Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nationality | American | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | May 5, 1982 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Racquetball | |||||||||||||||||||||||
College team | Utah | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Turned pro | 2001 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Retired | 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Highest world ranking | 4th (2005-06, 2008-09) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
|
Kristen Walsh Bellows (nee Walsh, May 5, 1982) is a retired American racquetball player. She represented the USA on four occasions, winning gold in Women's Singles at the 2005 Pan American Championships. On the women's professional racquetball tour, Walsh Bellows won once, and was twice ranked 4th in the season ending rankings. She was also a five-time USA Racquetball (USAR) collegiate champion (three singles and two doubles titles).
Walsh Bellows won her 1st USA Junior title in the Girl’s U12 division in 1995, when she won both singles [1] and doubles with Jesi Fuller. [2] She also played at the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Championships that year, when she and Fuller won Girls U12 Doubles. [3]
In 1996, Walsh Bellows and Fuller won Girls U14 Doubles in both the USA Junior Championships [4] and the IRF World Junior Championships. [3] She also won Girls U14 Singles at World Juniors, [3] but not in the USA.
Walsh Bellows played doubles with Krystal Csuk in 1998, when they won Girls U16 Doubles at the IRF World Junior Championships. [3]
Walsh Bellows’s most successful junior years were her last three seasons, as she won both singles and doubles with Csuk in both 1999 [5] and 2000 [6] at the USA Junior Championships and the IRF World Junior Championships. [3] She won Girls U16 in 1999 [7] and U18 in 2000. [8] In 2001, she won Girls U18 Singles in the USA [8] and IRF junior championships. [3]
In 2000, at 18, Walsh Bellows played in the US National Singles Championships, reaching the quarterfinals, where she lost to Jackie Paraiso. [9] Later that year, she played in the US National Doubles Championships with Rhonda Rajsich, and they lost to Kim Russell and Kersten Hallander in the quarterfinals. [10]
Walsh Bellows played in the US National Singles Championships in 2001, when she lost a tie-breaker, 11-7, to Jackie Paraiso in the Round of 16. [11]
As Walsh Bellows aged out of juniors, she turned her focus to the women's pro racquetball tour. She played four times in the 2000-01 season, making the quarterfinals once and finishing ranked 14th. [12]
As a college freshman, Walsh Bellows won Women’s Singles [13] and Women's Doubles at the 2001 USAR Intercollegiate Championship for Baldwin-Wallace College. She won Women’s Doubles with Elle Summers. [14]
In the 2001 US National Doubles Championships, Walsh Bellows played with Janel Tisinger, and they upset veterans Laura Fenton and Jackie Paraiso Rice in the quarterfinals, 3-15, 15-14, 11-6. In the semi-finals, they were up 9-1 in the tie-breaker against Malia Bailey and Rhonda Rajsich, but Bailey and Rajsich came back with ten straight points to win the breaker, 11-9, and advance to the final. [15]
Walsh Bellows began the 2001-02 season with a bang by reaching the final in Charlotte, North Carolina. Walsh Bellows beat Rhonda Rajsich in the Round of 16, Susana Acosta in the quarterfinals, and Claudine Garcia in the semi-finals, but lost to Cheryl Gudinas in the final, 15-11, 15-8, 15-12. But it was her first pro final in only her 6th event on tour. [16] Later that season, Walsh Bellows made her 2nd final in San Diego, where she beat Jackie Paraiso in the quarterfinals and Kerri Wachtel in the semi-finals, before losing to Gudinas in the final, although in the final, Walsh Bellows did come back from two games down to force a 5th game tie-breaker before losing, 15-11, 15-8, 14-16, 9-15, 15-9. [17] Those finals helped Walsh Bellows finish 6th in the rankings that season. [18]
At the 2002 US National Singles Championships, Walsh Bellows lost to Jackie Paraiso (then Jackie Rice), 15-6, 15-8, in the quarterfinals, which was the 3rd year running she’d lost to Parasio at National Singles. [19]
