Andy Hawthorne is a professional racquetball player (born September 7, 1982). Hawthorne finished #6 on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) at the end of the 2010-11 season, a career high and the fourth season he'd finished in the IRT's top 10 players. Primarily a drive serving player, Hawthorne also has a very "scrappy" game style.

Professional career

Hawthorne began playing the IRT full time in the 2004-05 season, when he played 9 of the 12 events and reached the quarter finals twice. Since then Hawthorne hasn't missed a tournament., reaching the quarter finals 28 times but only once advancing to the semi-finals. That semi-final appearance was at the Kansas City Pro-Am in September 2011, when he lost to Kane Waselenchuk

Kane Waselenchuk

Kane Waselenchuk is a professional racquetball player from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Waselenchuk finished the 2010-11 season as the #1 player on the International Racquetball Tour for the 6th time. He was undefeated on court in 2010-11, with only a default loss due to illness. It was the second...

 in three games.

International Career

Hawthorne has been on Team USA at three international events. He and Jason Samora were silver medalists in doubles at the 2007 Pan American Championships in Chile, losing to Canadians Vincent Gagnon and François Viens in the final.

In his other Team USA appearances, Hawthorne was a bronze medalist in singles at the 2009 Pan American Championships., and in 2011, he lost to Bolivian Carlos Keller in the Round of 16.

USA Racquetball Competitions

Hawthorne won the USA Racquetball collegiate men's doubles title in 2002 and 2003 with Shane Vanderson

Shane Vanderson

Shane Vanderson is a professional racquetball player . Vanderson was the #5 player at the end of three seasons: 2006-07, 2007-08, 2009-10. Vanderson has been in the top 10 every season since he began playing the IRT full time in the 2003-04 season...

, when he represented Baldwin-Wallace College

Baldwin-Wallace College

Baldwin–Wallace College is a liberal arts college in Berea, Ohio, founded in 1845. It is home to the Riemenschneider-Bach Institute and the Baldwin–Wallace Conservatory of Music, an internationally renowned music school. The college is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Students receive a...

. In 2002, Hawthorne also won the collegiate mixed title with Krystal Csuk.

Personal

Born in Clinton, Iowa, Hawthorne grew up in Champaign, Illinois, close to a racquetball club. But he learned to play from his uncle on a family vacation, and then continued to play when he returned home.

Hawthorne is married, and met his wife Tracy at Baldwin-Wallace College

Baldwin-Wallace College

Baldwin–Wallace College is a liberal arts college in Berea, Ohio, founded in 1845. It is home to the Riemenschneider-Bach Institute and the Baldwin–Wallace Conservatory of Music, an internationally renowned music school. The college is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Students receive a...

 as he was looking to recruit women for the racquetball team there. http://www.racquetballwarehouse.com/VideoInterviews.html?ccode=ANDYINT3. She continues to play racquetball competitively.

Hawthorne has been sponsored by Ektelon

Ektelon

Ektelon, Inc. is an American manufacturer of equipment for racquetball.Currently based in Bordentown, New Jersey, Ektelon was founded by Franklin W. "Bud" Held in 1964 as the first company to manufacture racquetball racquets and stringing machines, not long after the development of the sport of...

throughout his career.