Sitting Teams Ready for First Tournament of the Year in the Netherlands

The U.S. Men’s and Women’s Sitting Teams are in Assen, Netherlands, this week for the annual Dutch Tournament.

It’s the first tournament for both teams since 2021, but both teams have played in friendlies with Canada this year. The U.S. Women last competed at the 2020 Paralympic Games in September 2021, where they defended their gold medal. The U.S. Men’s last tournament was the Paralympic qualifier in June 2021.

Women’s Event Home | Men’s Event Home

The U.S. Women, ranked No. 1 in the world, will play Canada, Great Britain, Brazil, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands. They’ve won the Dutch tournament the last two years.

Six athletes who won Paralympic gold last year will be in the Netherlands: Whitney Dosty, Monique Matthews, Emma Schieck, Lexi Shifflett, Jillian Williams and Bethany Zummo.

Nicky Nieves and Tia Edwards, who made the 2020 Paralympic Team but couldn’t compete, are also on the roster, along with Paralympic alternates Maddy Ball, Sydney Satchell and Courtney Baker. Newcomer Gia Cruz will make her first tournament appearance for the U.S. Women.

Thirteen athletes are making the trip for the U.S. Men, including eight members who competed at the 2016 Paralympic Games. Six of them were part of a small contingent who played six friendly matches against Canada in May.

2016 Paralympians in the Netherlands are Ben Aman, Eric Duda, Roderick Green, J. Dee Marinko, Dan Regan, Chris Seilkop and James Stuck. Familiar faces Nick Dadgostar, Zach Upp and Patrick Young are on the roster, along with Sam Suroweic, who returns to the team after a six-year break.

Newcomer Murtadha Hadi, who formerly played for the Iraq sitting team, is the one newcomer to the roster.

The U.S. Men will face Kazakhstan, Brazil, Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands.

The tournament begins Friday for men and women. All matches will be livestreamed on YouTube.

Women’s Schedule (all times Pacific)

July 1
USA vs. Netherlands, 4 a.m.
USA vs. Germany, 7:30 a.m.

July 2
USA vs. Brazil, 4 a.m.
USA vs. Italy, 8 a.m.

July 3
USA vs. Great Britain, 12 a.m.
USA vs. Canada, 4 a.m.

Men’s Schedule (all times Pacific)

July 1
USA vs. Kazakhstan, 5:45 a.m.
USA vs. Brazil, 9:15 a.m.

July 2
USA vs. Germany,  2 a.m.
USA vs. Great Britain, 6 a.m.

July 3
USA vs. Netherlands, 2 a.m.
USA vs. TBA, 6 a.m.

Women’s Roster

2 Bethany Zummo (L, 5-3, Dublin, Calif.)
3 Lexi Shifflett (S/L, 5-4, Waseca, Minn.)
4 Maddy Ball (OH, 5-7, Delray Beach, Fla.)
7 Monique Matthews (MB/OH, 6-0, Ardmore, Okla.)
8 Whitney Dosty (OH/OPP, 6-3, Tucson, Ariz.)
9 Tia Edwards (OH/MB, 5-7, Skiatook, Okla.)
10 Sydney Satchell (L, 5-2, Oklahoma City, Okla.)
11 Jillian Williams (MB/OPP/OH, 5-10, Odem, Texas)
12 Emma Schieck (OH, 5-7, Statesville, N.C.)
13 Gia Cruz (S, 5-5, San Antonio Texas)
16 Nicky Nieves (MB/OH, 5-10, Kissimmee, Fla.)
18 Courtney Baker (OH, 5-9, Crofton, Ky.)

Head Coach: Bill Hamiter
Assistant Coach: Michelle Goodall
Athletic Trainer: Kat King
Performance Analyst: Jeffery Hicks
Team Leader: Bobby Moore

Men’s Roster

No Name (Position, Height, Hometown)
2 Dan Regan (OH, 6-0, Edmond, Okla.)
3 Nicholas Dadgostar (L, 6-0, Sydney, Neb.)
4 Ben Aman (OH, 6-5, Edmond, Okla.)
5 Eric Duda (S/OH, 6-5, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
8 James Stuck (S/OH, 6-5, New Kensington, Pa.)
10 Murtahda Hadi
11 Roderick Green (MB, 6-3, West Monroe, La.)
12 Patrick Young (OH, 6-4, Albuquerque, N.M.)
15 Chris Seilkop (OH, 6-6, Deland, Fla.)
17 Zach Upp (OH, 6-5, Bartlett, Ill.)
18 J Dee Marinko (OH, 6-4, Norman, Okla.)
21 John Kremer (L, 5-9, Buford, Ga.)
49 Sam Surowiec (6-2, Everett, Wash.)

Head Coach: Greg Walker
Assistant Coach: Joe Skinner
Assistant Coach: Kyle Homeyer
Performance Analyst: David Dantes
Athletic Trainer: Brian Farr
Team Leader: Julie Allen