2013 D-III North Central College Regionals Preview (Open)
Charlie Enders
Posted: April 26, 2013 11:50 AM
Event preview by Charlie Enders of St John's, as a part of our 2013 Regionals coverage.
After a tumultuous regular season full of rain, snow (it snowed here in Collegeville yesterday), mud, wind and rabid monkeys, the Division III teams of the North Central are finally congregating in Delafield, Wisconsin to resolve their differences through a rousing game of Parcheesi.
Nah. They’re gonna play some ultimate.
The normally dominant region will be fighting over one measly bid to Nationals, and after a very competitive Northwoods conference tournament, GOP, St John’s and St Olaf all feel like they have a shot to qualify. While these three must certainly be the favorites, Grinnell, Luther-B and Milwaukee Enineering are surely licking their chops as they wait patiently in the shadows.
Lets take a look at the three favorites:
St John’s BAM
Tournaments Attended: D-III Warmup, Huck Finn, Chicago Invite
Season Summary: BAM has had, with the exception of a less-than-stellar Huck Finn, a fairly successful regular season. BAM took a different approach to the regular season this year. Taking a page from CUT & GOP, BAM was more concerned with improvement in its young players than results. After defeating GOP in the Conference Championship (on universe, no less), BAM feels confident heading into Regionals.
Players to Watch: On offense, Dave Stemper and Andrew Johnson control the disc, while on defense, Nihal Bhakta matches up against the other team’s best cutter.
Carleton College-GOP
Tournaments Attended: D-III Warmup, Southerns
Season Summary: Despite having a great D-III Warmup (finishing third), GOP did not manage to secure a strength bid for the North Central. This may in part be due to a lack of a significant amount of games. GOP had the Free State Classic on their schedule, but the tournament was cancelled due to lousy weather. After a 3-3 record at Southerns, which included two squeakers of wins against Georgia-B (10-8) and the soon-to-be-mentioned Saint Olaf (10-9), GOP finished the season ranked 22nd in D-III. However, GOP is certainly a dangerous squad that can compete with any D-III team in the country.
Players to Watch: Matt Godfrey (on D) and Niko Duffy (on O) are consistently consistent handlers, and Rhys Lindmark does it all.
St Olaf Berserkers
Tournaments Attended: Southerns, Kentucky Classic
Season Summary: Like GOP, Olaf failed to achieve a strength bid for the North Central, finishing the season ranked 32nd in D-III. Their results are certainly not what we’ve come to expect from the ‘Zerks (they finished tied for fifth last year at Nationals), but nevertheless they remain a strong unit of hairy warriors, ready to lay their bodies on the line when it is time for battle.
Players to Watch: Charlie Whitmore and Ben Liska consistently get open from the cutter position, while John Knapp uses his gangle-factor to throw bundles of breaks.
Interestingly enough, GOP is 1-1 against both St John’s and St Olaf. BAM and the ‘Zerks have yet to play, but that will most likely change this weekend.
Three (and five other teams) go in.
Only one comes out.
And goes to Nationals.
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