EL PASO, Texas – The Sun Bowl Association held the inaugural Nusenda Credit Union Sun Bowl Pickleball Tournament on March 22-23, 2025, at Eastwood High School and awarded $2,400 in cash prizes to the top three finishers in each professional division.
In its first year, the tournament saw 184 registrants and 251 matches in men’s, women’s and mixed double divisions in assorted skill levels and age groups. Players traveled from as far as Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Dallas, and Houston to participate in this brand-new community event.
“I hope we can turn this into one of the biggest pickleball tournaments in the southwest,” stated Sun Bowl Association Executive Director Bernie Olivas.
Below is a list of the winners in each division:
Saturday Medal Results (March 22, 2025)
Men’s Doubles (3.0 and under) 19-49
Gold: Robert Doar and Sam Copland
Silver: Kyle Cabral and Robert Walraven
Bronze: Luis Flores and Edward Poke
Men’s Doubles (3.0 and under) 50 and above
Gold: Fabian Sanchez and Ricardo Tejada
Silver: Lorenzo Salinas and Manny Chavira
Bronze: Rene Ramirez and Felipe Gonzales
Women’s Doubles Skill (3.0 and under) 19-49
Gold: Erin Stephens and Yahaira Roman
Silver: Tiffany Payne and Maria Parra
Bronze: Maria Ordonez and Lauren Evans
Women’s Doubles Skill (3.0 and under) 50-59
Gold: Ellen Hughes and Monica Michel
Silver: Mayda Copado and Kati Hunyadi
Bronze: Gloria Gonzalez and Sandra Silva
Women’s Doubles Skill (3.0 and under) 60 and above
Gold: Isabel Carrillo and Norma Terrazas
Silver: Elizabeth Luscombe and Lourdes Olivas
Bronze: Carolina Hambric and Vicki Sanftner
Men’s Doubles Skill (3.5 and under) 19-34
Gold: Angel Luna and Emmanuel Guevara
Silver: Brayan Farfan and Luis Arias
Bronze: Brian Wong and Ravi Lai
Men’s Doubles Skill (3.5 and under) 35-59
Gold: JP Garcia and Nelson Rodriguez
Silver: Kent Kaneer and Samuel Legarreta
Bronze: Tony Olivas and Lewis Venecia
Men’s Doubles Skill (3.5 and under) 60 and above
Gold: Richard Wallace and Richard Zamora
Silver: Albert Carrillo and Ervin Medina
Bronze: Dennis McElveen and David Warren
Women’s Doubles Skill: (3.5 and under) 19 and above
Gold: Vanessa Aguirre and Kate Decker
Silver: Josie Wallace and Deborah Ortega
Bronze: Lali Chavez and Debra Grantham
Men’s Doubles Skill (4.0 and under) 19-34
Gold: Oscar Torres and Matt Mason
Silver: Raul Hernandez and Armando Rodriguez
Bronze: Dylan Ortero and Halldor Hallsson
Men’s Doubles Skill (4.0 and under) 35-59
Gold: Todd Jensen and Joe Esparza
Silver: Joaquin Castro and James Louis Morrow
Bronze: Patrick Quist and Ron Feder
Women’s Doubles Skill (4.0 and under) 19 and above
Gold: Ivette Yoshinaga and Amber Medina
Silver: Lynda Robbins and Lia Shelton
Bronze: Paula Kesner and Reyna Montano
Men’s Doubles Skill (Open) 19 and above
Gold: Ivan Molina and Ismael Molina ($500 cash prize)
Silver: JoseLuis Herrera and Alex Garcia ($300 cash prize)
Bronze: Andrew Bustamante and Enrique Beniquez ($200 cash prize)
Women’s Doubles Skill (Open) 19 and above
Gold: Kennedy Martin and Maddie Elsey ($500 cash prize)
Silver: Adriana Boykova and Beverly Boozer ($300 cash prize)
Bronze: Paige Bowling and Monica Schmidt ($200 cash prize)
