2017 APTA Mens 45+55+65+ Results

March 3, 2017
Wilmington, DE

Just when it felt like Spring had come early to the Northeast, the winter weather returned for the APTA Women’s 45+/60+ and Men’s 45+/55+/65+ Nationals in Wilmington, Delaware. No one batted an eye as the snow fell on the Men’s 55+ competitors on Friday; the seasoned veterans in these Masters Nationals have played through it all in their long and storied paddle careers.

Men’s 45+
This is Mike Stulac’s third consecutive 45+ title, his second with Scott Estes. Stulac partnered with Jeff Morneau for his 2015 win. This year featured the same four finalists as last year, with Estes/Stulac coming out on top of Anthony Cosimano and Jeff Hipkins again. With this win, Stulac has three Masters Men’s titles to go along with his two National Men’s titles (2005 Bill Anderson, 2011 Mark Parsons) and his 2008 Mixed and 2008, 2011, and 2013 Husband/Wife Mixed titles, all won with his wife, Kerri Delmonico. Estes has a National Men’s title of his own (2007, Mike Cochrane) to go with his two 45+ titles.

Results:
Men’s 45+:
Main Draw: Scott Estes/Michael Stulac def. Anthony Cosimano/Jeff Hipkins
Quarterfinal Reprieve: Kevin Anderson/Scott Bondurant def. Ted Easter/Andrew Hocker
Round of 16 Consolation: Jerry Beirne/Daniel Greenwood def. Mike Cochrane/Andrew Ward
Round of 32 Consolation: Scott Gianetti/Rob Schenone def. John Goodridge/Doug Mainwaring
Consolation Reprieve: Ed Gieske/Anthony Parisi def. Dave Harris/Rick Martin

Men’s 55+
Mark Holtschneider and Rusty Wright, the two-time defending champions, were the top seeds in this event. They couldn’t hold on to their title, however, losing to Scott Bondurant and Bill Fiedler in the quarterfinals. Bondurant and Fiedler continued on to the finals, where Mike Gillespie and Jim Kaufman ended their run. This was Gillespie’s first 55+ title and Kaufman’s second;-his first came in 2012 with Bob Kleinert.

The four finalists are an illustrious group of National Champions!

Hall of Famer Mike Gillespie owns one 45+ title (2011 Bob Conklin), five 50+ titles (2012-2016 Ron Erskine), one Mixed Championship (1989 Gerri Viant), and two 18 and under Championships (1979 Mark Stone, 1980 Jay Packer).

In addition to his two 55+ titles, Kaufman has a 50+ title (2008 Bob Kleinert) and a Mixed title (1987 Connie Jones).

APTA President Scott Bondurant was the 45+ champion three times (2005 Bill Fiedler, 2013, 2014 Mark Johnson), owns three 50+ titles (2009-2010 Tim McAvoy, 2011 (Bill Fiedler), and won the 55+ tournament once (2014 Tim McAvoy).

Bill Fiedler won a National Men’s Championship (1993 Barry Judge), a 45+ title (2005 Scott Bondurant), and a 50+ title (2011 Scott Bondurant).

Results:
Men’s 55+:
Main Draw: Mike Gillespie/Jim Kaufman def. Scott Bondurant/Bill Fiedler
Quarterfinal Reprieve: Mark Holtschneider/Rusty Wright def. Francis Gallagher/Mark McEnroe
Consolation: Chris Packer/Pete Pijawka def. Alex Dias/Chris Gilroy
Consolation Reprieve: Lonnie Adams/Andrew Pogonyi def. Robert Collins/Gary Kemeny

Men’s 65+
Tim Brooke and Ivan Harlow, the second seeds, won the 65+ championship, beating the unseeded Scott Estes, Sr and Lloyd Ucko in the finals. Estes, Sr and Ucko knocked out the number one seeds and defending champions, John Adams and Burke Hayes, in the semifinals. This is the first APTA National Championship for Brooke; Harlow earned the 60+ crown in 2015 and 2016 with Ken Persson.

Estes, Sr holds a remarkable 25 Masters National titles, including two 60+ wins with Ucko. He has one or more title in every Master’s division he has been eligible to play in, including Men’s 45+, 50+, 55+, 60+, 65+, 70+, 145+, Husband/Wife 50+, Mixed 50+, and Mixed 60+.

Results:
Men’s 65+
Main Draw: Tim Brooke/Ivan Harlow def. Scott Estes Sr/Lloyd Ucko
Semifinal Playoff: John Adams/Burke Hayes def. Doug Barrow/Paul Wallack