REC ROOM

Outstanding recreational teams and amateur athletes

Special to The Plain DealerMembers of Medina Gymnastics Academy's Level 5 team (front row, left to right): Alexandra Ciccotelli, Lauren Romano, Hannah Daulbaugh, Alexis, Jenna Mattox and Jessica Froncek; (back row) Elle Leonardi, Lisa Wangler, Amy Bruce and Andreana Hardy.

The Medina Gymnastics Academy had several notable performances at the Fly Right Invite in Cuyahoga Falls on Nov. 22-23.

In the Level 4, 6-year-old division, Alexis Gordon led the way with first place finishes in beam, floor and the all around (34.805). Avery Kasian won the vault (9.2), was third on floor and seventh on bars, beam and all around. Ashley Donahue was third on vault, fourth on beam, sixth on bars and fifth on floor and the all around.

The Cuyahoga Falls Riverfront YMCA Tigersharks swim team started the season with three consecutive wins.

The Tigersharks beat the Green YMCA Barracudas, 11-0, on Oct. 25 and topped the Ashland Aqua Aces YMCA, 9-2, on Nov. 8. In YMCA dual meets, individual events are scored according to order of finish. Teams are awarded one point for having the high score in each age and gender group, and one point for having the highest total event score.

The Tigersharks also took the top prize at the Copley YMCA Laps with Lizards Invitational on Nov. 1, besting 10 other YMCA teams.

Special to The PDMembers of the Rocky River U-10 girls soccer team are (bottom row, left to right) Viktoria Paulic, Jillian Kinsley and Julia Ryan; (middle row) Emily Naeem, Madeline Liberatore, Bella Rizzi, Laura DeVito, Laura Banks, Anna Vergon and Lilly Ryan; (back row) coach Dave Liberatore and coach Rick Manaloff.

The Rocky River U-10 girls soccer team won the Madison Invitational Tournament this month.

The players are Viktoria Paulic, Jillian Kinsley, Julia Ryan, Emily Naeem, Madeline Liberatore, Bella Rizzi, Laura DeVito, Laura Banks, Anna Vergon and Lilly Ryan. Coaches are Dave Liberatore and Rick Manaloff.

Teams from the Medina Gymnastics Academy opened the season by placing second and fourth at the Flip for the Cure meet in Perry last Saturday.

The Level 5 team finished second and the Level 4 team placed fourth.

Courtesy of the USTAMembers of a women's tennis team from Rocky River, from left, Patty Krivosh, Mary Beth Gifford, Kaatje Van Breda Kolff, captain Kay Hinderliter, Bridget Kilbane, Sarah Cohan, Susan Ohlemacher, Linda Stekelenberg and Joan Hoty placed second at the USTA 3.0 Senior National Championships in Las Vegas on Sunday.

A women's tennis team from Rocky River placed second at the USTA 3.0 Senior National Championships in Las Vegas on Sunday. The team was representing USTA's Midwest section.

Special to The Plain DealerCuyahoga Falls Riverfront YMCA Tigersharks swimmers, from left, Jordan Knappins, Macy Trattner, Erin Fenwick and Lauren Heller, swam the sixth-fastest 200-yard freestyle relay time nationally in the 9- to 10-year-old division during the 2007-08 season.

Special to The Plain DealerCuyahoga Falls Riverfront YMCA Tigersharks swimmers, from left, Andrew Appleby, Parker Gabriel, Ryan Hillyer and Cody Vantrease, led by coach Dale Craddock, swam the fifth-best 200-yard freestyle relay time nationally in the 11- to 12-year-old division during the 2007-08 season.

Two relay teams and one individual swimmer from the Cuyahoga Falls Riverfront YMCA Tigersharks achieved national top 16 times during the 2007-08 season.

The 11- to 12-year-old boys 200-yard freestyle relay team of Andrew Appleby, Parker Gabriel, Ryan Hillyer and Cody Vantrease posted the fifth-best time at 1:45.62.

The 9- to 10-year-old girls 200 freestyle relay team of Erin Fenwick, Lauren Heller, Jordan Knappins and Macy Trattner recorded the sixth-best time at 2:01.87. The girls also had the 16th time in the 200 medley relay at 2:21.05.

Special to The PD

In his first competitive event, Stuckart, a sophomore at North Olmsted, lifted 83 kilograms in the 69 kilo class.

Stuckart was named as the meet's best lifter.

Local figure skaters Troy Tomasello, Chelsea Christopher and Ashley Strojny won regional championships last week, advancing to the sectional competition next month in Sugar Land, Texas.
These tournaments are qualifiers for the National Figure Skating Championship, which will be held in Cleveland in January. Last week's event was the Eastern Great Lakes Regional Championships, held in Midland, Mich.

All three skaters skate at IceLand in Strongsville.