Sunday Medal Results (March 23, 2025)
Mixed Doubles Skill (3.0 and under) 19-59
Gold: Heleme Brinkerhoff and Kyle Cabral
Silver: Sydnie rissel and Sam Copland
Bronze: Ida Chavira and Manny Chavira
Mixed Doubles Skill (3.0 and under) 60 and above
Gold: Carolina Hambric and Bill Mayberry
Silver: Elizabeth Luscombe and John Dodson
Bronze: Vicki Sanftner and David Miller
Mixed Doubles Skill (3.5 and under) 35-59
Gold: Lynda Robbins and Tony Olivas
Silver: Nicolle Johnson and Richard Martinez II
Bronze: Erin Stephens and James Louis Morrow
Mixed Doubles (35 and under) 60 and above
Gold: Deborah Ortega and Richard Zamora
Silver: Josie Wallace and Richard Wallace
Bronze: Norma Terrazas and Erwin Medina
Mixed Doubles Skill (4.0 and under) 19-49
Gold: Paula Kesner and Todd Jensen
Silver: Patricia Morrow and Jose Guerrero
Bronze: Alexandra Lopez and Emmanuel Diaz
Mixed Doubles Skill (4.0 and under) 50-59
Gold: Santa Gamez and Joe Esparza
Silver: Lawanna Quist and Ron Feder
Bronze: Lia Shelton and Hector Gutierrez
Mixed Doubles Skill (Open) 19 and above
Gold: Beverly Boozer and Ivan Molina ($500 cash prize)
Silver: Alehanna Gomez and Alex Garcia ($300 cash prize)
Bronze: Adriana Boykova and Javier Porras ($200 cash prize)
Special thanks to title sponsor Nusenda Credit Union and the following partners:
Sun Bowl Association
Pickleball El Paso
Eastwood High School
Pepsi
Gatorade
Visit El Paso
Papa John’s Pizza
Sun City Communications
Albertson’s
##SUNBOWL.ORG##
EL PASO, Texas – The Sun Bowl Association officially announced the Nusenda Credit Union Sun Bowl Pickleball Tournament in a press conference held on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, at the Sun Bowl Association office.
The Sun Bowl Association is excited to partner with Pickleball El Paso and Nusenda Credit Union to bring this event to El Paso. Executive Director Bernie Olivas stated, “The Sun Bowl Association is thrilled to be a part of one of the fastest-growing sports in the country. We hope all pickleball players in the region will enter the tournament and grow this event into one of the largest in the southwest.”
Registration
https://pickleballbrackets.com?SunBowlPickleball
Tournament Description
The Sun Bowl Association is committed to improving the quality of life by presenting, through its volunteers, several festive events appealing to Southwest’s diverse cultural heritage. The Inaugural Nusenda Credit Union Sun Bowl Pickleball Tournament will kick off the year-round calendar of community events that the Sun Bowl Association hosts annually that is capped off with the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl game.
WHAT: Nusenda Credit Union Sun Bowl Pickleball Tournament
WHERE: Eastwood High School (2430 McRae Blvd, El Paso, TX 79925)
WHEN: March 22 & 23, 2025 at 9 a.m. (MT)
This Round Robin Play tournament will feature Men’s and Women’s doubles, Mixed doubles, and a Hybrid Wheelchair Division (any combination).
Tournament Format
Men’s and Women’s Doubles to be played on Saturday, March 22, 2025
Mixed and Hybrid Wheelchair Divisions to be played on Sunday, March 23, 2025.
• All matches to use the Franklin yellow X-40 pickleballs.
