The National Pickleball League® Draft Finalizes the 12 Team Rosters for the 2024 Season

NEW CANAAN, CONNECTICUT– April 15, 2024: The National Pickleball League® (NPL) unveils the highly anticipated results of its 2024 NPL Draft, revealing the newest additions to each of its 12 team's rosters for the upcoming season. The NPL Draft event took place on Sunday, April 14 in Naples, Florida, where team owners, League staff, prospective players, and pickleball fans gathered to witness the results, marking a new chapter in the league's commitment to nurturing talent and reinforcing its status as the top professional 50+ league in the sport.

Houston Hammers

Each of the rosters has up to eight women and eight men, and together is comprised of virtually all of the top Champions Pros in the sport, including the likes of Hall of Famers Jennifer Dawson and Scott Moore, former top tennis professionals Jaime Oncins and Piet Aldrich, former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback Danny Wuerffel, and top-ranked league co-founders Beth Bellamy and Rick Witsken.

Here are the official player rosters for the 2024 NPL Pickleball season.

AUSTIN IGNITE

Women’s Roster:

Leslie Bernard

Connie Burnett

Taunya Davis

Jennifer Gallwas

Chris Karges

Tina Lum

Yvonne Ting

Carolyn Weed

Men’s Roster:

Lance Cowart

Daniel Gold

John Hostetler

Michael Pazourek

John Sperling

Scott Trevethan

Dave Weinbach

Chris Wilton

BOCA RATON PICKLERS

Women’s Roster:

Yvonne D’Aquino

Tracey Flynn

Suzanne LeBlang

Pam Lippy

Ginny Purdy

Audra Spielberger

Taylor Taylor

Kara Williams

Men’s Roster:

Brian Levine

Alan Mendelson

Robert Mittleman

Mircea Morariu

Peter Prodanov

Mark Redding

Brian Shapiro

Tao Thongvanh

COACHELLA VALLEY SCORPIONS

Women’s Roster:

Kim Jagd

Julene James

Lily Kordic

Maggie Murch

Chrishawn Spackman

Brenda Tilford

Stacy Zelenski

Men’s Roster:

Piet Aldrich

Joe Frasca

Dayne Gingrich

Keith Jain

John Riedy

David Smith

Johan Svensson

COLUMBUS HOTSHOTS

Women’s Roster:

Eva Aguirre

Kris Anderson

Nathalie Bagby

Renee Chang

Beth Olivier

Tammie Steele

Lara Thornton

Men’s Roster:

Jim Bronson

Shay Coker

John Hedberg

Kristopher Heddings

Rich Lively

Jeff McKnight

Adam Painter

DENVER ICONICS

Women’s Roster:

Shelley Blanchard

Molly Carter

Cheryl Cartmel

Natalie Hill

Janey McKenna

Maureen O’Malia

Kelly Ojeda

Men’s Roster:

Reine Akebrand

Scott Fliegelman

Scott Johnston

Chris Montgomery

Bill Muno

Chad Shane

Danny Wuerffel

HOUSTON HAMMERS

Women’s Roster:

Amy Blumrosen

Laura Boske

Sheri Courter

Missy Grant

Mary Henne

Mary Beth Henthorne

Stacy Potter

Helen Wilhelm

Men’s Roster:

Craig Bobo

Tony Hoang

Eric Kuo

Rich Lopez

Chris MacDougall

Scott Moore

Joe Paraiso

Dino Patane

INDY DRIVERS

Women’s Roster:

Liz Chaplinsky

Gina Cilento

Shaun Considine

Kristi Dorman

Heather Iffert

Jenny Marcos

Moira Roush

Linda Thompson

Men’s Roster:

Chad Flynn

Glenn Jordan

Ken Julian

Bernard LeBlanc

Christopher Miller

Craig Riley

Matt Troyer

Rick Witsken

KANSAS CITY STINGERS

Women’s Roster:

Leslie Bashinsky

Yannet Brister

Jennifer Dawson

Amy Honea

Kim Kesner

Cristen Kessler

Stacey McKay

Natasha Nuerge

Men’s Roster:

Michael Chen

David George

Saed Ibsais

Hugh Laroque

Reed Newhall

Stan Perry

Paul Salmela

Daryl Wyatt

NAPLES JBB UNITED

Women’s Roster:

