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Build this guy a bigger trophy case

Cullen adds to racquetball resumé

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 05/12/2011 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

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Rae Nakonechny

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Tia Coulter

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Colin Corneau / Brandon Sun archives Brandon�s Kurtis Cullen (foreground) added the provincial men�s open and doubles titles to his collection last weekend in his hometown. (COLIN CORNEAU/BRANDON SUN)

Kurtis CULLEN of Brandon, the national junior singles and doubles champion in the boys' 18-and under division, has added a pair of provincial titles to his racquetball resumé.

Cullen, who recently turned 19, won the 2011 Manitoba Racquetball Association titles in the men's open singles and doubles last Sunday in Brandon.

Cullen defeated Canadian women's singles champion Jennifer Saunders of Winnipeg in the men's open final 15-8, 15-10.

"We found out it was the first Manitoba provincial final to feature two current Canadian champions," said Saunders, who plays in the men's open division since there are no other women's open players in Manitoba.

Cullen won the doubles title with partner Dennis Oteyza of Winnipeg, who defeated Saunders and her partner, Pat Madill of Brandon, 13-15, 15-13, 11-4.

Cullen was also honoured as the at junior nationals with the prestigious Sherman Greenfeld Award for excellence on and off the court. The award was previously won by two other Brandon athletes -- Sam Morrissette in 2009 and Scott Campbell in 2005.

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The St. John's-Ravenscourt School's varsity co-ed team won the 2011 Canadian High School Ultimate Championship title last Sunday at Mississauga, placing first among 15 schools.

Ultimate is a non-contact sport played with a flying disc in which teams try to score points by passing the disc into an end zone.

Kate Scarth, a Grade 12 captain of SJR, was named her team's championship MVP while Elliot Wong was the SJR spirit winner for the final.

Scarth was on Canada's national U-20 Ultimate team last summer which played in the Ultimate World Championships while both she and Devon Willitts, also a Grade 12 captain, are Manitoba provincial team members.

Coach Dean Wright's SJR team, seeded second in the tournament, recorded a 15-7 win in the championship game over top-seeded Barrie North.

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Evan Mancer (men's 35-plus) and Rick Borland (65-plus) won gold medals at the 2011 Senior Squash Nationals last Sunday at the National Squash Academy in Toronto.

Rick's son Trevor Borland earned silver in the men's 30-plus division while Tom Brown won bronze.

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Goalie Serena Bredin of Winnipeg will has been selected Canada's national women's water polo team in a qualifier match for the FINA World League Super Final this weekend in Newport Beach, Calif.

Canada, ranked second internationally, will face the No. 1-ranked USA on May 20 and 21.

The two teams are preparing for the women's World League Super Final in Tianjin, China June 14-19. That event will also include the top four teams from Europe and two from Asia.

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Tia Coulter of Brandon's Crocus Plains Plainsmen varsity girls basketball team has been selected as the Home Run Sports urban high school athlete of the week.

During the basketball season, the 6-foot post led her team to a Final Four appearance where she was a provincial all-star. The Grade 12 student has been on the honour roll for four straight years in high school and has a current average of 91 per cent.

Rae Nakonechny of the Nellie McClung Stingers badminton team in Manitou is this week's Tri-Star rural high school athlete of the week.

Nakonechny and her girls' doubles partner Haley Nakonechny, went undefeated in zone play and won gold at the provincial badminton championships in Carman. The Grade 12 student has a 92 per cent average.

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The Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League announced its annual award winners earlier this week with Eric Beaudin of the Charleswood Hawks being awarded the Anthony McLaughlin Memorial Scholarship of $1,000 and named the MVP of league play. Mitch David of Charleswood was named the playoff MVP. Four scholarships of $500 each were presented to Mackenzie Acheson and Randy Mutchmore, both of the Fort Garry/Fort Rouge Twins, Troy O'Brien of the Pembina Valley Twisters and Jordan Curtis of the St. James Canucks.

Charleswood's Shawn Corbett won the $500 Nick Hill Memorial Scholarship while Christian Peloquin of the St. Vital Victorias was awarded the $1,000 Norm Slobodzian Memorial Scholarship. See www.mmjhl.ca for the other award winners.

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 12, 2011 C6

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