2010 College Championships Open Division Preview
Andy Wade
Posted: May 28, 2010 01:06 AM
Pool A
(1) Oregon
(8) Cornell
(12) Georgia
(13) Middlebury
(17) California-San Diego
(1) OREGON: Ego was undoubtedly the best team during the spring season, and is the hands down favorite to take the 2010 championship. Oregon lost twice all year — to Carleton and Georgia — by a combined 3 points. The team won the Stanford Invite and Centex, posting impressive wins over Colorado, Florida and Carleton. Ego waltzed through the Northwest Region, drubbing California by 10 in the final.
Overall: 25-2
Vs. Nationals teams: 10-2
Average margin of victory: 6.7
Tournaments: Won Stanford Invite, Won Centex
Key wins: Wisconsin, Colorado (2), Florida, Carleton, Pittsburgh
Losses: Georgia, Carleton
Captains: Kevin Minderhout, Matt Thornton
Key players: Eli Friedman, Cody Bjorklund, Eli Janin, Josh Wardle, Andy Bryn, Miles Raymer
(8) CORNELL: At the rain-shortened Trouble in Vegas in February, Cornell faced a brutal schedule: The Buds lost to Florida, Colorado and Oregon. But by the time the Series rolled around, Cornell was rolling, too. After a 5th-place finish at College Easterns, the Buds rolled through the Metro East Region, culminating with a 15-11 win over Pittsburgh. Cornell's foes in pool play will be familiar: Middlebury beat Cornell twice this spring, while Cornell topped Georgia twice, all in close games.
Overall: 21-6
Vs. Nationals teams: 3-5
Average margin of victory: 4.96
Tournaments: Tied 5th at College Easterns
Key wins: Pittsburgh, Georgia (2)
Losses: Middlebury (2), Virginia
Captains: Neil Butler, Damien Lazar, Arthur Shull
(12) GEORGIA: At the Stanford Invite in early March, Jojah proved it can perform at the highest level, knocking off Oregon and Florida in Saturday pool play. Jojah then showed some grit in the Atlantic Coast Regionals: after a 15-1 blowout loss to Florida in the semifinals, Jojah rebounded with tight wins over Tennessee and Georgia Tech to claim its bid to Nationals.
Overall: 36-15
Vs. Nationals teams: 4-8
Average margin of victory: 2.78
Tournaments: Won Queen City Tune Up, 8th at Stanford Invite, tied 7th at College Easterns
Key wins: Oregon, Florida
Losses: East Carolina (2), Georgia Tech (2) Virginia, Virginia Tech
Captains: Peter Dempsey, Rob Herrig
Key players: Matt Bailey, Dave Benkeser, Taylor Nilan, Charlie Herrig
From the team: You know the saying, "There's nowhere to go but up"? Well, last year at Nationals, Jojah finished tied for last. Now there are only two ways to go, and it's up or tied for last again.
Note: Sophomore Caleb Edwards, a key offensive player and team leader, broke his collarbone at Regionals and will miss the College Championships.
(13) MIDDLEBURY: Other than a 13-6 loss to Harvard in the New England Regional final, the Middlebury Pranksters posted great placements at all three tournaments they attended. Oregon will be a daunting challenge on Saturday, but with two wins over Cornell, the Pranksters could capitalize on an opportunity to break seed in Pool A.
Overall: 27-7
Vs. Nationals teams: 3-3
Average margin of victory: 3.62
Tournaments: 2nd at College Terminus, tied 3rd at College Easterns, Won Yale Cup
Key wins: Cornell (2), Harvard
Losses: Virigina Tech, Tufts, Dartmouth, Williams
Captains: Joe MacDonald, Dan Glatt
Key players: Jon Cox, Will Van Heuvelen, Jake Herman, Mattias Fitzpatrick
(17) CALIFORNIA-SAN DIEGO: The Air Squids finished higher in the Region (3rd) than they did in their own section (4th). UCSD posted a perfect February, winning President's Day Invite and the Stanford Open. At Regionals, the Air Squids overcame an backdoor loss to UCLA by beating them in the rematch game-to-go.
