First Row: Dave Reddie, John Radcliffe, Mike Kroelinger, Leo Lapane (Captain), Jerry Rex and Tom Snider; Back Row: James Pyles, Austin Mason, Dale Erbright, Dave Elmore and Jeff Tanham
Pictured (left to right) John Reed, Ken Stanley, Tom Tschetter, Phil Kirschenbaum, Norbert Guimond, Hal Davis, Lloyd Yanke, Tom Ritter, Evan Hansen, Tom Lorgan
The IronOaks Tennis Club (IOTC) had four teams represent the Southwest Section in the 65 and over 2015 USTA League National Invitation Championships recently held in Surprise, AZ. Teams representing the 17 USTA Sections across the United States, including Puerto Rico and Hawaii, competed in the annual National Championships. To have one tennis club send four teams to Nationals is unprecedented in USTA League tennis. IOTC is truly one of the premier tennis clubs in the United States, something that all of Sun Lakes can be proud of.
The IOTC’s 8.0 men’s team captured second in their division for the highest finish an IOTC 8.0 team has ever achieved at Nationals. The men advanced through their bracket by defeating teams from the So-Cal, Middle States and Eastern Sections. In the semi-finals they defeated a team from Nor-Cal 2-1 by winning a closely contested third set tiebreaker in the deciding match. In the finals IOTC was edged out by a team from the Southern Section with the championship being decided by heart wrenching 3rd set tiebreaker loss.
Members of the IOTC 8.0 men’s team were Captain Leo Lapane, John Radcliffe, Austin Mason, Dave Reddie, Jerry Rex, G F Tanham, James Pyles, Mike Kroelinger, Tom Snider, Dale Ehrbright and David Elmore.
The 6.0 men from IOTC were competing in their first USTA League Nationals and came home capturing second place in their division. This is quite an accomplishment for a team’s first time out. In the round robin bracket, IOTC lost a close match to an experienced team from the So-Cal Section before defeating teams from the Texas, Northern, and Southern Sections to advance to the National semi-finals. In the semi-finals they defeated a team from Nor-Cal in a closely contested match 2-1. The National Championship came down to a third set tie breaker in the deciding match with So-Cal edging out the IOTC team.
The IOTC 6.0 men’s team members were Captain Ken Stanley, Co-captain Norbert Guimond, Hal Davis, Tom Tschetter, John Reed, Phil Kirschenbaum, Lloyd Yanke, Evan Hansen, Tom Lorgan and Tom Ritter.
The IOTC 7.0 women and 7.0 men’s teams failed to advance from their respective brackets. The women competed against teams from the So-Cal, Midwest and Texas Sections. The IOTC men competed against teams from the Hawaii, Nor-Cal and Intermountain Sections.
Representing IOTC on the 7.0 women’s team were Drena Radcliffe, Olena Burton, Judy Gahide, Neila Whitbeck, Linda Carr, Linda Shanahan, Sandra Mason, Lynn Cox, Vicki Eslick, Jeri Schultz, Joan Anderson, Carmella Davin, Kay Wengert, Sue Davidson with John Radcliffe, Captain.
IOTC’s 7.0 mens team was Ken Stanley, captain, Randy McManus, Jerry Rex, Hal Davis, Jim Utter, Phil Messer, Bill Cunningham, Maurice Allen, Zev Yardeni and Gary Porter.
Congratulations to all the players from IOTC that competed in the National Championships. You represented IronOaks and Sun Lakes proudly.