The members of the Lindbergh High School racquetball team who attended nationals pose with their trophies and medals. Photo courtesy of Joshua Jones, one of Lindbergh racquetball's coaches.
Twenty-eight players representing the Lindbergh High School racquetball team beat program records at this year’s National High School Racquetball Championships, winning second place in the nation across the board.
The National Championship tournament was held Feb. 26 through March 2 in Portland.
“The last four years, we’ve gotten better and better,” Rebecca Gordon-Jones, Lindbergh Racquetball Club Sponsor and coach, said. “This was the first time where all three teams earned second place. In the past, we’ve earned third place for boys or third place for girls. We always seem to be placing in the top five, but this was the first time that we reached quite this high.”
“It’s a really good feeling … seeing how much, especially our players who just started or who are only in their second year, seeing how much they’ve improved,” Lindbergh High School senior and racquetball captain Mackenzie Moon added.
Not only did the boys team, the girls team and the Lindbergh team as a whole each win second overall in the nation out of 15 teams, but for the first time since the national championship event began in 1988, a player from St. Louis won the individual championship. Lindbergh’s Eli McCulley finally brought the title to St. Louis, winning Boys Gold #1, making him the overall individual national champion and the best boys high school racquetball player in the country.
“I came all this way and I wanted to play and prove what I could do,” McCulley said. “Winning first was very big for me, but I’m also just very relieved that I was able to do that because I did a lot of training and (spent) a lot of time.”
Though 12 seniors, including top players like Moon and McCulley, closed out their final season with the Flyers, Gordon-Jones has plans to keep the program strong.
“We’ll be losing some amazing seniors and leaders. I hope that we can rise to the occasion in that way,” she said. “I am hopeful that our middle school program can be better developed so that our players come in feeling like they’re already part of the community and that they already feel very comfortable with the rules and playing, because that’s kind of newer and still being developed. Our elementary school program as well; we just began that, and it has a lot of growing potential.”
As far as what they will miss the most about racquetball at Lindbergh, both Moon and McCulley agreed that the hardest part will be leaving the tight-knit group.
“The racquetball community is really, really good. Even on other teams, you know, nobody dislikes each other. Everyone likes each other. It’s like one big family, pretty much. So that’s gonna suck, missing all that,” McCulley said.
“It’s a very intimate sport. There aren’t that many people and you’re all playing inside in these boxes. You’re not running down the field by yourself. It’s hard not to make connections and build community,” Gordon-Jones added.
Awards and medals earned
Ryan George was awarded a $1,000 scholarship by USA Racquetball
All American Honors:
Eli McCulley
Ethan Willingham
Stella Ortwerth
Mackenzie Moon
Medals:
Eli McCulley won FIRST PLACE in Boys #1 Gold
Ethan Willingham won FIRST PLACE in Boys #2 Blue
Nick Niederwimmer won THIRD PLACE in Boys #3 Gold
David Smith won THIRD PLACE in Boys #4 Gold
Ryan George won THIRD PLACE in Boys #5 Gold
Eli Britton won SECOND PLACE in Boys #6 Red
James Dollenmeyer won THIRD PLACE in Boys #6 White
Eli McCulley and Ethan Willingham won SECOND PLACE in Boys Doubles #2
Nick Niederwimmer and David Smith won FOURTH PLACE in Boys Doubles #2
Tino Lopez and Eli Meyer won FOURTH PLACE in Boys Doubles #3 Consolation
Stella Ortwerth won FOURTH PLACE in Girls #1 Gold
Mackenzie Moon won SECOND PLACE in Girls #2 Gold
Charlotte James won SECOND PLACE in Girls #3 Gold
Maddie Pacanowski won SECOND PLACE in Girls #4 Gold
Rosemarie Brothers won FIRST PLACE in Girls #5 Gold
Grace Neiger won SECOND PLACE in Girls #6 Gold
Sumayya Khaja won FIRST PLACE in Girls #6 Red
Emily Ellison won SECOND PLACE in Girls #6 Red
Teresa Dollenmeyer won THIRD PLACE in Girls #6 Red
Caroline Meyer won SECOND PLACE in Girls #6 White
Stella Ortwerth and Mackenzie Moon won SECOND PLACE in Girls Doubles #1
Maddie Pacanowski and Charlotte James won SECOND PLACE in Girls Doubles #2
Grace Neiger and Rosemarie Brothers won FIRST PLACE in Girls Doubles #3
Emily Ellison and Sumayya Khaja won THIRD PLACE in Girls Doubles #3 Consolation
Eli McCulley and Stella Ortwerth won FIRST PLACE in Mixed Doubles #1
Ethan Willingham and Mackenzie Moon won SECOND PLACE in Mixed Doubles #2
Nick Niederwimmer and Charlotte James won SECOND PLACE in Mixed Doubles #3
Eli Britton and Grace Neiger won THIRD PLACE in Mixed Doubles #3 Consolation