USA Racquetball 2026 National Indoor Championships: In the Record Books!
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by Cheryl Kirk
February 11-15, 2026, saw the Racquetball Family gather at the USA Racquetball National Indoor Championships where 212 athletes (a 17% increase over the 2025 event) competed at the Arizona State University Sun Devil Fitness Complex in Tempe, Arizona, for the coveted title of National Champion in numerous Singles, Doubles, and Mixed Doubles divisions.
Read on for this recap of the event, and click HERE for a full look at the divisions and results.
Starting with Stats...
Total Players: 212
Male/Female: 170/42
Divisions: 58 (combination of single elimination, round robin, and pool play)
States Represented: 31
Top 6: Arizona 62, California 36, Texas 19, Minnesota 14, Colorado 11, Hawaii 9
U.S. Team Qualifying
Men’s and Women’s Singles Finalists and Semifinalists (1st-4th place) and Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed Doubles Finalists (1st and 2nd place teams) secured positions on the 2026-2027 U.S. National Adult Team, effective June 1, 2026.
Rally scoring, adopted by the International Racquetball Federation in 2022, was used: Best 3 games of 5 to 11 points, win by 2. Here are the results of the finals:
Mixed Team Qualifying Doubles – Adam Manilla/Erika Manilla def. Jake Bredenbeck/Michelle Andersen, 5-11, 11-4, 11-7, 11-13, 11-6
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Men’s Team Qualifying Doubles – Daniel De La Rosa/DJ Mendoza def. Jake Bredenbeck/Sam Bredenbeck, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 13-15, 11-7
USA Racquetball
Women’s Team Qualifying Doubles – Michelle Andersen/Erika Manilla def. Sheryl Lotts/Lexi York, 11-6, 7-11, 11-1, 11-7
USA Racquetball
Men’s Team Qualifying Singles – Jake Bredenbeck def. Daniel De La Rosa, 13-11, 11-8, 11-3
USA Racquetball
Women’s Team Qualifying Singles – Michelle Andersen def. Erika Manilla, 13-11, 5-11, 11-6, 12-10
USA Racquetball
Congratulations to the 2026-2027 U.S. Team!
Effective June 1, 2026
Men’s Team:
Jake Bredenbeck, Sam Bredenbeck, Daniel De La Rosa, Adam Manilla, DJ Mendoza
Women’s Team:
Michelle Andersen, Sheryl Lotts, Erika Manilla, Annie Sanchez, Lexi York
HIGHLIGHTS
A Silent Auction added a fun off-the-court competition opportunity to pick up some great donated racquetball items and services, all for the benefit of the U.S. Adult and Junior Teams. Thanks to everyone who participated!
Ladies’ Night Out – Graduate Hotel Rooftop Bar
Thanks go to Terry Rogers for her expert assistance (along with her expert assistant Nidia Funes) in planning the well-attended Ladies’ Night Out on Friday evening in the Rooftop Bar at the Graduate Hotel.
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Hall of Fame Induction/Annual Awards
At the Saturday, February 14th, Hall of Fame/Annual Awards breakfast celebration at the Graduate Hotel, USA Racquetball Board President Kristin Wattz recognized these deserving Annual Award winners for their outstanding competitive results and/or remarkable contributions to Racquetball:
Female Athlete of the Year – Naomi Ros
Male Athlete of the Year – Jake Bredenbeck
Peggy Steding Female Age Group Athlete of the Year – Susie Boulanger
Bud Muehleisen Male Age Group Athlete of the Year – Tyrone Gilmore
Presidential Award – Terry Rogers
Hall of Fame
Attendees numbering 70 at the Saturday morning breakfast witnessed the induction of the 79th and 80th members into the USA Racquetball Hall of Fame. Congratulations to:
Rhonda Rajsich (Professional Athlete, Class of 2026)
Scott Winters (Contributor, Class of 2026)
Introductions for Rajsich and Winters were delivered by Coach Jim Winterton (Hall of Fame Class of 2000) and John Foust (former U.S. Team member and renowned photographer), respectively.
Heartfelt gratitude goes to Hall of Fame/Awards Committee Chair Todd Boss, along with each of the committee members and voting group, for their diligent work in providing recognition year after year for deserving athletes and contributors.
Warm thanks go to Aerial9 Media for their professional expertise in creating the Hall of Fame inductee videos.
USA Racquetball
A WHOLE LOTTA GRATITUDE
USA Racquetball is grateful to the sponsors, staff, and volunteers (aka the Racquetball Family). Each and every one contributed in their own unique and special way!
Indoor Nationals Sponsors: Gearbox, KWM Gutterman, Frank Hotels, Tempe Tourism, AGE Solutions, and APS (Athlete Performance Solutions – Nike).
USA Racquetball Staff: Jonathan Greenberg, Joshua Jones, Cheryl Kirk, Sandy Rios, Aimee Roehler, Cindy Tilbury, and Kristin Wattz
Event Staff: Shari Coplen, Pablo Fajre, Tom Fuhrmann, Lynn Fonseca, Nidia Funes, Karen Grisz, Jen Meyer, Carrie Reitmeier, Terry Rogers, Steve Wattz
USA Racquetball
Referees are unsung heroes! They were instrumental in keeping the tournament on time and providing a fair experience. Some stepped up many times to help as well as to earn some significant cash to help defray the cost of their trip or to make a donation to the U.S. Teams. Appreciation goes to the many line judges as well!
Streaming: Pablo Fajre and Angela Grisar streamed U.S. Team Qualifying matches for five days straight. Commentators adding texture to the on-court action included Fran Davis, Richard Eisemann, Cody Elkins, Karen Grisz, DJ Mendoza, Sudsy Monchik, Carrie Reitmeier, Sandy Rios, and Cliff Swain.
What a wonderful surprise to receive enough bottled water, sports drinks, and soda to hydrate our players throughout the entire tournament! Much gratitude goes to Freddie Villalon, John Ortiz, and Sean Davis from the great State of Arizona.
Thanks to the excellent staff at the ASU Sun Devil Recreation Center for their immediate assistance whenever a need arose. They were pleasant and fun and efficient, and they embodied the spirit of “Yes! Now, what’s the question?”
Lifetime Members and Hall of Famers in attendance – you are deeply appreciated for what you mean to our sport.
USA Racquetball
Players and Spectators – We appreciate every one of you who competed, supported, or were just there with us at this very special event!
Social Media: Aimee Roehler (ABR Communications, LLC) expertly and creatively managed the event’s social media presence for USA Racquetball before, during, and after the tournament. Players Lynn Fonseca and Shari Coplen and ASU student Simon Riley added their special take on tournament life via IG Stories and Reels.
Photography and videography coming out of this event is spectacular and so very valuable when used in many ways to showcase this great sport of Racquetball. Warm thanks to Katterlea MacGregor of Katterlea Ane Photography for her creativity in producing images that contain forever memories.
