New Jersey 5s make trade to reunite with Mari Humberg
Last Edited
Jun 19 2025
Category
News
The New Jersey 5s made a big trade Thursday to reunite with Mari Humberg, who helped them get to last year's MLP championship (where the 5s lost to the Dallas Flash in a thrilling final).
The trade sends Christa Gecheva, who had been New Jersey's bench player, to the D.C. Pickleball Team (Challenger Level) in exchange for Humberg. The 5s also sent an undisclosed amount of cash to D.C. in the transaction.
New Jersey 5s updated roster
Men: Zane Navratil, Will Howells, Craig Johnson
Women: Anna Leigh Waters, Meghan Dizon, Mari Humberg
D.C. Pickleball Team (Challenger) updated roster
Men: Stefan Auvergne, Daniel De La Rosa
Women: Andrea Koop, Christa Gecheva
We noted recently in our MLP Week 5 Power Rankings that the loss of Humberg this season seemed to be most impactful for the 5s in Dreambreaker scenarios. New Jersey is 12-3 overall and 2-2 in Dreambreakers this season, which means about 1/3 of their matches are going to a Dreambreaker.
And their Dreambreaker losses have not been close -- 21-11 vs. Dallas (Dizon played in this match) and 21-13 vs. Utah (Gecheva played in this match).
I thought going into the season that Dizon would be an upgrade for the 5s because she generally has better doubles results on the PPA Tour, but Humberg is undoubtedly a better singles player. (Humberg is No. 25 in the women's singles standings over the past 12 months, while Dizon is No. 88).
Read next: Carolina Hogs waive Collin Johns, pick up Martin Emmrich; other MLP teams also make moves
If the 5s keep Dizon, now they have an opportunity to assess the matchups on a given day and start either Dizon or Humberg based on the opponent.
If it's a match where their best chance is to force a Dreambreaker and win that way -- such as against Dallas or St. Louis -- they could start Humberg. But if they think they have a good chance to win in regulation (earning more points standings), Dizon might be the better bet.
Dizon individually went 8-0 in the games she played at MLP Daytona Beach, so it seems she has been getting more comfortable playing with Waters in women's doubles and Navratil in mixed. She was the top ranked player by a fairly wide margin at that event, winning 79% of points played. Next closest was Gabe Tardio, who won 67% of points played.
The next time we'll see the 5s in action is at the MLP Mid-Season Tournament in Grand Rapids, Michigan, July 8-13.
Join Pickleball’s Greatest Community
Subscribe to our FREE newsletter to be the most well-informed pickleball fan on the court, featuring news, giveaways, and much more!
Gear Picks
Rep The Kitchen with our new exclusive merch!
