The New Jersey 5s: The Machine That Won't Stop
They won New York. They lead the standings. And the Grand Rapids Mid-Season Tournament is next. Nobody is stopping them — for now.
New York, NY — There were 11 teams at Sportime Randall's Island this weekend. Only one left with the belt.
The New Jersey 5s won MLP New York 2026 — the sixth event of the regular season — with a performance that left no doubt about who the best team in the league is right now. 25 standings points. The Super Sunday Belt. And 87 cumulative points in the overall standings — the highest of any team in the league.
Anna Leigh Waters. Will Howells. Jorja Johnson. Noe Khlif. Four players. One machine.
What Happened in New York
The 5s arrived in New York from a position of strength — but the event was no walk in the park. The group format placed Gary Vaynerchuk and Ryan Harwood's team in Group B alongside the Brooklyn Pickleball Team, Carolina Hogs, Dallas Flash, Florida Smash and Palm Beach Royals — a group with enough talent to cause problems.
It wasn't enough.
The 5s dominated pool play, advanced as group leaders and arrived at Super Sunday as the #1 seed from Group B. In the defining match — The Fives vs Brooklyn Pickleball Team — the story was simple and brutal:
Women's Doubles: 11-1 ✅
Men's Doubles: 11-8 ✅
Mixed Doubles 1: 11-4 ✅
The belt went to New Jersey. The message went to the rest of the league.
The Standings After New York
The standings table after the sixth event tells everything there is to know about the state of the 2026 season:
🥇 New Jersey 5s — 87 points
🥈 St. Louis Shock — 83 points
🥉 LA Mad Drops — 61 points
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4. Columbus Sliders — 61 points
5. Brooklyn Pickleball Team — 48 points
6. Palm Beach Royals — 44 points
7. Texas Ranchers — 42 points
8. Las Vegas Night Owls — 22 points
T-8. Dallas Flash — 22 points
10. SoCal Hard Eights — 21 points
11. Orlando Squeeze — 19 points
12. Utah Black Diamonds — 16 points
The Story Within the Story: Dallas Flash
The Dallas Flash finished fourth in New York with 12 points — a result that does not lead headlines but says a lot about the direction of the team.
Danni-Elle Townsend and Alix Truong — the duo the MLP itself described as one that "just clicks" after Dallas — showed flashes again of what they can be together. The Australian who traded acting stages for pickleball courts is finding her rhythm in her new home. And JW Johnson remains the male anchor that keeps this team competitive in any setting.
The Flash sit 14th in the overall standings with 22 points. The climb begins in Grand Rapids.
What's Next: Grand Rapids — The Event That Changes Everything
The Mid-Season Tournament in Grand Rapids, Michigan — July 8-12 at Belknap Park, alongside the Beer City Open — is the only event of the 2026 season where all 20 teams compete at the same time.
No separate groups. No teams playing on different weekends. Everyone in the same place, at the same time, fighting for the same points.
For the 5s — who enter as leaders with 87 points — Grand Rapids is an opportunity to consolidate their advantage over a St. Louis Shock that is breathing down their neck with 83. Just 4 points separate them. In MLP pickleball, that can disappear in a single Sunday.
For the Shock — Super Sunday champions in St. Louis and St. Petersburg, with 11 consecutive wins before New York — it is the moment to prove that the break did not affect them. Anna Bright, Hayden Patriquin and Gabe Tardio have something to say about that.
For the Dallas Flash — 14th in the standings, with a new women's duo still finding its chemistry — Grand Rapids is the first major real test. Can Townsend and Truong compete against the best teams in the circuit in the most demanding setting of the regular season?
And for the other 17 teams — from Brooklyn to the Phoenix Flames — Grand Rapids is the last real opportunity to make the move that keeps them alive in the playoff race. The top 12 advance. The rest go home.
The Number That Defines July
4 points.
That is what separates the New Jersey 5s from the St. Louis Shock in the overall standings. In a league where a Super Sunday is worth 25 points and last place is worth 1 — everything can change in a single Sunday.
The 5s have the advantage. The Shock have the momentum. And Grand Rapids has both.
The Mid-Season Tournament begins Tuesday, July 8. At DINK Authority, we will be following every point.
