A couple of teams representing Vancouver Tennis Center have earned a shot a national titles with recent victories in United States Tennis Association Pacific Northwest Section tournaments.
A 10.0-level mixed doubles team captained by VTC instructor Sanja Indic won the sectional title on Sunday in Sunriver, Ore., giving the team of high-level players a chance to defend its national title.
It defeated teams from Club Green Meadows in Vancouver, and from Bellevue to win the section title.
One week earlier, a women’s 4.5-level doubles team won the chance to play in the USTA nationals by edging Sunset Athletic Club of Portland in the sectional finals.
The women’s team is a mix of players from Vancouver and Portland, six of whom played for a Vancouver Tennis Center team that won a league team tennis national title in 2006.
They clinched this sectional title and a trip to Tucson, Ariz., in October for the nationals by winning 3-2 over Sunset Athletic Club. Satomi Tsumura and Michelle Donato clinched the title by winning their match after falling behind 5-0 in the first set.
Team captain Christine Barksdale noted that her VTC squad beat the Sunset team three times this season, just as it did when it won a national title in 2006.
“It was a tough, tough tournament,” Barksdale said.
Barksdale, Maureen Harwood, Wakana Turner, Satomi Tsumura, Chiho Cronk, and Jennifer Bard were members of the 2006 national champions. Also on the 2010 sectional championship squad are Kathryn Smith, Becca Johnson, Lynne Annett, Joy Leising, Megumi Oba and Michelle Donato.
The 12-player roster was built from friendships in area tennis circles. One of seven teams in the women’s 4.5-level division in the metro area this season, the squad improved to 12-0 on its way to the sectional title.
Barksdale said depth was a key factor in the team’s success.
“We knew everybody was solid, and that allowed us to relax and play our game,” Barksdale said.
Local swimmers place at two big meets
Julia Sanders of the Columbia River Swim Team placed 20th in the 50-meter freestyle at the U.S. Swimming Junior Nationals. The long-course championship meet for swimmers 18 and younger was held Aug. 9-13 in Irvine, Calif.
Sanders, 15, also swam the 100 free (59.66) and the 100 butterfly (1:04.47). She did not advance beyond the preliminary heat in those events.
Three other Columbia River Swim Team swimmers participated in the Western Zone Championships, an age-group championship meet held Aug. 10-14 in San Jose, Calif., for swimmers from 11 Western states.
Cassidy Brennan, 11, placed sixth in the girls 200-meter individual medley (2:34.25), Livi Cox, 12, placed fifth in the 50 backstroke (33.82) and Darya Samiee, 13, finished 19th in the 100 breaststroke (1:22.62).
Local golfer second at kids international
Brian Humphreys of Washougal placed second in the boys age-12 division at the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship tournament during the first week of August in Pinehurst, N.C.
He also helped the United States team win a World Cup championship over an international team of 12-year-olds.
Humphreys shot 71-69-68 208 to finish four strokes behind Brad Dalke from McKinney. Texas in the stroke-play portion of the tournament. He then teamed with Dalke in the team match-play World Cup, defeating Terrence Zhang and Luis Gagne of Costa Rica 1 up.
Also this summer, Humphreys won his age division of the Central Oregon Junior in July by 21 strokes. During a Oregon Golf Association junior match-play tournament in July, Humphreys made a hole-in-one on the 10th hole at Pumpkin Ridge in North Plains, Ore.
Two area golfers place third at Oregon event
Gaston De La Torre of Brush Prairie shot 2-over-par 218 to finish third in the open division at the Oregon Men’s Stroke Play golf tournament at Emerald Valley Golf Course in Creswell, Ore.De La Torre plays golf for New Mexico State.
Paul Peterson of Corvallis won the 54-hole tournament with a 3-under 213.
Gregg Guernsey of Vancouver placed third in the tournament’s senior division with a score of 5-over 218.
Catcher shines at Area Code baseball games
Clint Coulter of Vancouver went 4 for 5 with a double in three games during the 2010 Area Code Baseball Games, which were played Aug. 5-10 in Long Beach, Calif. The games involve current high school players from around the nation who are invited to participate and divided into eight teams.
Coulter, a catcher, played on a team with players from six states in the Northwest. He is entering his junior year at Union High School.
Hoops on the River 3-on-3 is this weekend
The Hoops on the River 3-on-3 basketball tournament will be played Saturday and Sunday at Vancouver Landing, 110 Columbia St., near the Red Lion Inn at the Quay.
Registration forms for the event will be accepted until noon today by fax to 360-735-9982. For more information, visit www.sharevancouver.org, or call 360-750-4436, extension 309.
The event is a fundraiser for Share, which serves homeless and hungry people in Southwest Washington.
Pop Warner jamboree set
The Southwest Washington Pop Warner Jamboree will take place on Sunday at Kelso High School’s Schroeder Field in Kelso. Games are scheduled between 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. The jamboree will give each team a chance to play a 20-minute scrimmage in preparation for the first regular-season game the next weekend.
There will be 41 football teams and 25 cheerleading squads participating. These teams consist of athletes ages 5-15 and include participants from Clark and Cowlitz counties, and the Portland Pop Warner League.
Cost of admission is free with a suggested donation of $1 to support the annual Pop Warner Scholastic Banquet held at the end of the season.
