Strickland and Roberts won the gold at NORCECA

BOCA CHICA, Dominican Republic, April 17, 2006.- Americans William Strickland and Adam Roberts  took the gold medal at the NORCECA Men’s Continental Beach Volleyball Tournament.

Strickland-Roberts defeated Dominican Juan Pozo-Francisco Abreu 21-9, 21-14 in the semi final match and then won by default against Puerto Ricans Raul Papaleo and Joseph Gil.

Gil aggravated his physical condition during the Puerto Rican triumph over Costa Ricans Gilberto and Alexander Villegas 21-13, 21-19 in the semi finals. He was favoring his injured left calf and ended experiencing problems with his right hip.

In the match for the bronze medal, the Villegas brothers edged Pozo-Abreu in an exciting match by score of 19-21, 21-14, 17-15.

Strickland-Roberts won a cash prize of US$4,000, while Papaleo-Gil and the Villegas took $3,000 and $2,000 respectively. The event was sponsored by Presidente Beer.

“We had a good event and I hope is a good start for our next year tour around the Caribbean,” said Mr. Carlos Beltran, vice president of NORCECA for Beach Volleyball. “The fans enjoyed it and the bronze medal match was fantastic.”

During the weekend, it was also played the National Women’s Tournament won by the pair of Rosalyn Angeles and Cynthia Pineyro who defeated Margarita Suero and Rosa Medrano. The pair of Karla Echenique and Bethania de la Cruz finished in third place.