Walsh Bellows transferred from Baldwin-Wallace College to the University of Utah for the 2001-2002 academic year, so she played for Utah at the 2002 Intercollegiate Championships. She had a chance to defend her singles title, as she reached the Women’s Singles final for a second consecutive year, but lost to Krystal Csuk, 15-1, 4-15, 11-9. [20]
In the 2002 US National Doubles Championships, Walsh Bellows played with Cheryl Gudinas, but they were upset by the veteran team of Mary Lyons and Susan Pfahler in the quarterfinals, 15-14, 15-14. [21]
In 2003, Walsh Bellows won Women’s Singles at the USAR Intercollegiate Championships for a second time, [22] as she defeated Krystal Csuk in the final, 15-8, 15-0, to claim her 2nd title in three years. [23]
At the 2003 US National Singles Championships, Walsh Bellows lost to Cheryl Gudinas in the quarterfinals, 15-7, 15-5. [24]
In the 2002-03 pro season, Walsh Bellows didn’t make it past the quarterfinals in any of the eleven events she played, but she was ranked 8th at the end of the season, so maintained her top 10 ranking. [18]
In the 2003 US National Doubles Championships, Walsh Bellows played with Cheryl Gudinas for a second year, and they faced the team that upset them last year: veterans Mary Lyons and Susan Pfahler in the quarterfinals, but this year Walsh Bellows and Gudinas came out on top, winning 15-11, 10-15, 11-7. In the semi-finals, they lost to 2nd seeds Kersten Hallander and Janel Tisinger, 15-8, 15-13. [25]
The 2003-04 and 2004-05 pro seasons were similar for Walsh Bellows. In 2003-04, she played all 9 events on tour, and was in five semi-finals, but no finals, and was a then career best 5th in the season ending ranking. In 2004-05, Walsh Bellows she was in four semi-finals over six events and was again 5th at the end of the season. [12]
But 2004 was a significant year for Walsh Bellows. She won Women’s Singles and Doubles at the USAR Intercollegiate Championships, defeating Adrienne Fisher in singles final, 4-15, 15-10, 11-3, and teaming up with her mother Marianne Walsh, who had gone back to university as a mature student. [26] They beat Fisher and Da'Monique Davis in the doubles final, 15-12, 12-15, 11-1, which helped carry the University of Utah to the Women’s Team title. [27]
Also in 2004, Walsh Bellows played on the US National Team for the first time at the Pan American Championships in Cuenca, Ecuador. In Women’s Singles, she lost in the quarterfinals to Canadian Lori-Jane Powell, 15-2, 12-15, 11-10. [28] She also played Women’s Doubles with Kersten Hallander in Cuenca, and they lost in the semi-finals to Canadians Josée Grand'Maître and Jennifer Saunders, 12-15, 15-10, 11-4. [29] Thus, Walsh Bellows came home with a bronze medal for the USA in doubles.
At the 2004 US National Singles Championships, Walsh Bellows defeated Kerri Wachtel in the quarterfinals, 15-11, 15-13, and then lost to Cheryl Gudinas in the semi-finals, 15-9, 15-2. “Cheryl didn’t really miss any shot today, so you have to give her credit,” Walsh said, “But I wasn’t hitting my shot, moving well, or serving well, so it was lopsided.” [30]
In the 2004 US National Doubles Championships, Walsh Bellows played with Cheryl Gudinas for a third year. They defeated veterans Mary Lyons and Susan Pfahler in the quarterfinals, winning 15-4, 15-4. Walsh Bellows and Gudinas advanced to the final with a semi-final win over Kersten Hallander and Janel Tisinger, 15-7, 4-15, 11-3. In the final, they won the first game against Jackie Paraiso and Kim Russell, but lost the match in three games, 13-15, 15-9, 11-7. [31]
Walsh Bellow’s 2nd appearance on Team USA was at the 2005 Pan American Championships in Caracas, Venezuela, where she played both Women’s Singles and Women’s Doubles, teaming up with Cheryl Gudinas. The two US women faced off in the singles final, with Walsh Bellows coming out on top, 15-8, 8-15, 11-8. They reached the doubles final, but lost to Mexicans Susana Acosta and Rosy Torres, 15-12, 15-12. [32]
At the 2005 US National Singles Championships, Walsh Bellows finished 3rd, as she lost to Cheryl Gudinas in the semi-finals, and then defeated Tammy Brown in the 3rd place match. [33]
In the 2005 US National Doubles Championships, Walsh Bellows played with Cheryl Gudinas for a fourth year. They finished 4th after reaching the semi-finals, but then losing the third place match to Rhonda Rajsich and Janel Tisinger. [34]