Overall: 31-9
Vs. Nationals teams: 3-6
Average margin of victory: 2.87
Tournaments: Won Stanford Open, Won Pres Day Invite, 10th at Centex
Key wins: California (2)
Losses: Long Beach
Captains: Justin Elliott, Guy Hughes
Key players: Josh Nickerson, Patrick Metz
From the team: The Squids are starving for the one thing that has eluded them all year…RECIPROCITY!
Pool B
(2) Carleton
(7) Harvard
(11) North Carolina-Wilmington
(14) Illinois
(18) Iowa
CARLETON: Other than a speed bump at the wind-whipped Centex, where it finished 13th, CUT had a phenomenal season. Losses to Pittsburgh and Harvard show that they're beatable, but wins over Oregon, Wisconsin and Colorado prove that the team can indeed go all the way. In typical Carleton fashion, CUT turned on its A-game when it mattered most, going undefeated in the Central Region.
Overall: 21-6
Vs. Nationals teams: 8-4
Average margin of victory: 4.44
Tournaments: 3rd at Stanford Invite, 13th at Centex
Key wins: Oregon, Wisconsin, Colorado, Minnesota
Losses: Harvard, North Carolina, Stanford, Pittsburgh
Captains: Sam Kanner, Grant Lindsley
Key players: Christian Foster, Adrian Chow, Luke Powers, Alex Evangelides, Sam Keller, Robert Carlton
From the team: "We are a team that always strives to play our best game no matter who we are playing. Opponent does not matter to us one bit. We want to outwork other teams with our legs, and be relentless." -- junior Alex Evangelides
HARVARD: The Red Line lost only 4 games all year. In fact, only 7 teams scored double digits against them in 28 games. Harvard impressed at Centex, defeating Carleton, Michigan and California while giving Colorado a run for its money. After a hiccup against Tufts at Sectionals, Harvard beat rival Middlebury in the New England Regional final
Overall: 24-4
Vs. Nationals teams: 4-3
Average margin of victory: 6.29
Tournaments: 5th at Centex, 2nd at Yale Cup
Key wins: Carleton, California
Losses: Tufts, Middlebury
Captains: Alex Lang, George Stubbs
Key players: Misha Herscu, Andrew Vogt, Whitt Virgin-Downey, Kevin Seitz
Note: Three players -- Richard Newcomb, J Helbling and Tom Heffernan -- are returning from significant injuries
NORTH CAROLINA-WILMINGTON: After winning its section, UNC-Wilmington advanced to the finals of the Atlantic Coast Regional final, earning a bid to Nationals with a semifinal win over Virginia.
Overall: 33-8
Vs. Nationals teams: 1-4
Average margin of victory: 3.13
Tournaments: tied 3rd at Queen City Tune Up, tied 9th at College Easterns
Key wins: Georgia
Losses: Millersville, Michigan State, San Diego State
Captains: Stephen Bender, Dave Macurak
Key players: Tommy Lamar, Zaith Bauer, Todd Doroski, Steve Taylor, Rusty Ingold-Smith, Ross English, Russ Causley, Kevin Shea
ILLINOIS: With a big win over Florida at Centex on its resume, Illinois knows it can hang with the top teams. Peaking at the right time, Illinios won the Great Lakes Region with wins over rivals Michigan and Michigan State.
Overall: 28-10
Vs. Nationals teams: 4-5
Average margin of victory: 3.03
Tournaments: 14th at Centex
Key wins: Florida, Michigan
Losses: Oregon State, Tennessee, Western Washington, Purdue
Captains: Austin Lien, Brian Phelan, Walden Nelson
Key players: Neal Phelps, Ryan Smith, Chris Hidaka, Zach Frantz
IOWA: Iowa extracted revenge on Carleton-GOP in the fourth-place game in the Central Region. After falling by 4 earlier in the day, Iowa won, 15-13 to make its first Nationals in 6 years.
