Beaverton, OR, WPH Press, 3/1/26
The Oregon Handball Association was thrilled to present the 2026 Oregon State Singles Championship and JR WPH Clinic on the last weekend in February at the Sunset Athletic Club in Beaverton, Oregon. Building on the previous success of the Oregon State Singles tournament, the OHA was excited to collaborate in a four-way partnership between the Oregon Handball Association, the World Players of Handball, the Alten Handball Foundation, and the Hood River Handball Association.
“No one promotes handball better than the World Players of Handball, and we were excited to partner with the WPH again for another stellar handball tournament” stated tournament director Nick Flores. “Participants love our tournaments at Sunset Athletic Club, and the club is excited for us to return, so everything worked out perfectly.”
The Oregon State Singles Championship is Oregon’s premier handball tournament, offering divisions for players of all ages and levels, including Open/A/B/C skill divisions, Women’s Red 21 and White 21 divisions, Masters Singles, Collegiate Singles, and Big Ball Singles. There was also fun doubles for those players who did not want to play singles, but wanted to participate in the tournament.
Men’s Open Singles
Cody Townsend entered the 2026 Oregon State Singles Championship as the top seed in the 13-player player bracket, with fast-rising 2026 WAC Classic champion Jorge Pimentel and 2026 WAC Classic finalist Mike Ewing (2026 WAC Classic recap HERE) grabbing the second and third seeds, respectively.
Semifinals
In a rematch of the 2026 WAC Classic final, Pimentel and Ewing battled for a spot in the OR State Singles final. Game one was competitive, but Pimentel pulled away, winning 21-11, and used his momentum to overwhelm Ewing in game two, winning 21-7.
Pimentel def. Ewing 21-11, 21-7
The second semifinal match featured three-time PNW Regional Champion Cody Townsend and one-time Oregon State Champion Matt Steele. Townsend never gave Steele a chance to get into the match, winning 21 to 8 and 21 to 6.
Townsend def. Steele 21-8, 21-6
Final
Townsend started the final strong, going up 16 to 12 in the first game, but Pimentel caught fire and went on a 9 to 1 run to close out the game 21 to 17. Pimentel kept his barrage of kills and passes going in the second, keeping Townsend under relentless pressure, and finished off the match with a 21 to 12 victory to win his first Oregon State Championship.
“The final was a great match,” Pimentel would later say. “Me and Cody have some similarity in our game and it’s always great to play someone who pushes you to play better.”
Pimentel def. Townsend 21-17, 21-12
JR WPH Clinic
Former WPH Women’s pro Jean Kastner hosted an outstanding JR WPH clinic at the 2026 Oregon State Singles Championship for fifteen junior handball players. The first 30 minutes featured instruction, with Coach Kastner explaining the rules and basic handball techniques to the junior players. The juniors were then split into two groups, girls and boys, who each played a double-elimination bracket. The boys bracket was won by Everett Lowenstein, son of WPH cameraman extraordinaire Che Lowenstein, and the girls bracket was won by Sierra Steele, daughter of former state champion Matt Steele. Thank you to Jean Kastner for hosting the amazing JR WPH clinic!
Thank you to the Alten Handball Foundation for subsidized player entries, ensuring deep discounts on entry fees. Hospitality chairman Stephen Stenberg provided terrific food and beverages throughout the event, including Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and Sunday breakfast and lunch, as well as beer served all tournament long.
Follow all of the brackets from 2026 Oregon State Singles Championship tournament HERE
Support the mission of the World Players of Handball HERE
Support the mission of the Alten Handball Foundation HERE
Nick Flores, Chairman
Oregon Handball Association
www.OregonHandball.org