Happy 26th Birthday Andy Hawthorne!

You're the 11th ranked player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT). You won the Cincinnati Open last season, defeating Mike Dennison in the final, and got to the quarters of three Tier I IRT tournaments, including the US Open, where you beat Ben Croft in the 16s before losing to eventual champion Rocky Carson.

In 2007, you represented the USA at the Pan American Championship in Santiago, Chile, where you played doubles with Jason Samora, bringing home a silver medal.

You were also the collegiate men's doubles champion in 2002 and 2003 with Shane Vanderson, when you represented Baldwin Wallace College, and in 2002 you also won the collegiate mixed title with Krystal Csuk.

The big question facing you this season is whether you can break into the IRT's top 8 and avoid the Thursday qualifying rounds. With Kane Waselenchuk's return to the IRT, it's likely to be more crowded at the top, so your task will be even more difficult than in the past two years.

We wish you luck in moving up the IRT ranking, and at only 26, there should be several more good seasons ahead for you.