FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Young players prove talented during 40th BCAPL National
Championships
CueSportsInternational,Henderson,NV(July27,2016)
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Billiards’futurestarswereondisplayatthe40 BCAPLNationalChampionships,whereyouthplayersbestedmoreexperiencedcolleaguesto
takehomesomeofthetopprizesduringtheBCAPLSingles&DoublesdivisionsduringthefirstweekofplayattheRioAll-SuiteHotel&Casino
inLasVegas.
TaylorHansen,17,ofMankato,Minn.andherbrother,Tristan,13,werethetalkofthetournamentwithinthefirstfewdayswhenthesiblings
upsetseasonedveteransinmatchaftermatchtowinthe8-BallScotchDoublesPlatinumDivision.
“Itwasthefirsttimetheyhaveplayedtogether,”saidJanaHansen,theHansens’mother.“Wewereworriedabouthowtheywouldgetalong.”
ButTeamHansenkeptitallbusiness,playingwithmaturityandsportsmanshipthroughthesmallbuttalented12-teambracket.Theylosttheir
firstmatch(3-5)toCindySlivaandEddieMataya,ofTacoma,Wash.,regrouped,andfoughttheirwaybackthroughtheloser’sbracket.The
HansenshadwinsoverSaraMillerandTresKaneIII,ofGlendale,Ariz.;KellyIsaacandBrandonHallettofHolland,Ohio;GinaKim-Lipskyand
SteveLipskyofSecaucus,NewJersey;andBernieStoreandBenSutherlandofPhoenix,Ariz.Inthesemi-finals,theHansensfacedSilvaand
Matayaagain,beatingthem4-1toensuretheirspotinthefinalsagainstBettyandBobLeaofConyers,Ga.
TheHansensbeattheLeasbyascoreoffivetothreeinthefirstmatch,forcingasecondmatch,whichendedwiththesameresult.TheHansens
tookhomethefirsttrophiesofthetournament,butitwasn’tthelast.
TaylorHansen,whowillbeaseniorwhenshestartshighschoolthisfall,wentundefeatedthroughtheWomen’s8-BallPlatinumDivision—the
highestlevelwomen’sdivisioninthetournament—stoppingseasonedveteranVivian“TheTexasTornado”Villarrealinhertracksbybeating
her6-2inthehotseatmatch.
Villarrealbeat16-year-oldAprilLarson,anotheryoungpoolphenomfromBloomington,Minn.tomeetHanseninthefinals.Onceagain,
Hansen’sconsistentshotmakingandthoughtfulsafetyplayprovedtoomuchforVillarrealandHansenbeattheseasonedprofessional6-3to
earntheWomen’s8-BallPlatinumChampiontitle.
Villarreal,whowontheWomen’s9-BallPlatinumDivision,tooksecondwithLarsonsettlingforthird.
Also16,MichelleJiang,ofHarvard,Mass.,wentundefeatedthroughthe115-playerWomen’s8-BallGoldDivision.
Jiang,whohasbeenplayingforjustfouryears,alsowentundefeatedinthetournamentwithwinsover:MaryAlmy;JessicaDerezinski,Helen
Wragg;JulieMadlener;EugeniaGyftopoulos;ChandraCampionandAnnaTulauan,beforebeatingGyftopoulosagaininthefinalstoearnthe
titleofchampion.
Otherchampionscrownedduringthe8-ballsinglesandscotchdoublesdivisionswere:LukasFracasso-Verner,Wallingford,Conn.,Junior9-Ball
Challenge;JaynardOrque,SanJose,Calif.,Mixed8-BallSinglesPlatinum;RussellCearley,Springfield,Ore.,Mixed8-BallSinglesGold;Noah
Vogelman,Brooklyn,N.Y.,Mixed8-BallSinglesSilver;RonMason,Maspeth,N.Y.,Mixed8-BallSinglesBronze;DaveKartner,Mixed8-BallSenior
SinglesGold,PortSaintLucie,Fla.;RevelinaUm,SanLeandro,Calif.,Women’s8-BallSinglesSilver;EvelynHazlett,Fremont,Calif.,Women’s8BallSinglesBronze;KathrynChristiansen,Tucson,Ariz.,Women’s8-BallSeniorSinglesPlatinumDivision;DeeStrack,Monticello,Ill.,Women’s
8-BallSeniorSinglesGoldDivision;MariaJuana,SunPrairie,Wis.andOngVang,Milwaukee,Wis.;RevelinaUm,SanLeandro,Calif.&Rich
Kaeser.
TheBCAPLteamdivisionsarenowunderway.
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The40 BCAPLNationalChampionshipsstartedJuly20atTheRioAll-SuiteHotel&CasinoandresumethroughJuly30.Theeventfeatures
morethan5,000amateurplayersrepresenting47states,nineCanadianprovincesand11countries,competinginapproximately40divisions,
on300Diamondpooltables.Theannualtournamentalsoincludesabout50exhibitors.
TheRioAll-SuiteHotel&Casinoistheofficialhostvenue.OthersponsorsincludeViking,Kamui,OmegaBilliards,Cyclop,Diamond,Simonis,and
Predator.
Formoreinformation,photos,ortosetupinterviews,contactMaryCoffman,CSIMarketingManagerat509-308-9814(cell);orbyemailat
[email protected].
CSIistheparentcompanyoftheBCAPoolLeagueandtheUSAPoolLeague.CSIalsoproducesindependenteventsliketheUSBarTableChampionships,USOpen10BallChampionship,USOpen8-BallChampionship,andmuchmore.Formoreinformation,visitwww.playcsipool.comorcallCSIatp702-719-POOL.
CueSportsInternational(CSI)◊2041PabcoRd.,Henderson,NV89011◊702-719-7665◊866-USA-POOL