She was in her 3rd career pro final in the 2005-06 season. In Greensboro, North Carolina, she defeated Diane Moore in the quarterfinals and Rhonda Rajsich in the semi-finals. Walsh Bellows faced Cheryl Gudinas in the final, and lost in three games, 12-10, 11-5, 11-2. [35] That result, along with four other semi-finals that season, help her reach a career high 4th ranking at season’s end. [12]
At the 2006 US National Singles Championships, Walsh Bellows finished 4th, as she lost the 3rd place match to Tammy Brown. [36]
Walsh Bellows played Women’s Singles at the 2007 Pan American Championships in Santiago, Chile, which was her 4th consecutive appearance on Team USA at the Pan Am Championships. Walsh Bellows lost in the quarterfinals to Chile's Angela Grisar, 15-9, 15-11, so she failed to make the podium. [37]
At the 2007 US National Singles Championships, Walsh Bellows was upset by Liz Alvarado in the quarterfinals, 15-3, 15-2. [38]
Walsh Bellows only reached one semi-final in the 2006-07 pro season, and her ranking slipped to 7th. [12]
But in 2007-08, she made her 4th pro final. In Burlington, Ontario, Walsh Bellows beat Cheryl Gudinas in the quarterfinals and Kerri Wachtel in the semi-finals before losing to Christie Van Hees in the final, 11-6, 11-6, 11-4. [39] That result helped her finish 5th in the season ending rankings. [12]
In the 2007 US National Doubles Championships, Walsh Bellows played with Kim Russell Waselenchuk, and they reached the finals with a semi-final win over Rhonda Rajsich and Janel Tisinger, but lost the final to Jackie Paraiso and Aimee Ruiz. [40]
In the 2008 US National Doubles Championships, Walsh Bellows played with Kim Russell Waselenchuk for a second time, and they lost in the semi-finals to Rhonda Rajsich and Janel Tisinger. [41]
At the 2008 US National Singles Championships, Walsh Bellows upset defending champion Rhonda Rajsich, 15-14, 15-6 in the semi-finals, to reach the final for the first time. But she lost the final to Cheryl Gudinas, 15-2, 15-5. [42]
In the 2009 US National Doubles Championships, Walsh Bellows played with Kim Russell Waselenchuk for a third time, and for a second year they lost in the semi-finals to Rhonda Rajsich and Janel Tisinger, 15-4, 15-12. [43]
Walsh Bellows got into the winner’s column on the pro tour with the last event of the 2008-09 season. In May 2009, at the Ektelon World Championships in Stockton, California, she defeated Samantha Salas in the Round of 16, Kerri Wachtel in the quarterfinals, Rhonda Rajsich in the semi-finals, and in the final beat Paola Longoria, 12-10, 11-5, 7-11, 7-11, 11-7. [44] The win helped her match her career best ranking of #4 at the end of the season. [12]
Despite that success, Walsh Bellows played fewer than half the events over the next two seasons, and dropped out of the top 10 for the first time since 2002. She returned to the tour in 2011-12, playing six of the eight events, and reaching two semi-finals, which put her back in the top 10 at 9th at season’s end. But that was the last full season she played on tour. [12]
At the 2009 US National Singles Championships, Walsh Bellows was seeded 2nd, but lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Aimee Ruiz, 15-12, 15-12. [45]
After not playing in 2010, Walsh Bellows teamed up with Janel Tisinger for the 2011 US National Doubles Championships, and they lost to sisters Michelle Key and Danielle Key, 15-11, 15-10, in the quarterfinals. [46]
In 2012, Walsh Bellows played both singles and doubles USAR championships. In February, at the 2012 US National Doubles Championships, Walsh Bellows played with Janel Tisinger for a second time, and they lost to Rhonda Rajsich and Kim Russell-Waselenchuk, 15-9, 15-4, in the quarterfinals. [47] Then in May, at the 2012 National Singles, Bellows lost to Rhonda Rajsich, 15-11, 15-4, in the semi-finals. [48]
Overall, Walsh Bellows played 89 times on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour, reaching the finals five times and winning once. [12] She played for Team USA four times and earned four medals, including gold at the 2005 Pan American Championships. She won five titles at the USA Racquetball Intercollegiate Championships (three singles and two doubles), but didn't win US National Singles or Doubles.