Courtney Dumas, a sophomore at Hathaway Brown, placed second at the Division III Women's Epee in Columbus last weekend.
The event was a North American Cup A circuit event and earned Dumas a C rating, allowing her to compete in Division I events in St. Louis.

Wendy Lewis of Willoughby Hills was named Best Adult Amateur Rider at the 2008 Capital Challenge, held Sept. 30-Oct. 5 in Upper Marlboro, Md.

Lewis also rode her horse, Forget Paris, to the championship in the Adult Amateur Hunter Division for riders 51 years and over, and earned the Grand Champion Adult Amateur Hunter title by accumulating the highest point total of the three age divisions.

Three local tennis teams won USTA Midwest Super Senior sectional championships last week to advance to the national championships.

The 6.0 men's team from North Ridgeville represents the North Ridge Racquet Club. Players are Frank Andorka, Edward Stevens, Gerald Buck, Thomas Hertrick, Carl Berger, William Kellner, Joe Cellucci, John Ziska, James Krysiak and Len Kosatka.

The 7.0 men's team from Rocky River represents River Oaks Racquet & Fitness Center. Players are Richard Lancaster, Lars Eriksson, John Shami, Frank Mucklo, Terry Medlar, John Clark, John William Witt, Paul Gallo, Jerry Leak, Joseph Pare, Robert Barker, Mack Thomas, Ronald Longoria, David Bennhoff, Arthur Stehlik and Michael Crider.

The 8.0 women's team from Bedford Heights represents Racquet Club East. Players are Katie Orr, Sigrid Anna Anderson, Susan Wise, Nancy Sneed, Bonnie Franks, Sandy Ketchem, Mary Ann Hazle, Linda Weber, Nancy Gilbert, Nancy Seelbach, Lynda Burke, Jane Zalenski and Kathy Hidell.

The teams, which represent various clubs, parks and organizations, won their local leagues before advancing to the sectional championships. The sectional tournament was held Oct. 3-5 in Indianapolis.

The Super Senior National Championships will be played in Surprise, Ariz., April 24-26 for the 7.0 level and April 27-29 for the 6.0 and 8.0 levels.

Four local women placed third at the Women's National Sailing Championship in Oklahoma City.

The team, led by skipper Sue McDowell, along with Coralee Skoch, Suzie Wulff and Beverly Keeler, won their qualifier to advance to nationals.

They were among 11 teams competing at nationals and returned home with the bronze medal.

Special to The Plain DealerFourteen-year-olds Rachel Leizman, second from left, and Amy Smedira, fourth from left, competed for the United States' U-15 junior squash team in the Can-Am Games last month.

Fourteen-year-olds Rachel Leizman and Amy Smedira competed for the United States' U-15 junior squash team in the Can-Am Games last month at the White Oaks Resort in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

Smedira, a student at Gilmour and the reigning national champion in the U-15 age group, won her match at the first seed position, 3-1. Leizman, a Hathaway Brown student, won her match at the third spot, 3-0. The two other U-15 players also won against the Canadians, but the U.S. struggled in the U-13 and U-17 divisions. Canada won the overall title with two more games won than the United States.

Smedira and Leizman train at the Cleveland Racquet Club in Pepper Pike under coach Nathan Dugan.

The Lake Erie Lizards swept the Flatlanders to claim the Cleveland Roy Hobbs Baseball League East Division championship Sunday at the Pipeyard Ballpark.

The Lizards won the first game, 6-2, and coasted to the title with an 11-2 victory in game two of the best-of-three series.

The West Division championship between Steve's Sports and the Loco Leprechaun White Sox will be played Sunday at Case Western Reserve University. Games are at noon and 3 p.m. If a third game is needed, it will be played Monday night at the Pipeyard.

The Cleveland Roy Hobbs Baseball League features players ages 25 and above.

Special to The PDPainesville resident Jon Bixler, 70, stands in the winner's spot on the podium after receiving the gold medal in the 5,000 meters last month at the USATF masters national championships.

Painesville resident Jon Bixler, 70, won one gold and two silver medals at the USATF masters national championships Aug. 7-10 in Spokane, Wash.

Competing in the 70-year-old division, he won gold in the 5,000 meters on Aug. 7, running 21:19.88 and edging Bill Iffrig of Washington by .2 seconds.

"I lost track of the lap number and actually kicked one lap earlier than I intended," he said in an e-mail. "I did this with the knowledge my competitors were on my heels. I struggled to maintain some form of a kick for another lap and barely held on to win. Fortunately, I had the next day off."

Bixler next raced in the 800 meters on Aug. 9, finishing second to Mack Stewart of Texas, last year's U.S. national indoor and outdoor champ. Bixler's time was 2:52.22.

Bixler won another silver medal on Aug. 10 in the 1,500 meters (5:51.64). He led at the halfway point but was passed by Joe Cordero of New York, whose winning margin was less than two seconds.

Bixler is a member of the Over the Hill Track Club.