Rhonda Rajsich
 Rajsich at 2006 Worlds | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | American | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
October 7, 1978 Phoenix, Arizona | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | Phoenix, Arizona | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5'10" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | http://www.rhondarocks.com/f2/index.html | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Racquetball | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Stephen F. Austin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National finals | 1st singles (2004, 2006, 2007), 1st doubles (2012) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest world ranking | No. 1 (2005-08, 2010-11) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Rhonda Rajsich (born October 7, 1978) is an American racquetball player. She has won two Racquetball World Championships and four US Open championships. Rajsich was the #1 player on the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization season ending rankings four times - from 2005-06 to 2007-08 and again in 2010-11. She is of Serbian descent.[1][2]
Professional career
Rajsich has been in the finals of the US Open a record ten times with a 4-6 win-loss record. Her four US Open titles tie her for most ever by a woman with Paola Longoria. She defeated Longoria in the US Open final twice in 2009 and 2010, and Rajsich also won in 2003, when she beat Christie Van Hees in the final and 2007, when she defeated Cheryl Gudinas in the final.[3] She has been a top 4 player on the Women's Professional Racquetball Organization tour since the 2000-01 season, achieving the season ending #1 ranking for four seasons (2006–2008 & 2010-11).
International career
Rajsich won back to back World Championship titles, first at the 2008 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships in Kingscourt, Ireland and then in 2010 in Seoul, South Korea. In 2008, Rajsich defeated fellow American Cheryl Gudinas in the final.,[4] and in 2010 she defeated Nancy Enriquez of Mexico in the final.
Rajsich did not get a chance to defend her title at the 2012 World Championships, as she lost in the semi-finals to Longoria. Then in the 3rd place match, Rajsich lost to Gudinas.
Rajsich won gold in both singles and doubles (with Janel Tisinger) at the 2007 Pan American Championships.[5] Rajsich also won Pan Am Championship gold in 2011.[6] She was the silver medalist in 2008, and bronze medalist in 2012.[7]
At the 2013 Pan American Championships, Rajsich was a double medalist. Taking silver in singles,[8] where Longoria was gold medalist, and winning doubles with partner Sharon Jackson, defeating Longoria and Samantha Salas for the gold.[9]
Rajsich was also a silver medalist at both the 2009 World Games and 2011 Pan American Games, losing in both finals to Mexican Paola Longoria. She was bronze medalist at the World Games in 2013.
Rajsich's first appearance with Team USA was at the 2002 Pan American Championships (then Tournament of the Americas), where she was bronze medalist after losing in the semi-finals to Josée Grand'Maître of Canada.[10]
US championships
Rajsich has won three US National Championships in singles in 2004, 2006 and 2007,[11] and one US National Championship in doubles in 2012 with Kim Russell-Waselenchuk.[12]
Basketball career
Rajsich played college basketball first at Phoenix College in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference, where she was freshman of the year in 1997-98,[13] and was a first team Arizona Community College Athletic Conference all-conference player in both 1997-98 and 1998-99.[14]
She then transferred to Stephen F. Austin University and played for the Ladyjacks in 1999-2000[15] on a team that went 28-4 and won the Southland Conference Championship.
See also
References
- ↑ http://www.lprtour.com/rajsich_inducted_011413.asp
- ↑ http://heraeamarketing.com/rajsich-inducted-into-the-serbian-american-museum/
- ↑ http://usaracquetball.com/RecordBooks/USOpenChampions.aspx
- ↑ http://www.internationalracquetball.com/worlds/03worlds.htm
- ↑ http://www.internationalracquetball.com/parc/02trnams.htm
- ↑ Racquetball Canada. "Press Release". SIRC. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ↑ Racquetball Canada. "Press Release". SIRC. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ↑ https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6zikx99p4xqjm6v/lixj24Kjxk/3-Llaves/Llave-Women%20Singles-2.pdf
- ↑ https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6zikx99p4xqjm6v/Br25b-_Cr3/3-Llaves/Llave-Women%20Doubles-2.pdf
- ↑ Pan American Racquetball Confederation. "Draw Sheets 2002 Tournament of Americas". Racquetball Canada. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ↑ http://usaracquetball.com/RecordBooks/SinglesChampions.aspx
- ↑ USA Racquetball. "Press Release". USA Racquetball. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ↑ http://www.pc.maricopa.edu/athletics/ACCAC/basketw/1998/ac.html
- ↑ http://www.pc.maricopa.edu/athletics/ACCAC/basketw/1999/ac.html
- ↑ http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/sasu/sports/w-baskbl/auto_pdf/2010-11InformationGuide.pdf
External links
| Sporting positions | ||
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| Preceded by Christie Van Hees Paola Longoria |
Number 1 Women's Pro Racquetball Player 2005-2006 to 2007-2008 2010-2011 to 2011-12 |
Succeeded by Paola Longoria Paola Longoria |
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