Overall: 28-6
Vs. Nationals teams: 1-4
Average margin of victory: 4.33
Key wins: Texas State
Losses: Washington, Michigan, Carleton-GOP
Captains: Alex Versackas, Abe Graber, Sean Parker
Key players: Sergei McNulty, Alex Rummelhart, Tyler Glenn
Note: Key player Garrett Brander was unable to attend College Championships due to an internship abroad.
Pool C
(3) Colorado
(6) Wisconsin
(10) Pittsburgh
(15) Michigan
(19) Texas State
COLORADO: Though it's the top seed, Mambird faces a tough challenge in the stacked Pool C. Wisconsin fell to a No. 6 seed, but always plays tough at Nationals. Michigan and Pittsburgh have beaten Colorado, so they know what it takes. Still, Colorado is peaking at the right time, blowing by the other California schools in the Southwest Regionals.
Overall: 28-6
Vs. Nationals teams: 12-6
Average margin of victory: 3.71
Tournaments: Won Santa Barbara Invite, 4th at Stanford Invite, 2nd at Centex
Key wins: Carleton, Minnesota
Losses: Michigan
Captains: Hylke Snieder, Martin Freeman, Evan Padget
Key players: Zander Padget, Matty Zemel, Jack McShane, Dan Gruber, Tim Morrissy
Note: Mamabird is dedicating its 2010 season to fallen teammate Andrew "Stitches" Graham, who died in November
WISCONSIN: Things were going great for Wisconsin early this season. The Hodags won Mardi Gras and College Easterns, and were looking forward to a showdown with Carleton at Central Regionals. That didn't happen, as Minnesota played spoiler, topping Wisconsin not once but twice. Wisconsin managed to secure a Nationals bid thanks to the Central's strong presence, but a No. 6 seed somehow seems awfully low for the Hodags. Can they shake off the Minnesota losses as the College Championship hosts?
Overall: 30-8
Vs. Nationals teams: 9-7
Average margin of victory: 4.46
Tournaments: Won College Easterns, 5th at Stanford Invite
Key wins: California, Pittsburgh, Minnesota
Losses: North Park, Minnesota (2)
Captains:
Key players:
PITTSBURGH: With its sixth straight appearance at Nationals, Pitt is looking to establish itself among the top tier of college ultimate teams. With big wins over Wisconsin, Carleton and Colorado at the Stanford Invite, Pittsburgh knows it has the firepower to win every game it plays.
Overall: 29-9
Vs. Nationals teams: 9-5
Average margin of victory: 4.71
Tournaments: 2nd at Stanford Invite, 2nd at College Easterns, 9th at Centex
Key wins: Carleton, Colorado, Wisconsin
Losses: Cornell, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Michigan State
Captains: Chris Brenenborg, Geoff Zettel, Colin Conner
Key players: Tyler Degirolamo, Kyle Baynes, Eddie Peters
MICHIGAN: MagnUM doesn't get blown out. In the team's 9 losses, none have come by more than 4 points. The question is, can Michigan close out games when they really count? The team faces a ridiculously strong pool, but MagnUM's signature win came against Colorado, a team they'll face on Saturday.
Overall: 30-9
Vs. Nationals teams: 3-4
Average margin of victory: 3.56
Tournaments: Won Spring Ultimax, 6th at Centex
Key wins: Colorado
Losses: Northwestern, North Carolina State, North Carolina
Captains: Oliver Honderd, Tom Hanyes, Derek Towster
Key players: Tim Lee, Jeff Pape, Spencer Jolly, Alex Fegert
TEXAS STATE: Texas State appeared to come out of nowhere to win the South Region, but wins over Michigan and Illinois shows they can play. Texas State played Colorado and UCSB close earlier this year, and they own Kansas's number.
