USA Ultimate

Open Division Northwest Regionals Preview

Northwest Division 1 Open Regionals will take place in Burlington, Washington this weekend.

The Northwest has four bids to the College Championships, which reflects its tradition of producing some of the ultimate world’s top talent. The region’s four top-twenty teams (British Columbia, Oregon, Whitman, and Washington) have reason to feel good about their chances for advancement, but a few slip-ups could pit them against a team capable of ending their season when faced with the realization that a single great performance could put them on the big stage. 

What do we know about these teams?

Oregon has a powerful big game offense with the personnel to make any defensive line shake in their cleats. John Bloch, Dylan Freechild, and Callahan nominee Cody Bjorkland are dangerous both in the air and with their throws; expect any of them the get it under and not be afraid to jack it in one look.  But it is Ego’s defensive line that is often the late-game deal breaker. Led by co-captain Collin Smith, Rhino notable Topher Davis, and freshman baller Ian Cambell, Oregon’s break bucket is sure to make frequent appearances.

Oregon at 2010 College Championships.  PHOTO CREDIT: Andrew Davis

British Columbia will continue to rely on the smooth breaks and pinpoint handling of Callahan frontrunner John Norris. Also, with a number of Furious George-bred cutters that stand above six feet tall, Aaron Loach and Andre Gailitis will put it up huge. Expect some scrappy defense from Thunderbird handlers like Aaron Liu, along with a fast transition that will punish turnovers. British Columbia claims that they were underprepared for Conferences, and the full team is eager to unleash mayhem in Burlington.

Washington’s Phil Murray is not done dominating the college scene, and the Sundodgers are ready to rejoin the national circuit. While opponents’ offenses will tire, this team is going to play its starters on both sides of the disc late into the tournament. Expect to see a lot of give-and-go play between ginger duo Murray and Michael “O-Fro” Capaloto before they open it up to transfer grad student and Rhino stud Bryson Uhrig-Fox. Conservative offense may not be exciting to watch, but Washington is just fine with the thrill that accompanies winning.

Whitman is looking to make a big statement for the little guy. The Sweets are the highest ranked Division III school in the nation, and are one of only two to have cracked the top 20. Whitman will look to confuse opposing offenses with junky zone defense, and will surprise defenses when they come out gunning with big throws to speedy cutters. A top-four finish will certainly need to be a group effort for the Sweets, but when push comes to shove, don’t be surprised to see Callahan nominee Jeremy Norden and Jacob Janin, the most underrated player in college ultimate, on the field every point.

Games to watch

Saturday, Washington starts its day against Victoria. This 2 v 3 pool play match up will be a dogfight, because if Victoria is able to break seed they put themselves a semifinal away from getting the region’s second or third bid. Victoria has a strong program, and could definitely take it from the Americans if UW comes out flat.

Whitman is very familiar with Puget Sound: in four games, they have amassed a score of 54-16. Oregon State, on the other hand, could surprise the Sweets. With a strong core of experienced club players, particularly Greg Meshnik’s ability to connect with Benny the Beaver, aka T-Money, aka Timmy Perston, the Beavers could break all the way up to the pool’s second spot. 

Sunday’s 1v2 games will be exciting, as the winner of each pool is guaranteed a bid to the College Championships. Oregon and Washington will play each other for the third time in two tournaments. This means that match ups are pretty much set and that they game will come down to which team has best prepared for the other in practice and which is best at making mid-game adjustments.
 
British Columbia and Whitman will see each other for the first time this year. Does Whitman play it conservative and hope for an easy 2nd place route? Or do the Sweets make it a gritty game and go all out? If Whitman is serious about being among the best teams in the country, there is no reason for them to allow British Columbia to simply take the game.

I won’t bother trying to predict how the brackets will play out, but as I said earlier, with four bids to nationals, every one of these Northwest teams knows that if they want their seasons to continue on the big state, they will need to step up.

Northwest Regionals should prove to be one of the most exciting tournaments of the entire season, and each of its representatives in Boulder will be a strong contender to finish among the nation’s top ten.

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Questions/Comments?  Discuss in this event discussion thread. 

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