, David Lin, Jess Olivares, Jesse Pangilinan, Michael Rizarri, Will Ross, Rick Schmitgen, Loren Sullivan, Jimmy Sutami and Eric White. The Natomas Racquet Club team compiled a 3-0 in round robin play.
Lastly, a men's team from Broadstone Racquet Club of Folsom, California was crowned Section champion at the 5.0 level and will now travel to Indian Wells, California to represent Northern California at the USTA League presented by Chrysler Championships, September 26-28, 2008, at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The team is captained by Todd Stanley and co-captained by Patrick Rutz. Team members include Jordan Boyls, Chris Evers, Chris Gerety, Joseph Gilbert, Ryan Juinio, Matt Mancasola and Novak Nash. The Broadstone Racquet Club team compiled a 2-1 in round robin play.
Stories and photos from the three-day section championships can be found at www.norcal.usta.com.
"We had an amazing three days of competition," states Anna Elefant, Manager of Adult Leagues and Campus Tennis for USTA Northern California. "Over 50 teams were competing for a chance to realize their dreams and advance to a national championship."
2005 marked the 25th anniversary of the USTA League program. Established in 1980, it has grown from 13,000 participants in a few parts of the country in its first year, to over 700,000 players across the nation today, making it the world’s largest recreational tennis program. USTA Northern California had over 50,000 participants in our League program in 2007.
The USTA League was established to provide adult recreational tennis players throughout the country with the opportunity to compete against players of similar ability levels. Players participate on teams in a league format, which is administered by the USTA through its 17 Sections. The league groups players by using six National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) levels, ranging from 2.5 (beginner) to 5.0 (advanced). USTA League is open to any USTA member 19 years of age or older. It features Adult and Mixed Doubles leagues, as well as a Senior league (age 50 and over) and a Super Senior league (age 60 and older).
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