Top U.S. Pokemon players crowned

By Hector Cortez Jul 11, 2011, 23:24 GMT

The USA\'s top Pokémon players have been crowned.

After two days of battles this weekend, the nation's top Pokémon video game players were crowned at the 2011 Pokémon Video Game U.S. National Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana.  

The top eight players in each age division all earned an invitation to represent the U.S. in the 2011 Pokémon Video Game World Championships in San Diego, California, August 12th–14th, with the top four finishers winning travel and accommodations.

The 2011 Pokémon Video Game U.S. National Championships, featuring Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version, ended with 24 Pokémon Trainers, divided equally into three divisions—the Junior Division (born in 2000 or later), the Senior Division (born in 1996–1999), and the Masters Division (born in 1995 or earlier)—and each earning guaranteed spots in the upcoming Pokémon Video Game World Championships, where they will compete against some of the best Pokémon video game players from Europe, Japan, and South Korea.

To qualify for the invite-only Pokémon Video Game World Championships in San Diego, players participated in qualifying tournaments held in seven cities leading up to the U.S. National Championships in Indianapolis. The Pokémon U.S. National and World Championships are premier events managed by The Pokémon Company International.

The final results for the 2011 Pokémon Video Game U.S. National Championships are as follows:

JUNIORS
1st Place – Henry Maxon, age 11, Carnation, WA
2nd Place – Brendan Zheng, age 8, Fresh Meadows, NY
3rd Place – Luke Lavin, age 11, Marietta, GA
4th Place – Brian Hough, age 10, Ann Arbor, MI
5th Place – Scott Ramirtha, age 8, Sugarland, TX
6th Place – Tristan Lankford, age 9, Athens, GA
7th Place – Janelle Hagan, age 7, New Bremen, OH
8th Place – Grace Arnold, age 11, Frankfort, IL

SENIORS
1st Place – Aaron Zheng, age 13, Fresh Meadows, NY
2nd Place – David Arnold, age 14, Frankfort, IL
3rd Place – Phillip Codio, age 14, Floral Park, NY
4th Place – Aaron Traylor, age 14, Boston, MA
5th Place – Kristian Mosquito, age 15, New York, NY
6th Place – Brandon Mitchell, age 15, Memphis, TN
7th Place – Enosh Shachal, age 15, Tenafly, NJ
8th Place – Brandon Tang, age 13, Fort Wayne, IN

MASTERS
1st Place - Wolfe Glick, age 15, McLean, VA
2nd Place - Dan Zollner, age 23, Edgewater Park, NJ
3rd Place- Simon Yip, age 19, New York, NY
4th Place - Michael Floccare, age 18, Baltimore, MD
5th Place - Greyson Garren, age 17, Metamora, IL
6th Place - Jason Fisher-Short, age 28, Phoenix, AZ
7th Place - Matt Coyle, age 21, Buffalo, NY
8th Place - Stephen Morioka, age 21, Chicago, IL

For more information, visit: www.pokemon.com/vgc.