By Karen Ronney
The Southern California Tennis Association Foundation congratulates Dana Mathewson for bringing home two gold medals in the 2023 Parapan American Games. The top-ranked American wheelchair player from San Diego represented Team USA to clinch the singles and doubles titles recently in Santiago, Chile.
Mathewson, 32, was also selected to be the flag holder for Team USA. She plans on retiring after Paris 2024, so this was indeed a great honor. She partnered with American Maylee Phelps to clinch the Gold Medal in doubles.
The Parapan American Games are held every four years and it is scheduled one year ahead of the Paralympic Games. It is the largest multi-sport event in the Americas. Mathewson’s singles victory qualified her for the 2024 Paralympic Games. Mathewson is also a two-time Paralympian and the 2022 Wimbledon wheelchair doubles champion.
“Being a flag bearer for Team USA is an honor that I honestly never thought I would have, and never will forget,” said Mathewson, in a recent interview posted at usta.com. “Wearing USA on my back and competing for my teammates and my country has been some of my favorite memories of my sporting career and this will be up there with the best of them. I’m so excited for the opportunity.”
Other outstanding Southern California participants included San Diego’s David Wagner, who clinched the Bronze Medal in the Quad Mixed Doubles Division with partner Andrew Bogdanov. Wagner, ranked No. 3 in the world for ITF Quad Singles, has won the Grand Slams in doubles and he is a three-time Paralympic doubles champion in the quad division.
Wagner has often volunteered at San Diego’s Tennis Fest had has been a longtime friend of the So Cal wheelchair tennis community and the Southern California Tennis Association Foundation.
“The SCTA Foundation is so proud of both Dana and David for their recent wins as well as their career accomplishments,” said Linda Milan, the Executive Director for the SCTA Foundation. “They represented our country with honor and inspired our local wheelchair tennis community by their dedication to the sport.”
Information from an article posted USTA.com (Nov. 14, 2023) contributed to this report. (CLICK HERE)
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About the Southern California Tennis Association Foundation:
We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization and is the charitable arm of USTA Southern California. The Foundation’s mission is to “Change lives and build communities through tennis.” Since 2020, the SCTA Foundation has had a community impact of giving over $1million in tennis grants and tennis scholarships to deserving youth, adults, tennis organizations, tennis facilities and tennis programs to make tennis an equal opportunity sport, accessible to all, regardless of age, ability, ethnicity, or economic background. Visit us on Social Media on Instagram and Facebook. To learn more about the SCTA Foundation go to: www.sctafoundation.org. To donate go to: sctafoundation.org/donate/ or https://secure.qgiv.com/for/sctfougivtue.