"See you on the courts." — Dink Authority Editorial Team
They won New York. They lead the standings. And the Grand Rapids Mid-Season Tournament is next. Nobody is stopping them — for now.
New York, NY — There were 11 teams at Sportime Randall's Island this weekend. Only one left with the belt.
The New Jersey 5s won MLP New York 2026 — the sixth event of the regular season — with a performance that left no doubt about who the best team in the league is right now. 25 standings points. The Super Sunday Belt. And 87 cumulative points in the overall standings — the highest of any team in the league.
Anna Leigh Waters. Will Howells. Jorja Johnson. Noe Khlif. Four players. One machine.
What Happened in New York
The 5s arrived in New York from a position of strength — but the event was no walk in the park. The group format placed Gary Vaynerchuk and Ryan Harwood's team in Group B alongside the Brooklyn Pickleball Team, Carolina Hogs, Dallas Flash, Florida Smash and Palm Beach Royals — a group with enough talent to cause problems.
It wasn't enough.
The 5s dominated pool play, advanced as group leaders and arrived at Super Sunday as the #1 seed from Group B. In the defining match — The Fives vs Brooklyn Pickleball Team — the story was simple and brutal:
Women's Doubles: 11-1 ✅
Men's Doubles: 11-8 ✅
Mixed Doubles 1: 11-4 ✅
The belt went to New Jersey. The message went to the rest of the league.
The Standings After New York
The standings table after the sixth event tells everything there is to know about the state of the 2026 season:
🥇 New Jersey 5s — 87 points
🥈 St. Louis Shock — 83 points
🥉 LA Mad Drops — 61 points
LOVE PICKLEBALL?
Get Dink Authority Magazine updates, new editions, pro stories and event alerts.
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.
4. Columbus Sliders — 61 points
5. Brooklyn Pickleball Team — 48 points
6. Palm Beach Royals — 44 points
7. Texas Ranchers — 42 points
8. Las Vegas Night Owls — 22 points
T-8. Dallas Flash — 22 points
10. SoCal Hard Eights — 21 points
11. Orlando Squeeze — 19 points
12. Utah Black Diamonds — 16 points
The Story Within the Story: Dallas Flash
The Dallas Flash finished fourth in New York with 12 points — a result that does not lead headlines but says a lot about the direction of the team.
Danni-Elle Townsend and Alix Truong — the duo the MLP itself described as one that "just clicks" after Dallas — showed flashes again of what they can be together. The Australian who traded acting stages for pickleball courts is finding her rhythm in her new home. And JW Johnson remains the male anchor that keeps this team competitive in any setting.
The Flash sit 14th in the overall standings with 22 points. The climb begins in Grand Rapids.
What's Next: Grand Rapids — The Event That Changes Everything
The Mid-Season Tournament in Grand Rapids, Michigan — July 8-12 at Belknap Park, alongside the Beer City Open — is the only event of the 2026 season where all 20 teams compete at the same time.
No separate groups. No teams playing on different weekends. Everyone in the same place, at the same time, fighting for the same points.
For the 5s — who enter as leaders with 87 points — Grand Rapids is an opportunity to consolidate their advantage over a St. Louis Shock that is breathing down their neck with 83. Just 4 points separate them. In MLP pickleball, that can disappear in a single Sunday.
For the Shock — Super Sunday champions in St. Louis and St. Petersburg, with 11 consecutive wins before New York — it is the moment to prove that the break did not affect them. Anna Bright, Hayden Patriquin and Gabe Tardio have something to say about that.
For the Dallas Flash — 14th in the standings, with a new women's duo still finding its chemistry — Grand Rapids is the first major real test. Can Townsend and Truong compete against the best teams in the circuit in the most demanding setting of the regular season?
And for the other 17 teams — from Brooklyn to the Phoenix Flames — Grand Rapids is the last real opportunity to make the move that keeps them alive in the playoff race. The top 12 advance. The rest go home.
The Number That Defines July
4 points.
That is what separates the New Jersey 5s from the St. Louis Shock in the overall standings. In a league where a Super Sunday is worth 25 points and last place is worth 1 — everything can change in a single Sunday.
The 5s have the advantage. The Shock have the momentum. And Grand Rapids has both.
The Mid-Season Tournament begins Tuesday, July 8. At DINK Authority, we will be following every point.
"See you on the courts." — Dink Authority Editorial Team
