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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 17, 2024) – In the latest beach update, a gold medal for Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner at Challenge Guadalajara vaults them into the top spot for the U.S. men’s provisional Olympic rankings. We now look toward the next Elite16 event in Tepic, Mexico, this week with all the top U.S. teams in the Olympic rankings. We also recap last week’s events that included a medal haul for the U.S. at all three BPT tournaments.
Elite 16 Tepic
Elite16 Tepic runs from April 17-21 and features the top U.S. beach teams.
Kelly Cheng/Sara Hughes look to follow up on their bronze medal from Doha. They are joined in Tepic by Taryn Kloth/Kristen Nuss. Cheng/Hughes won gold at Elite16 Tepic in 2023.
Miles Partain/Andy Benesh make their 2024 debut in Tepic. They are joined by Trevor Crabb/Theo Brunner, who are fresh off claiming a gold medal at Challenge Guadalajara last week. Miles Evans/Chase Budinger and Tri Bourne/Chaim Schalk begin the tournament in the qualification stage.
Challenge Mexico Recap
Crabb/Brunner claimed the top step of the podium in Guadalajara, Mexico, which concluded on April 14. It was their first medal together in 2024 and the first since the silver they took at 2023 BPT Challenge Chiang Mai. The gold in Guadalajara now puts them in a tie for ninth in the provisional Olympic rankings with Partain/Benesh heading into Elite16 Tepic.
Crabb/Brunner went three sets with every opposing pair once the tournament reached the elimination stage. They defeated Diaz/Alayo (CUB) 2-1 (18-21, 21-18, 15-13) in the semis to advance to the final against Pfretzschner/Winter (GER). Crabb/Brunner won 2-1 (12-21, 21-19, 15-12).
Miles Evans/Chase Budinger and Chaim Schalk/Tri Bourne both finished tied for ninth.
In the women’s tournament, Kennedy Coakley/Brooke Sweat had their highest finish as a pair, tying for ninth. Kim Hildreth/Teegan Van Gunst tied for 17th.
Futures Pirae Recap
The U.S. locked up the top two spots of the podium at BPT Futures Tahiti this past weekend.
Molly Shaw/Chloe Loreen won their semifinal match with Nystrom/Gusarova (CYP), 2-0 (21-14, 21-10), as did Kelly Kool/Tiffany Svenssohn vs. Johansen/Collette (FRA), 2-0 (21-13, 21-11).
The two U.S. teams met in the final where Shaw/Loreen defeated Kool/Svenssohn, 2-0 (21-13, 21-18) to take gold.
Futures Nuvali Recap
Alaina Chacon/Mariah Whalen claimed their third consecutive medal finish at a BPT Challenge event by taking silver at BPT Futures Nuvali.
Chacon/Whalen defeated Riko/Take (JPN) 2-0 (21-18, 21-15) in the semifinals. In the final, they fell to Christ/Grune (GER) 2-1 (21-12, 13-21, 15-12).
It’s the second silver in a row for Chacon/Whalen after they previously took silver at BPT Coolangatta Beach. The U.S. pair earned bronze prior to Coolangatta in Mount Maunganui.
NORCECA Playoff 3
The third NORCECA Playoff is slated to take place on April 23 at the Manhattan Beach Pier in California. The playoff determines the eligible pairs to compete in NORCECA San Salvador, ESV (TBD) and NORCECA Nicaragua June 13-17.
Live scoring, participating teams and more information will be available at VolleyballLife.
Olympic Rankings
The most significant shift in the provisional Olympic rankings, as mentioned above, came in the men’s rankings with the results of BPT Challenge Guadalajara.
After their gold-medal finish, Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner are now tied with Miles Partain and Andy Benesh for the No. 9 spot. Crabb/Brunner are ahead in the point total with 7,720 points on 16 tournaments played. Partain/Benesh have 7,620 points on 10 tournaments played.
Partain/Benesh have the T designation for not enough tournaments yet played. They make their 2024 debut at Elite16 Tepic, where both teams will be looking to jump ahead in the provisional rankings.
Miles Evans and Chase Budinger drop down one slot to No. 13 in the provisional Olympic rankings after Challenge Guadalajara with 7,240 points on 17 tournaments played.
Tri Bourne and Chaim Schalk are now tied for No. 15 in the provisional Olympic rankings with 6,580 points on 18 tournaments played.
For the women, Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss are No. 2 in the provisional Olympic rankings behind only Ana Patricia/Duda (BRA). Nuss/Kloth have 10,860 points on 14 tournaments played.
Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes are still tied for No. 4 in the provisional Olympic rankings with 10,040 points on 13 tournaments played. Hughes/Cheng have the W designation for a quota place obtained for winning the 2023 Beach World Championships. They share No. 4 with Melissa/Brandie (CAN) who have the T designation for not enough tournaments played.
Julia Scoles and Betsi Flint are tied for No. 14 in the provisional Olympic rankings with 6,740 points on 11 tournaments played.
Current World Rankings – Women
Provisional Olympic Ranking – Men
Provisional Olympic Ranking – Women
In the latest beach update, we recap the events of last week highlighted by the U.S. earning a medal for each team competing at NORCECA Playa de Guibia. Pairs are now set to compete at the continental final in May, and we also take a look at three more beach events set to take place this week.
In the latest installment of the beach update, we recap the results from Challenge Saquarema and get you ready for three beach events on the calendar for this week, including the second NORCECA Playoff of the year in Manhattan Beach on April 5.
Chase Budinger and Miles Evans finished just off the podium over the weekend at the BPT Challenge in Recife, while Alaina Chacon/Mariah Whalen won their second straight medal in a BPT Futures event. Check out the results of both tournaments in this week's beach update and look ahead to Challenge Saquarema where three of the top U.S. men's beach volleyball pairs face off again.
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