COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Oct. 7, 2019) – Jake Gibb and Taylor Crabb (right to left above) moved into second place among U.S. men’s beach teams trying to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games with their victory Sunday at the Hamaca Finals NORCECA Tournament in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic.
Meanwhile Kerri Walsh Jennings/Brooke Sweat also won gold and moved up in the women’s rankings.
Gibb/Crabb beat Canada’s Sam Pedlow/Sam Schachter in the gold medal match, 21-19, 21-18. With the win, they earned 600 ranking points, pushing them into second place behind Trevor Crabb/Tri Bourne in the FIVB Provisional Olympic Rankings. It also moved them into the top 15 in the rankings.
The event gave Gibb/Crabb their 11th event. They need one more to be Olympic eligible.
To automatically qualify for the Olympics, teams must finish as one of the top two U.S. teams and in the top 15 overall of the FIVB rankings.
The new U.S. team of Miles Evans/Ryan Doherty finished third in Boca Chica with a 21-15, 21-9 win over Canadians Grant O’Gorman/Simon Fecteau-Boutin.
Gibb/Crabb beat Evans/Doherty in the semifinals, 24-26, 21-13, 19-17.
Walsh Jennings/Sweat beat Cubans Yanisleidys Sánchez/Lidiannis Echeverría, 21-13, 23-21 in the gold medal match.
Walsh Jennings/Sweat remain in second place among U.S. teams and in fifth place overall in the FIVB Olympic rankings.
Kelley Larsen/Emily Stockman won the bronze medal, beating Canadian twins Nicole and Megan McNamara in the third-place match, 21-16, 21-18.
Larsen/Stockman are in fourth place among U.S. teams trying to qualify for the Olympics and in seventh place overall.
COMING UP
Twelve U.S. women’s and men’s beach volleyball players will represent the United States at the ANOC World Beach Games on Oct. 12-16 in Qatar.
Each beach volleyball team at the World Beach Games will have four players with two substitutes.
On the women’s side, the United States will send Karissa Cook, Emily Hartong, Kelly Reeves, Katherine Spieler, Geena Urango and Allie Wheeler.
For the men, Brian Cook, Taylor Crabb, Troy Field, Maddison McKibbin, Riley McKibbin and Casey Patterson are scheduled to compete.
Five U.S. women’s teams and three men’s teams have registered for the FIVB three star in Qinzhou, China on Oct. 28-Nov. 3.
Women
Kerri Walsh Jennings/Brooke Sweat
Emily Stockman/Kelley Larsen
Sarah Sponcil/Kelly Claes
Betsi Flint/Emily Day
Summer Ross/Sara Hughes
Men
Ryan Doherty/Miles Evans
Stafford Slick/Billy Allen
Travis Mewhirter/Michael Boag