Five Teams Capture Titles at 2024 Adult 65 & Over 6.0/7.0/8.0 Sectional Championships

As falls rolls in, so does the excitement of the Adult League Sectionals! Over 20 teams gathered at the USTA National Campus to compete in the 2024 Adult 65 & Over 6.0/7.0/8.0 Sectional Championships. 

The competition was intense across five divisions, with each division running a round-robin format, where the top two teams advanced to the championship match. This gave each team a chance to test their skills against one another and show who was the best. 

It was an intense few days of tennis as across the five divisions, four of the championships were decided by a single line. The Women’s 6.0 was an outlier as Collier County was hot all week and swept their finals. 

Let’s take a look at who came out victorious from one of the final USTA Florida Adult League Sectionals of 2024. 

Adult 65 & Over Results 

Women 6.0 

Championship: Collier County (Pelican Marsh) defeated Hillsborough County (Hunters Green Sports Center) 3-0 

   

No. 1 Doubles: Patricia Albrite/Joyce Bunting (Collier) d. Carmen Heggen/Anne Stafford 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 

No. 2 Doubles: Paula Federman/Beth Gilman (Collier) d. Hannah Gabora/Karen Cleland 6-1, 6-4 

No. 3 Doubles: Helen Wardell/Barbara Seymour (Collier) d. Cindy Sparks/Cynthia Ciarpelli 6-2, 6-1 

Collier County Season Roster: Linda Mushock (Captain), Annie Potts , Paula Federman, Lisa Baker, Helen Wardell, Marybeth Greco, Joyce Bunting, Rhonda Noble, Barbara Seymour, Deborah Stuckey, Barbara Johnson-Salenko, Rosita Gilsenan, Melinda Reed, Patricia Albrite, Beth Gilman, Janet Digiovanni 

Women 7.0 

Championship: Hillsborough County (Hunters Green Sports Center) defeated Pinellas County (City of Clearwater) 2-1 

   

No. 1 Doubles: Debra Coffman/Ellen Ghelardi (Hills) d. Emily Signoracci/Elise Hall 7-6, 5-7, 1-0 

No. 2 Doubles: Debbie Beckwith/Bonnie Miller (Hills) d. Caroline Stupple/Frances Strazzulla 6-4, 6-3 

No. 3 Doubles: Geri Burke/Erin Vickers (Hills) d. Mickie Gelestor/Mary Schmitt 6-3, 6-0 

Hillsborough County Season Roster: Erin Vickers (Captain), Teresa Rizzo, Geri Burke, Cindy Kensrue, Debra Coffman, Debbie Beckwith, Ann Coston, Kathi Wise, Bonnie Miller, Ellen Ghelardi, Dora Rattes, Donna Doyle 

Men 7.0 

Championship: Collier County (Club At Longshore Lake) defeated Marrion County (Nancy Lopez Legacy Tennis Center) 2-1 

   

No. 1 Doubles: Pete Zink/Andy Mintz (Collier) d. Tim Puckett/Jerry Johnson 6-2, 6-1 

No. 2 Doubles: Glenn Hughes/Jim Clark (Marion) d. Richard Begando/Ben Yocom 7-5, 7-5 

No. 3 Doubles: Manny Acacio/Mark Moore (Collier) d. James Cernoch/Perk Crain 6-4, 6-4 

Collier County Season Roster: Andy Mintz (Captain), Mike Van Parys (Captain), Ben Yocom, Paul Michaels, Manny Acacio, Mark Moore, Naum Beloshkurenko, Pete Zink, Tommy Chappell, Richard Begando, William Danford 

Women 8.0 

Championship: Pinellas County (St. Petersburg Tennis Center) defeated Hillsborough County (Sun City Center) 2-1 

   

No. 1 Doubles: Tarja Kostin/Marti Turocy (Hills) d. Xiao Zhang/Linda Miller 4-6, 7-5, 1-0 

No. 2 Doubles: Mary Klein/Tish Wissel (Pinellas) d. Mary Alice Hillier/Debbie Beardsley 7-6, 7-6 

No. 3 Doubles: Kay Caldwell/Janet Matthews (Pinellas) d. Zan Walter/Janet Hoffman 6-3, 6-1 

Pinellas County Season Roster: Kathy Moll (Captain), Holly Charles (Captain), Debbie Dawson, Debra Coffman, Tish Wissel, Xiao Zhang, Kay Caldwell, Janet Matthews, Susan Tarantino, Linda Miller, Lynn O’Brien, Mary Klein 

Men 8.0 

Championship: Duval County (Eagle Harbor Tennis) defeated Collier County (Lighthouse Bay) 2-1 

   

No. 1 Doubles: Lucian Lawley/Jim Pinkerman (Duval) d. Ron Mishko/John Gilchrist 2-6, 6-1, 1-0 

No. 2 Doubles: Richard Wellons Dan Singleton (Duval) d. John Dolle/Richard Werner 6-1, 3-6, 1-0 

No. 3 Doubles: Jay Freedman/Joe Scholl (Collier) d. Larry Townsend/Tim Fritz 6-1, 3-6, 1-0 

Duval County Season Roster: Larry Townsend (Captain), Tim Fritz, David Phillips, Jim Pinkerman, Matt Hutto, Herbert Quinones, Lucian Lawley, Richard Wellons, Dan Singleton, James Meekins