This table lists Walsh Bellows's results in annual events.
Player | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
US National Singles | 16 | 16 | 16 | SF | SF | SF | QF | QF | SF | QF | - | QF | 32 |
US National Doubles | QF | SF | QF | SF | F | SF | ? | F | SF | SF | - | QF | QF |
US Open | 16 | 16 | 16 | SF | SF | SF | QF | QF | SF | QF | - | QF | 32 |
LPRT Rank | - | 14 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 37 | 9 |
Note: W = winner, F = finalist, SF = semi-finalist, QF = quarterfinalist, 16 = Round of 16.
Rocky Carson is an American professional racquetball player. Carson has won a record 5 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships in Men's Singles, and 2 Pan American Games gold medals in singles. He was the #1 player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) in 2007-08 & 2017–18. Carson has also played outdoor racquetball, and in 2008, he became the first man to win Men's Singles at the World Outdoor Championship, as well as the indoor IRF World Championship, and US Open. Carson has won 27 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) titles and has been ranked in the top 10 for a record 23 seasons.
Jack Huczek is a retired American racquetball player. Huczek was a 3 time International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion in Men's Singles, and he was the #1 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) player at the end of the 2006–2007 season. Huczek announced his retirement on May 24, 2011.
Cheryl Gudinas is an American retired racquetball player. Gudinas won three [www.internationalracquetball.com International Racquetball Federation] (IRF) World Championships in Women’s Singles, and was the #1 player on the women's pro racquetball tour from 2000-2004, finishing in the top 10 on tour a record 21 seasons.
Rhonda Rajsich is an American racquetball player. She has been World Champion in Women's Singles twice, and Pan American Champion 6 times, as well as US Open champion four times. Rajsich was the #1 player on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour season ending rankings four times – three straight seasons from 2005–06 to 2007-08 and then again in 2010–11. She is of Serbian descent.
Paola Michelle Longoria López is a Mexican racquetball player. She is the current Women's World Champion in both Singles and Doubles, winning both divisions at the 2022 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships in San Luis Potosi. Longoria is the winningest player in IRF World Championship history, and she is the only woman to win both singles and doubles at Worlds. Longoria is also the #1 player on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) tour, and was the first Mexican woman to attain the #1 pro ranking, doing so at the end of the 2008–09 season. She repeated the feat at the end of 2009–2010 season, and has been #1 for ten consecutive seasons. Longoria's style is characterized by a semi-western grip of the racquet, which is unusual for racquetball; Longoria is the only pro player using this grip style.
Jennifer "Jen" Saunders is a Canadian retired racquetball player from Winnipeg, Manitoba. In her last Canadian Championships in 2019, Saunders won both Women's Singles, for a record extending 11th time, and Women's Doubles, for a 13th time. Her 11 Canadian Women's Singles Championships and 24 combined Canadian Women's Singles and Doubles Championships are Canadian women's records. Saunders was the 2009 Manitoba Female Athlete of the Year as voted by the Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. Saunders announced her retirement from competition in December 2019, as she accepted the position of Administrator of High Performance and Sport Development with Racquetball Canada. In July 2020, Saunders was named as one of the 2020 inductees into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.
Samantha Salas Solís is a Mexican racquetball player. Salas is the current World Champion in both Women's Doubles - winning that title for a fifth time with Paola Longoria at the 2022 World Championships in San Luis Potosí, Mexico - and Mixed Doubles with Rodrigo Montoya. She is also the current Pan American Games Champion in Women's Doubles, winning that title with Longoria for a third consecutive time in 2019 in Lima. Salas was the second Mexican woman to finish in the top 10 rankings on the women's pro tour, doing so at the end of the 2006–07 season. Salas was ranked 3rd at the end of the 2019-20 Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) season, which was her tenth season in the top 10.
