Brunswick racquetball player wins national championship

BRUNSWICK — Angie Case went from having no athletic background in high school to being on the best women's doubles racquetball team in the United States at the college level. Case is a Brunswick resident and graduated from Brunswick High School in 2021. When she was in elementary school, she attended a summer camp at Baldwin Wallace, in which she was first introduced to racquetball. Years later, she revisited the sport while attending the university. "What kept me going was definitely the team itself," Case said. "We have a wide variety of backgrounds, majors and interests. We get a lot of people that just wanted to come out and try the sport." She described racquetball as a beginner-friendly sport that is fun and fast-paced. The game takes place in an enclosed court, and players take turns hitting a ball against the front wall with a racket. "A lot of people get scared away because we're a (Division) I team, but we cater to everyone's needs," Case said. "Whether you just want to come and play at practice for a few hours (or) you want to compete with us nationally. I liked that range and being able to compete at a national level was something exciting." Last month, Baldwin Wallace's racquetball players traveled to Tempe, Arizona, to take part in the National Intercollegiate Championships. She and her teammate Julia Stein, who started playing racquetball as a child, were the returning women's ones doubles champions. "It's been phenomenal having her as my doubles partner and as a teammate because she's taught me a lot about the sport, especially as someone who came in not having ever played a racket sport at any professional level before," Case said. "Her expertise was really helpful." There were two games which led the pair to the finals, she said. In the semifinals, the duo won against Brigham Young University and then defeated Oregon State in the championship. "We're happy because we put a lot of hard work into racquetball," Case said. "We practice three times a week for two hours each practice, and, of course, we wanted to defend our title. It was nerve-wracking because the bar was set high when we won the first time." Case is ranked No. 2 on the team, so she competes against the second-best players at other schools, she said. At the same championship, she came in fourth place for women's twos singles. "If you're showing up to practice, if you're putting in the time, you'll definitely get better and see results over time," Case said. "If you're committed to the sport, you're going to have fun either way as long as you're showing up and putting in some effort." She is currently a junior who is studying art education while being the club president of the racquetball team. She said since Stein will graduate this year, she will take over the lead player position next year. Her goals are to improve her own game and defend the title. "I would tell (younger girls) to try your best, go out there and just have fun," Case said. "You don't have to take everything too seriously. Even just putting yourself in those situations, even if it's a little nerve-wracking at first or intimidating, it doesn't hurt to try new things. You never know where you'll find success." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.