Electra Ariail

Mary Helen Atkins

Kristy Kind

Lora Charles

Carol Emanuel

Melissa LeBlanc

Sally Smithley

Aye Unnoppet

Men’s Roster:

Gerald Alvarado

Steve Dawson

Thomas DeCaprio

Joe Mlaka

Jaime Oncins

Scott Tingley

Tom Tueller

David Welles

OKC PUNISHERS

Women’s Roster:

Leslie Ballard

Beth Bellamy

Mary Kelly Dakin

Patty Gallegos

Seyhan Hunter

Stroble Kelly

Natalie Todorovic-Shaw

Julie Weston

Men’s Roster:

Greg Boyce

Lowell Gunderson

Tommy Ho

Dave Johnson

Mark Milner

Brian Noble

Paul Olin

Glen (Randy) Parker

PRINCETON BRUISERS

Women’s Roster:

Magge Camuti

Christie Domoracki

Roseann Heim

Aila Main

Jenny Merrill

Karin Ptaszek-Kochis

Alka Strippoli

Dana Wiatroski

Men’s Roster:

Vinay Bahuguna

Patrick Cote

Jose Derisi

Stephen Emmons

David Komie

Cord Robbins

Vivek Talyan

Tony Vassos

SEATTLE UNITED PICKLEBALL

Women’s Roster:

Paty Bennett

Raegan Ferguson

Cara Beth Lee

Natasha Linton

Lila Le Rawlings

Anna Shirley

Teresa Tarn

Adriana Tomazelli

Men’s Roster:

Stefan Andren

Greg Bennett

Martin Clark

Dave Furman

Eric Le

Troy Osborn

Jih-Shian Yeo

Eric Wold

ROUND ONE DRAFT RESULTS:

Naples JBB United

Jaime Oncins

Dayne Gingrich

Dave Weinbach

Rick Witsken

Stefan Andren

Beth Bellamy

Sheri Courter

Mircea Morariu

Jennifer Dawson

Kristopher Heddings

Jose Derisi

Christie Domoracki

"We are so excited to welcome these talented athletes who will represent the National Pickleball League teams and their respective markets during the 2024 season," said Paul Bamundo, Chief Executive Officer of the National Pickleball League. "NPL remains dedicated to advancing the sport and offering a platform for both seasoned players and emerging talents to flourish on a national scale."

Last year, the NPL concluded its inaugural season with the Indy Drivers clinching the championship. Now, the 2024 NPL season is set to begin on May 17th in Chicago, featuring scheduled events once per month from May to September at state-of-the-art indoor facilities nationwide. The season opener will be livestreamed on the National Pickleball League YouTube Channel @nationalpickleballleague and details for each event can be found on the National Pickleball League website www.NPLpickleball.com.

The regular season will culminate in October with the Championships, where teams will compete for the prestigious title and a chance to claim a share of the $150,000 prize money. The location for the Championships will be announced soon.

2024 NPL Season Schedule:

Season Opener / Chicago, IL: May 17-19

Columbus, OH: June 21-23

Cincinnati, OH: July 19-21

Kansas City, MO: August 9-11

Houston, TX: September 13-15

Championship Weekend / Location TBA: October 17-20

Michael Chen (co-founder), Beth Bellamy (co-founder), former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback Danny Wuerffel, Rick Witsken (co-founder)

About National Pickleball League®

The National Pickleball League® was founded in 2022 by Champions Pro players Rick Witsken, Beth Bellamy, and Michael “Hammer Mike” Chen. NPL Pickleball™ is a nationwide team competition for Champions Division (age 50+) professional pickleball players and made up of twelve teams in metropolitan locations in Indianapolis, Austin, Boca Raton, Naples, Denver, Oklahoma City, Houston, Seattle, Kansas City, Columbus, Coachella Valley and Princeton. National Pickleball League® is owned by National Pickleball League, LLC. The NPL is dedicated to expanding the reach of pickleball, fostering community engagement, physical and mental health, and elevating the sport to new heights. Companies interested in sponsorship opportunities with NPL Pickleball™ can email [email protected] for more information or visit the league’s website at www.NPLpickleball.com.