COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA’s beach teams won two gold and a bronze on the NORCECA Continental Tour in the Cayman Islands.
Trevor and Taylor Crabb picked up their second gold of 2016 and were joined on the podium with Ed Ratledge and Ty Loomis who earned bronze. Betsi Flint and Kelley Larsen improved on their bronze from one week ago with a gold medal, an international career best for both.
Both gold medal pairs swept their pools, going 3-0, which included matches against their fellow Americans. Flint and Larsen topped Geena Urango and Angela Bensend in pool play, 22-20, 21-12. In the quarterfinals, Flint/Larsen defeated Canada before topping the Cayman Islands in the semifinals. Urango/Bensend fell to Mexico in the quarters, and won their next two matches to claim fifth place.
Flint and Larsen continued on to face Costa Rica’s Karen Cope and Nathalia Alfaro in the title match, winning 21-19, 22-20. It’s the first win for Flint/Larsen since the duo won AVP Cincinnati Open in 2015.
For the Crabb brothers, in the match against Ratledge and Loomis, they came out ahead 22-20, 21-17 to clench the pool. After both teams won their quarterfinal matches, they met again in the semifinal round, the Crabbs once again came out on top, 21-6, 22-20. In the finale, the Crabbs went three sets against Canada’s Michael Plantinga/Cameron Wheelan, winning 23-25, 21-13, 15-11. It marks the duo’s fourth NORCECA medal in 2016, to complement their bronze from Guatemala City and two bronze.
Ratledge and Loomis beat Canada’s other team, Aaron Nusbaum/Ryan Vandenburg, 21-15, 22-20, in their first NORCECA appearance together.
The NORCECA Continental Tour is scheduled to continue April 29-May 1 in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
RESULTS
Women | Grand Cayman, April 22-24
1. Betsi Flint/Kelley Larsen
2. Karen Cope/Nathalia Alfaro CRC
3. Claudia Rios/Gloria Santoyo MEX
5. Geena Urango/Angela Bensend
Men | Grand Cayman, April 22-24
1. Taylor Crabb/Trevor Crabb
2. Michael Plantinga/Cameron Wheelan CAN
3. Ed Ratledge/Ty Loomis