Most Bloomington residents probably know team handball only from Olympic highlights. For one weekend in October, though, some of the best club teams in the country played it at the Kennedy Activity Center. The 2026 Minnesota Fall Classic, presented by Minnesota Team Handball and USA Team Handball, took over the courts the second weekend of the month.
This was the tournament's 6th year, and it has become a fixture as the season opener. It drew teams from Chicago, Milwaukee, Denver, Dallas and other cities. USA Team Handball said the event "continues to provide an important early-season competitive opportunity."
In the men's bracket, the Denver Wolves beat Chicago Inter 24-18 in the final. The Wolves lost only once all weekend, and that loss came against the home team: the Minnesota Northmen beat Denver 32-21. Denver also won the individual awards. Janik Richter was named MVP, Sebastian Pucher was named most valuable goalie and Marian Seibert was the top scorer.
Two Minnesota players made the men's all-tournament team: Andy Andersen at wing and Sam Erickson at back. Also on the team were Moshe Mukori of Denver at wing, Aljaz Supovec of Chicago and Roberto Nova of Dallas at back, Joselito Reyes of Dallas at pivot and Omid Bazanjani of Dallas in goal.
The women's side went much like last season. Chicago Inter won a national title without a loss last year, and it went undefeated again here. It beat Milwaukee United 25-11 in the final and beat the Minnesota Monarchs 41-12 earlier in the weekend. Leonida Gichevska of Chicago was named MVP, and her teammate Iryna Stelmakh was the top scorer. Milwaukee's Cassie Hoelzl won most valuable goalie.
Victoria Rybakova of the Monarchs made the women's all-tournament team at back, alongside Luisa Miguel of Milwaukee and Natalie Achim of Chicago. Rounding out the team were wings Emily Capper of Milwaukee and Milica Vukovic of Chicago, pivot Johanna Rydefalk of Milwaukee and goalie Kelsey Ladt of Chicago.
The club circuit moves on quickly. The Michael Lipov Cup is next, Nov. 6–8 in Chicago, with men's and women's club divisions, according to USA Team Handball's events page. The season continues through spring and leads into the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, July 23–Aug. 8.
