SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — The tournament wrapped up Saturday morning, concluding an epic week of handball and great hospitality from Don Quinlan and his group of volunteers. 

Bryan Trejo completed the slam in the 19 and under, teaming with his collegiate teammate at Minnesota State, Nick Kerins, to defeat Ayden Brule and Eliseo Gutierrez in the doubles final. Trejo played phenomenal all weekend, and is a future star in the sport.

Moses Gardea won the 19 and under big ball division by defeating Ayden Brule in two straight games. Gardea has tremendous skills with the big ball, and Brule could not figure him out in the final.

The 15 and under big ball title went to Isaac Holguin, who defeated Jahaziel Montes Hernandez in convincing fashion to win the title. Holguin also won the 15 and under doubles division with Leo Day to end the tournament on a high note.

Anthony Mendez went 3 for 3 over the weekend in the 13 and under, winning the small ball, big ball, and small ball doubles in the division. He made a name for himself this week, and will be a player to watch going forward. 

A big thank you again to Don Quinlan and his group of volunteers for hosting a tremendous tournament and to all the players and coaches who supported it. 

We look forward to a great tournament again next year. Check out all of the results HERE. 

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SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — At the banquet Saturday night, players enjoyed Italian food, a ceremony that honored many of the players, and raffle drawings that gave away free handball prizes throughout the night. 

It began with National Juniors Chair and tournament host Don Quinlan welcoming the players and coaches and giving a speech on how long he’d been involved with the junior tournament, which has been decades. Quinlan has seen many players come and go and stressed the importance of junior handball and growing the sport.

Three awards were presented, and all the winners were well-deserving:

The Tom Lynch Newcomer Award: Anthony Mendez

The Kate Conlon/Kurt Johansson Most Improved Award: Moses Gardea

The Vince Gabriele Jr. Sportsmanship Award: The Alberta Junior Handball Team

Lastly, the players competing in their last four-wall junior nationals and had played at least four times in their junior handball careers were given their USHA Junior Alumni Bag, a long-time tradition for those graduating the junior ranks. 

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SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Several players became champions on day 3 of the 2023 Junior Four-Wall Nationals.

Among them was first-time champion Anthony Mendez from Kansas City, who dominated the 13 and under bracket. Mendez beat Zait Bustillos in the final, who is a very talented player himself. 

In the 15 and under division, Canada’s Leo Day outlasted his fellow Canadian friend Ryan Eisenbart in two straight games to win his first national title. 

The 19 and under division was claimed by Bryan Trejo when he defeated Moses Gardea in two straight games. Trejo relied on his speed to track down all of Gardea’s shots, and punished his setups when he earned one. 

The 17 and under girls division was won by Ireland’s Freya Donnellan. She defeated Canada’s Layla Kramer in two straight games to win her first national title. 

The 19 and under girls division belonged to Izzy Klicker, who was too strong for Audrey Peters in the final. Klicker used her power to her advantage and executed a high-percentage of her kill shots. 

The banquet will take place tonight, and some juniors will be honored for sportsmanship, most improved player, and newcomer of the year. 

Follow along with the Draws HERE. 

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SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Day two of the 2023 Junior Four-Wall Nationals had lots of good action and saw our first champion crowned.

Eliseo Gutierrez defeated Ireland’s Caleb Donnellan in the 17 and under final with a dominating performance. Gutierrez controlled play in the first game and withstood a late charge from Donnellan to win. Gutierrez didn’t let up in the second game, and added another national title to his collection. He is just 15 years old.

The most exciting matchup of the day was Moses Gardea and Ayden Brule in the 19 and under semifinal. Brule is a several-time national champion, and was the top seed in the 19 and under, despite only being 17.

Gardea surprised Brule in the first game, hitting several fly kills and taking advantage of some bad Brule serves. Brule evened the count in game two, pushing Gardea around the court with crisp pass and kill shots. Gardea regained his form in the tiebreaker, and although Brule made him work for each point, he converted his setups to win the match and advance to the finals.

In the 19 and under semifinal, Bryan Trejo easily cruised past Canada’s Raul Asokhan to claim his spot in the finals, where he will face off with Gardea tomorrow morning. Audrey Peters and Izzy Klicker have been dominant in the Women’s 19 and under division, and will face off in the finals of that division tomorrow morning.

The highlight of the day was short court challenge, which brought many juniors together to play their favorite game and win prizes.

Follow along with the draws HERE.

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SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Day one of the 2023 Junior Four-Wall Nationals was a success. Players were greeted with a warm welcome from Don Quinlan and his group of volunteers, who provided excellent hospitality throughout the day.

There were several exciting matches between the juniors, especially in the 19 and under boys’ division. The most exciting may have been Canada’s Raul Asokhan vs Minnesota’s Nathan Stoffel. Stoffel started off the first game with a big lead, before Asokhan battled back to claim the first game 21-20. He used his quickness on the court to retrieve nearly every ball, wearing out Stoffel and taking the second game again by the score of 21-20.

The day concluded with a skills challenge for the 13 and under juniors, where the kids competed in a short handball obstacle course consisting of trick shots. The juniors were very impressive, and everyone won prizes! Play resumes tomorrow at 10am. Follow the draws HERE.

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