Josée Grand'Maître is a Canadian retired racquetball player from Hull, Quebec. Grand'Maître won the Canadian Women's Singles title three times, and the Canadian Women's Doubles title 15 times. Her last title came in doubles in May 2014 with Jennifer Saunders as her partner. Grand'Maître's 15 doubles titles are the most ever, and her 18 combined titles place her third on the all time list behind Saunders (20) and Mike Green (21).
Aimee Ruiz is a left-handed American racquetball player. She is a three time Women's Doubles World Champion, and a 13 time USA Racquetball Champion in Women's Doubles, most recently winning the title in 2020 with Erika Manilla. In addition to her USA doubles titles, Ruiz has one USA National Women's Singles title. Ruiz was named to the USA Racquetball Hall of Fame in 2021.
Angela Grisar is a Chilean retired racquetball player. She was the first South American woman's racquetball player to finish in the top 10 on the women's pro tour, doing so six straight seasons. She won numerous medals for Chile in international competitions, including at four International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships and three Pan American Games.
Susana Acosta is a Mexican racquetball player. A left handed player, Acosta has won several gold medals for Mexico, including at the 2003 Pan American Games. She's also played on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) and been ranked as high as 4th.
María José Vargas is a Bolivian-born Argentine racquetball player. She is the current Pan American Champion in Women's Doubles, as well as part of the Women's Team Pan Am Champions and the current South American Racquetball Champion in Women's Singles and Doubles. Vargas has five wins on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT), and has finished in the top 10 seven times - five of those were within the top three with her career best coming in 2014-15, when she finished #2.
Frédérique Lambert is a Canadian racquetball player. Lambert is the current Canadian Champion in Women's Singles and Women's Doubles, and has won nine Canadian Championships: five in Women's Singles and four in Women's Doubles. She has been a member of the Canadian National Team since 2008, and has won several medals in international competitions, including a silver medal in Mixed Doubles at the 2022 World Championships. Lambert was the #2 ranked player in back to back Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) seasons: 2016-17 and 2017-18.
Michelle Key is an American racquetball player. Key has two medals from the Pan American Games. She earned silver in the Women's Team event in Toronto in 2015 and bronze in the Women's Team event in Santiago in 2023. Key was ranked 7th at the end of the 2014-15 Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) season.
Carla Muñoz Montesinos is a Chilean professional racquetball player. She has won multiple medals, including the three consecutive gold medals in the USA Racquetball National Intercollegiate Championships in 2016, 2017, and 2018. In 2014, Munoz was awarded Best Racquetball Player of the Year by the Chilean Journalist Association. She plays for the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour and is currently ranked #10 in the world.
Janel Tisinger is an American racquetball player. She is the current USA Racquetball National Champion in Women's Doubles winning the title for a 5th time in 2019 with Aimee Ruiz. Tisinger is former World Champion in Women's Doubles, with Ruiz, winning the title in 2016.
Gabriela Martinez is a Guatemalan racquetball player. Martinez is the current Pan American Games Champion in women's doubles. She is a former International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion in the women's singles, winning the title at the 2018 World Championships. Martinez has competed on the Guatemala National Team at international tournaments since 2012, garnering many medals across her career.
Natalia Mendez is a Bolivian-born Argentine racquetball player. She is the current South American Champion in Women's Doubles and was the 2022 Pan American Champion in Women's Doubles, winning both titles with Maria Jose Vargas. Mendez has medaled at the International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships as well as the Pan American Games.
Angélica Barrios is a Bolivian racquetball player. Barrios is the current Pan American Champion in Mixed Doubles, winning the title at the 2023 Pan American Racquetball Championships in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and a former Pan Am Champion in Women's Singles. She is also the first Bolivian to win a medal at the World Games, as she won bronze at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama.
Erika Manilla is an American racquetball player. Manilla is the current Pan American Games Champion in Mixed Doubles, winning gold with her brother Adam at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. She also won doubles at the 2022 US Open Racquetball Championships with Natalia Mendez, and has won six USA Racquetball (USAR) National titles.