Overall: 24-12
Vs. Nationals teams: 4-6
Average margin of victory: 3.37
Tournaments:
Key wins: Michigan, Illinois, Kansas (2)
Losses: Vanderbilt, Ball State, St. Olaf
Captains:
Key players:
Pool D
(4) Florida
(5) Minnesota
(9) California
(16) California-Santa Barbara
(20) Kansas
FLORIDA: After three straight years of dominance from 2006-08, Florida fell off in 2009 only to re-establish itself as one of the nation's top programs this season. Florida posted big wins over Wisconsin at Trouble in Vegas and Colorado at the Stanford Invite. Hitting its stride in the series, Florida went undefeated and practically unchallenged through the Atlantic Coast region to earn its No. 4 seed at the College Championships.
Overall: 32-5
Vs. Nationals teams: 10-4
Average margin of victory:
Tournaments: 7th at Stanford Invite, 17th at Centex
Key wins: Wisconsin, Colorado
Losses: Georgia, UCLA, Illinois, California
Captains: Chris Gibson
Key players: Miguel Palavaccini, Brodie Smith, Cole Sullivan, Alex Hill, Alton Gaines, Chris Gibson
MINNESOTA: Though the Greyduck doesn't have the pedigree of other top programs, Minnesota posted a terrific season. Three of its four losses came to top-level teams Wisconsin, Colorado and Carleton, and all were tight games. Minnesota avenged its Mardi Gras semifinal loss to Wisconsin by beating them twice in Central Regionals.
Overall: 33-4
Vs. Nationals teams: 4-3
Average margin of victory: 6
Tournaments: tied 3rd at Mardi Gras, tied 3rd at Centex
Key wins: Pittsburgh, California, Wisconsin (2)
Losses: Carleton-GOP
Captains: Justin Gilbert, Michael Arenson, Tallis Boyd
Key players: Dan Hoff, Michael Arenson, Greg Arenson, Mike Peterson, Kyle Husebye, Austin Juds
CALIFORNIA: Cal has shown it can not only hang with the best, but can dominate other great teams. At the Stanford Invite, Cal beat Wisconsin and Florida by identical 13-7 scores.
Overall: 36-11
Vs. Nationals teams: 6-9
Average margin of victory: 3.44
Tournaments: 2nd at Santa Barbara Invite, 6th at Stanford Invite, 7th at Centex
Key wins: Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Florida
Losses:UC-Davis, UC-Santa Cruz
Captains: Kris Thomson, Andrew Hagen, Gary Dixon
Key players: Erec Hillis, James Pollard, Brandon Kwock, Dylan Kluck, William DeLoache, Zach Travis
CALIFORNIA-SANTA BARBARA: After lackluster showings at its first four tournaments (Santa Barbara Invite, Pres Day Invite, Stanford Invite, Centex), the Condors were 13-15 overall. But UCSB righted the ship entering the series, qualifying for Nationals with a second-place finish in the Southwest.
Overall: 25-17
Vs. Nationals teams: 3-8
Average margin of victory: 1.71
Tournaments: 6th at Santa Barbara Invite, 9th at Stanford Invite
Key wins: California
Losses: UC-Davis, San Diego State, Arkansas, Long Beach
Captains:
Key players:
KANSAS: The only team at the College Championships without a win over another qualifying team, Kansas will have to play as an underdog all weekend.
Overall: 14-10
Vs. Nationals teams: 0-5
Average margin of victory: 1.38
Tournaments: 14th at Centex
Key wins: Texas
Losses: San Diego State, Long Beach
Captains: Ryan Bigley, D. Waller, Bret Hidaka
Key players: Bruce Tuschhoff, Colin Chilcoat, Jon Dixey, Brett Hidaka, Luke Hansen, Gary Gareis, Abe Jacobs