• Games played to 15 points win by 2 points
•Guarantee 3 scheduled matches
• 3-5 Teams – Round Robin play
• 6 or more teams – Round Robin Pool Play to Champion and Consolation bracket play
• Hybrid Wheelchair Division (any combination) Abled player must be rated 3.5 or below
Divisions:
Men’s Doubles Skill (3.0-) Age 19-34
Men’s Doubles Skill (3.0-) Age 35-49
Men’s Doubles Skill (3.0-) Age 50-59
Men’s Doubles Skill (3.0-) Age 60+
Men’s Doubles Skill (3.5) Age 19-34
Men’s Doubles Skill (3.5) Age 35-49
Men’s Doubles Skill (3.5) Age 50-59
Men’s Doubles Skill (3.5) Age 60+
Men’s Doubles Skill (4.0+) Age 19-34
Men’s Doubles Skill (4.0+) Age 35-49
Men’s Doubles Skill (4.0+) Age 50-59
Men’s Doubles Skill (4.0+) Age 60+
Men’s Doubles Skill (Pro) Any Age 19+
Women’s Doubles Skill (3.0-) Age 19-34
Women’s Doubles Skill (3.0-) Age 35-49
Women’s Doubles Skill (3.0-) Age 50-59
Women’s Doubles Skill (3.0-) Age 60+
Women’s Doubles Skill (3.5) Age 19-34
Women’s Doubles Skill (3.5) Age 35-49
Women’s Doubles Skill (3.5) Age 50-59
Women’s Doubles Skill (3.5) Age 60+
Women’s Doubles Skill (4.0+) Age 19-34
Women’s Doubles Skill (4.0+) Age 35-49
Women’s Doubles Skill (4.0+) Age 50-59
Women’s Doubles Skill (4.0+) Age 60+
Women’s Doubles Skill (Pro) Any Age 19+
Mixed Doubles Skill (3.0-) Age 19-34
Mixed Doubles Skill (3.0-) Age 35-49
Mixed Doubles Skill (3.0) Age 50-59
Mixed Doubles Skill (3.0) Age 60+
Mixed Doubles Skill (3.5) Age 19-34
Mixed Doubles Skill (3.5) Age 35-49
Mixed Doubles Skill (3.5) Age 50-59
Mixed Doubles Skill (3.5) Age 60+
Mixed Doubles Skill (4.0+) Age 19-34
Mixed Doubles Skill (4.0+) Age 35-49
Mixed Doubles Skill (4.0+) Age 50-59
Mixed Doubles Skill (4.0+) Age 60+
Mixed Doubles Skill (Pro) Any Age 19+
Hybrid Wheelchair OPEN Division (any combination) Abled player must be rated 3.5 or below
About Nusenda Credit Union
Nusenda Credit Union is dedicated to improving its members’ financial well-being and supporting New Mexico’s communities. They do this through affordable products, friendly service, community involvement, and financial education. At Nusenda, they look for ways to go above and beyond to serve their members and be their trusted financial advisor by helping them achieve their financial goals.
About the Sun Bowl Association
The Sun Bowl Association is a volunteer based non-profit 501 © 3 organization. The Sun Bowl Association, with the help of over 700 volunteers, promotes and serves the El Paso community and features a year-round schedule of events culminating with the Annual Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl football game. Other Sun Bowl core events include the Sun Bowl Flag Football Tournament presented by Goodwill, the Peter Piper Pizza Sun Bowl Punt, Pass and Kick, the Glasheen, Valles, & Inderman Injury Lawyers Sun Bowl Parade, the WestStar Don Haskins Sun Bowl Basketball Invitational, the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl Fan Fiesta presented by El Paso Live, and the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl Pregame Fan Party presented by Visit El Paso. Follow the Sun Bowl Association on Instagram (tonythetigersunbowl), Facebook (Sun Bowl Association), and X (
TonytheTigerSB).
(Left to Right) Executive Director Bernie Olivas, President Michael Guerra, Pickleball El Paso VP Ben Avalos, and Valerie Marin of Nusenda Credit Union discuss the upcoming Nusenda Credit Union Sun Bowl Pickleball Tournament