MSU Racquetball Club finishes season with a bang

The MSU Racquetball Club completed their season by taking a combined eighth place title in the Intercollegiate National Championships. Two MSU students were awarded All-Americans:  senior Jerrad Highman and senior Connor Dietz this being his second All-American title.

The championships took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota on March 11-17, where 200 students from across the country gathered to compete from 31 colleges and universities. MSU caravanned 10 team members and two coaches to the four-day tournament where they finished their season. The men’s team placed fourth overall, and the women 13th.

“[This is] Impressive for our sport,” commented Scott Krushensky, MSU racquetball instructor who coaches the team alongside Wayne Hollander. Last year, the men’s team took seventh. Krushensky highlighted competition against large universities, including teams like Arizona State University, Colorado State University and Oregon State University. Making it to the top five was a big leap for the men’s team. Last year, the combined team, which includes both the men and women’s teams, finished 11th making this year’s eighth place finish an improvement.

Looking into next year, the club anticipates four returning students who attended this tournament. “It’s going to be a rebuilding year, and we are always looking for new club members,” said Krushensky. He went on to say that racquetball is a “fun way to interact with other students.”

Gavin Usher, an MSU sophomore studying business and current president of the racquetball club, encourages interested students to take part in the club whether they have experience or not. “Give it a shot, learn something new and come to our practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m.” Usher said. This year, there were 15 consistent members in the club for the duration of the season, which starts in October and ends in April. The club also partakes in tournaments around Montana leading up to nationals.

A proud accomplishment for the club this past season was hosting a statewide tournament in October. This is a big fundraiser for the club in conjunction with the Montana Racquetball Association (MRA), who puts on six tournaments each year. The event was a success, bringing in 110 total participants to the MSU campus with players from 10 different states and three countries.

Recently, the club has elected new officers: Gavin Usher was re-elected as president, Pamela Price took vice president, Eric Zakrzewski as treasurer, Tucker Shreiner as secretary and Maggie Kerr in charge of public relations. The MSU Racquetball Club would like to thank the MSU Rec Center for use of courts along with club sports and the Office of Student Engagement who helped fund the travels of the team. The team also appreciates generosity and support from the MRA.