PROUD MOMENTS: Strangers bond, win doubles title

Ellen Jang-Milsten of Alpharetta teamed with Kimberly Yee of Las Vegas to win the USTA National Winter Championship girls 12-and-under doubles title in Tucson. The two players teamed up thanks to tournament director Jeff Brack and immediately clicked, having fun and making each other laugh all the way to the title. “It was so cool how me and Kimberly like the same things in doubles. We both like to end the point at the net and we like making each other laugh in between points,” Jang-Milsten said.

In the final, Jang-Milsten and Yee beat third-seeded Californians Alexis Pereira and Christina Makarova 7-6 (9-7), 6-4. Jang-Milsten, who turns 13 on Jan. 16, is a seventh-grader at Webb Bridge Middle School. She has been playing tennis for six years and is coached by Gery and Jeff Grolimond at Tennis Academy of the South.

All-stars earn trip to England

Collins Hill High School junior Malcolm Miller and Centennial junior Brendan Moore were named to Disney’s Soccer Showcase All-Star Team. Players were selected based on their play at Disney’s Soccer Showcase youth soccer tournament in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., which features more than 400 teams.

The all-star team has been invited by English Premier League team Chelsea Football Club to train and compete against top professional clubs at Chelsea’s world-class facilities near London in August.

Miller plays forward and Moore is the goalkeeper for Concorde Fire Elite, which earned a runner-up finish in the tournament behind a team from Dallas in the boys 17-and-under White division. The Fire lost 1-0 in the final. Other team members are: Cody Mizell, Woodstock High School; Gregory Mackenzie, Wesleyan; Kevin Rodriguez, Duluth; Chris Duvall, Wesleyan; Robert Gooden, Paideia; Nolan Hemmer, Habersham Central; Sean King, Roswell; Tyler Daly, Warner Robins; Nikos Papanikolopoulos, Lakeside; Jordan Levine, Marist; Sawyer Hemmer, Habersham Central; Alexander Sullivan, Marist; Jefferson Chesnutt, Riverwood; Connor McWhorter, Darlington School; Stephen McGill, St. Pius; Alexander Sandland, East Coweta; Mitchell Williams, Centennial; and coaches Ken Kurilec of Marietta and Bruce Moore of Roswell.

Junior Hornets win tournament

The seventh-grade Roswell Junior Hornets basketball team won the Walton/Pope Holiday Basketball Classic at Walton and Pope high schools. The team went undefeated in the tournament.

Team members include: Nikki Cwalina, Rachel Deese, Renee Ferguson, Bree Horrocks, Andreona Keys, Zoe Martin, Tiana Murray, Tylar Pruiksma, Mackenzie Schoen, Chasity Toliver, Ashlyn Turnbull, Greer Hampton, Correy Lee and coaches John Horrocks, Charlotte Hunter and Collin Lee.

Woodstock swimmers set marks

Woodstock High School senior Jonathan Walker finished second in the 50 freestyle in a recent swim meet at the University of Georgia in Athens.

Walker’s time of 23.11 seconds was a school record, topping the old mark of 23.40.

Senior Krisztain Elek also broke an individual school record, finishing second in the 200 individual medley in 2:04.96. Junior Morgan Johnson finished second and set a school record in the 100 freestyle in 55.51.

The Woodstock boys 200 freestyle relay team of Walker, Elek, junior Drew Yeargin and sophomore Alex Broome finished second and broke a school record, finishing in 1:34.21. Woodstock won the overall team meet, with its girls team finishing first and its boys team finishing second… .

Bitsy Grant Tennis Center’s AA-1 Thursday Women’s League team won the fall ALTA city championship. Team members are captain Lee King, Jaime Kaplan, Lisa McManus, Penne Nieporte, Dana Ross, Lisa Short, Autumn Sisk, Lisa Teer, Elle Vegliante and Gail Wilson.

If you know someone who deserves recognition for a proud moment, send the information in an e-mail to Michelle Wilson (mwilson@ajc.com).