UC Berkeley bridge team wins national title at North American Bridge Championship

The University of California at Berkeley bridge team won the College Team Championship national title at the Summer North American Bridge Championship (NABC) in Las Vegas July 17 to 27. The NABCs are held three times a year and bring together more than 5,000 bridge players from across the US and Canada.

The Golden Bears team defeated their final four competition handily, beating out the University of North Carolina, University of Chicago and the University of Illinois to capture the championship title.

The Golden Bears championship team (pictured left to right) included Armin Askari, Rebecca Wernis, Isha Thapa and Raymond Van Mizener.

The Collegiate Team Championships is an event open to college and university squads whose members are 26 or younger. Teams first compete in an online qualifying round, and the top nine schools were selected for an all-expenses-paid trip to the Collegiate Team Championships. In addition, each member of the winning team received a $500 scholarship.

The 2014 Fall NABC will be held in Providence, R.I., from Nov. 27 to Dec. 7.

About the American Contract Bridge League

Founded in 1937, the ACBL is the largest bridge organization in the world, serving 167,000 members and 3,200 bridge clubs and sanctioning 1,100 sectional and regional tournaments annually. The ACBL’s three North American Bridge Championships each attract up to 5,000 players representing every state in the United States, Canada and about 20 other foreign countries. A challenging and rewarding card game, bridge attracts players of all ages and walks of life – from Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to poker star Phil Gordon. For more information about the ACBL, visit www.acbl.org.

Media Contact: Darbi Padbury

American Contract Bridge League

(901) 487-0504

Darbi.Padbury@acbl.org