Teenager Aline Morales returns a shot during the 5.0 mixed doubles finals at the American Riviera Classic. Morales and Jason Saltoun-Ebin won the title. (Gary Kim / Noozhawk).

The youth movement in pickleball has made an impact at the American Riviera Classic at the Santa Barbara Municipal Courts.

Aline Morales, a 13-year-old girl from Zihuantanejo, Mexico, won the gold medal in the top skill-level division of the mixed doubles competition on Saturday.

Morales and partner Jason Saltoun-Ebin of Santa Barbara won the 5.0-and-over title after their opponents, Natalie Collins/Andy Silverstein were forced to retire during the second game due to an injury suffered by Silverstein.

Collins/Silverstein won the first game 11-9 and were locked in a 7-7 battle in the second game when Silverstein got hurt and was unable to continue.

Andy Silverstein hits an overhead shot as his partner Natalie Collins watches during the 5.0 mixed doubles finals. (Gary Kim / Noozhawk photo)

Morales won the 5.0 women’s doubles title on Friday with Wendy Ochoa of Mexico.

In other action Saturday, the 60-69 age bracket in the 4.0 division was highly competitive.  In the final, the husband-and-wife team of Don and Kathy Le Sage of Carpinteria defeated Santa Barbara’s Nanette Schooley and Frank Adler, 11-5, 11-3. The teams each went 4-1 during round-robin play.

Owen Chambers and F. Louise Foss of Palmdale won a 4.5 title in the 50+ Division. (Gary Kim / Noozhawk photo)

The 49-under age-group final of the 4.0 skill level went down to a third game. Malia Sato of Los Angeles and Santa Barbara’s Joshua Weil outlasted Kristi Miller (Santa Barbara) and Jeff Villano (Goleta), 11-9.

The local team of Leslie Thomas (Santa Barbara) and Joseph Lambert (Solvang) prevailed in a three-game battle for 60-and-above title at the 3.5 level to go undefeated on the day. They defeated Newbury Park’s Patricia and Marc Rosenthal.

The tournament concludes Sunday with men’s doubles competition.

Mixed Doubles Results

Skill Level 3.0 (all age division)

  1. Sandra Miller (Pismo Beach)/Frank Redfern (Santa Ynez)
  2. Elsa Jimenez (Glendale)/Choy CJ Jimenez (Glendale)
  3. Kathy Darg (Lompoc)/Mike Darg (Lompoc)

3.0 (50-59)

  1. Jimenez/Jimenez

3.0 (60-69)

  1. Miller/Redfern
  2. Darg/Darg

3.0 (70-79)

  1. Gayle Linn/Walter Linn (Nipomo)
  2. Susan Sarmiento (Santa Barbara)/Anatole Krupenas (Lompoc)

3.5 (49-under)

  1. Irene Spaulding (Carmel, Ind.)/Adam Spaulding (Paso Robles)
  2. Angela Wick (Santa Barbara) Richard Eppolito (Summerland)
  3. Emily Robinson (San Luis Obispo) Bret Holladay (Arroyo Grande)

3.5 (20-29)

  1. Robinson/Holladay

3.5 (40-49)

  1. Spaulding/Spaulding
  2. Sarah Paskin/Michael Paskin (Santa Barbara)

3.5 (50-59)

  1. Karen Iba (Simi Valley)/Spencer Armstrong (Simi Valley)
  2. Janice Ferrante-Hugh Margerum (Santa Barbara)
  3. Kimmy Fitzgerald (Valley Village) -Rob Fitzgerald (North Hollywood)

3.5 (60 and above)

  1. Leslie Thomas (Santa Barbara)/Joseph Lambert (Solvang)
  2. Patricia Rosenthal (Newbury Park)/Marc Rosenthal (Newbury Park)
  3. Olga Herrera Pinol (Santa Barbara)/Michael Robinson (Fairlight, New South Wales, Australia)

4.0 (49-under)

  1. Malia Sato (Los Angeles)/Joshua Weil (Santa Barbara) 
  2. Kristi Miller (Santa Barbara)/Jeff Villano (Goleta)
  3. Yingying Yang (Newbury Park)/Aaron Li (Thousand Oaks)

4.0 (20-29)

  1. Sato/Weil
  2. Yang/Li

4.0 (30-39)

  1. Virginia Sun (Buellton)/Juan Velazquez (Buellton)

4.0 (50-59)

1.  Miller/Villano

4.0 (50-59)

  1. Allison Head/Scott Head (Atascadero)
  2. Jules Hastings/Tom Hastings (Santa Barbara)
  3. Kym Paszkeicz (Santa Barbara)/Chris Renner (Breckenridge, Co.)

4.0 (60 and above)

  1. Kathleen Le Sage/Don Le Sage (Carpinteria)
  2. Nanette Schooley/Frank Adler (Santa Barbara)
  3. Kay Clause/Chris Palme (Santa Barbara)

Other medal winners

1. Barbara Neary (Carpinteria)/Richard Pastoria (Santa Barbara)

4.0 (70-79)

  1. Laurie Harrington (Goleta)/Jerry Jacobs (Santa Barbara)

4.5 (49-under)

  1. Rachel Kelterer (Newbury Park)/Cameron Gilliam (Nashville, Tenn)
  2. Alessandra Mello (Los Osos)/Alejandro Magos (San José Del Cabo)
  3. Katie Hatch (Camarillo)/Vince Kosek (Santa Barbara)

4.5 (40-49)

  1. Michelle Kobashi/Spencer Cross (Santa Barbara)

4.5 (20-29)

  1. Jill Roberts/Kellen Roberts (Santa Barbara)

4.5 (30-39)

  1. Kelterer/Gilliam
  2. Jill Sharkey (Santa Barbara)/Jake Lounsbury (Carpinteria)
  3. Emily Ineman/Christopher McClellan (Santa Barbara)

4.5 (40-49)

  1. Mello/Magos
  2. Hatch/Kosek
  3. Tracy Wilcox/David Wilcox (Goleta)

4.5 (50+)

  1. F. Louise Foss/Owen Chambers (Palmdale)
  2. Joy Rodriquez/Eric Falk (Bakersfield)
  3. Denise Tisdale (Goleta)/Stephen Hoke (Santa Barbara)

4.5 (50-59)

  1. Rodriquez/Falk
  2. Tisdale/Hoke

4.5 (60-69)

1. Foss/Chambers

2. Julie Barnes/Thomas Bramson (Santa Barbara)

3. Kathy Isett (Simi Valley)/Steve Grossman (West Hills)

5.0 and above

  1. Aline Morales (Ixtapa, Zihuantanejo)/Jason Saltoun-Ebin (Santa Barbara)
  2. Natalie Collins-Smith/Andy Silverstein (Santa Barbara)
  3. Erica Butkiewicz/Rico Pangilinan (Bakersfield)

5.0 (30-39)

1. Bebie Pangilinan (Bakersfield)/Jesus Rodrigez (Shafter)

Barry Punzal is a Noozhawk contributing writer, and was for many years Noozhawk's sports editor. He can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.