Feature – NCDA

Scholarship Application 2023

Each year the Platteville Dodgeball Club puts on the Tim Ebert Memorial Scholarship Tournament, and this year we are teaming up with the National Dodgeball Association (NDA) to run the event. The tournament will be held on Saturday, August 12th, the link to the event page can be found here (NDA-Platteville). Tim Ebert was a player at the University of Wisconsin Platteville who was respected by his teammates as a captain and friend. Tim could always be counted on, always there to help, and was always making a difference. The funds raised go towards a scholarship in his name offered by the Platteville Dodgeball Club.

Group picture with Tim’s parents from last year’s event.

Meet the Staff

The NCDA Content Team produces articles, graphics, videos, photography, spreads and more! We asked members to share their role, what they’ve been working on, and what they’re hoping to accomplish this season.

Meet the team!

December 2022 – wBOTM – Danielle Kubbe

The NCDA has been recognizing players that make a statement on the court through their skills, leadership, and ability to mobilize a team, and oftentimes, these teams are greatly influenced by their female players. This month, we are recognizing Danielle Kubbe for the NCDA’s December Women’s Baller of the Month. Content Member Kathryn Mays took some time to interview this star player; take a look at the interview below:

Buckeye Showcase Recap

There’s never a dull weekend in Columbus. Last Sunday’s Buckeye Showcase proved to be the most exhilarating season opener yet (and arguably the most exciting thing to happen in Columbus that weekend). Ohio State hosted 5 schools for the third annual Buckeye Showcase, and my oh my, what a day of close matches. Obviously, teams can change a lot between the start of the season and Nationals, but if these teams continue to play like they did at the Showcase, the Ohio Region very well could claim the National Title this season.

If you weren’t at this event, the above claim probably doesn’t hold a lot of weight – there’s a lot to unpack. Let’s go team by team to evaluate what we saw and speculate the future of these teams.

Buckeye Showcase Preview

Sunday marks the first big tournament of the college dodgeball season! The 3rd Annual Buckeye Showcase will feature five Ohio schools itching to be recognized as the state’s top ranked team. Although we are less than a month into the season, we are anticipating close matches and new rivalries; the Ohio teams continue to narrate the college dodgeball scene.

So who do we need to look out for? Whose match predictions will prove true? Which rookies should we keep an eye on as the season progresses? And how will these teams perform against their current standings?

Internship Program 2022

Each year, the Platteville Dodgeball Club puts on the Tim Ebert Memorial Scholarship Tournament. Tim Ebert was a player at the University of Wisconsin Platteville who was respected by his teammates as a captain and friend. Tim could always be counted on, always there to help, and was always making a difference and missed by all who knew him. The funds raised go towards the NCDA Internship program that allow the league to offer an internship.

Group picture from this year’s Tim Ebert Tournament!

NCDA Executive Board Votes to Add ‘Director of Records’ Position

The NCDA Executive Board voted 7-1 to expand the Board and add a new permanent Director position. This position, claiming the title Director of Records, will be in charge of managing important NCDA information including but not limited to: Records of All Games, Standings, and Form Responses for Registrations.

The Board believes that the expansion will provide additional help to expand the NCDA, and increase involvement opportunities for current and former players to help the NCDA. This position will be open for election on this year’s ballot. Those interested in running for the position must either nominate themselves or be nominated by another individual to be eligible. Nominations for the position are due by May 31st. Please contact a current NCDA Board member if you are interested or have any questions.

2022 College Dodgeball All-Rookie Team

Nationals Rookie of the Year:

Alec Deen

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Two practices, that’s all it took for Alec Deen to solidify himself as Rookie of the Year (at least in MSU’s eyes). Walking in to his second ever practice, Deen talked about film and asked the coaches questions about situations from games back into 2018 that he had already watched and analyzed. When you couple an insane IQ with a cannon for an arm, speed and agility, and the ability to catch in the most clutch situations, it seems hard to find a suitable match to Alec. It’s not often you can throw a freshman into a pivotal role like corner and have them instantly be feared by other teams but Alec managed to do just that for the Spartans. He proved his worth on the court from the first tournament when he was tasked with holding down former league MVP Ben Smart – a game the Spartans went on to handily win 5-1 largely in part due to Alec’s play. He worked himself into a lock OT-6 player for the Spartans and only looks to gain more experience through USA Dodgeball this summer. If he continues to grow at this current rate, you can almost guarantee Deen to round out the three-headed monster of Michigan State’s offense with Girling and Butler III for MVP discussion.

2022 College Dodgeball 2nd Team All-Americans

1) Joseph Walsh

CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY

For years, Joe Walsh has been a staple of the Ohio Region and the Cleveland State Vikings. Walsh is instrumental in all offensive aspects of CSU’s success. He’s their main offensive weapon and best catcher on the back line. When Walsh is active on the court for the Vikings, there’s always a chance they can take the point because of how influential he is for this roster. If this is Joe’s last season, then he has cemented himself as a CSU legend and an All time Ohio Region Player.

2022 Women’s All-American Team

The 2022 NCDA season was always going to be one with a lot of mystery heading into the year. With a significant hiatus away from the court, questions about which teams and players would step up and push their way to the top remained at large until finally everything came together with a fantastic showing at this year’s Nationals. Since 2017, the NCDA has honored the female competitors who have dedicated time and effort to their craft. These women erased all the doubt, the mystery, and questions through their excellent play and proved beyond a shadow of a doubt they were some of the best athletes college dodgeball had to offer. This list recognizes both the athletic achievements and amazing leadership these women have brought to their respective clubs.

– Hunter Ford, NCDA President

Nationals 2022 – Full Results

KALAMAZOO, MI – WMU Student Recreation Center

In the first day of Nationals 2022:

JMU def. UC 3-1
UNL def. CSU 2-0
SVSU def. UWP 3-2 OT
Ohio def. UMD 3-0
Akron def. UK 3-1
Towson def. WMU 4-1
OSU def. UWP 4-0
GVSU def. Ohio 3-2
BGSU def. UK 4-1
PSU def. UMD 4-0
UNL def. Miami 4-2
BGSU def. PSU 5-4 OT
MSU def. OSU 4-2
Towson def. Akron 4-1
GVSU def. CSU 3-1
JMU def. Miami 5-1
UC def. SVSU 4-2
Towson def. Ohio 3-2
UMD def. WMU 3-1
UWP def. CSU 4-1
SVSU def. UK 4-2
MSU def. PSU 6-3
OSU def. UNL 4-3 OT
UMD def. Miami 3-2 OT
JMU def. BGSU 3-2
UC def. WMU 3-1
GVSU def. Akron 4-0

Sunday Nationals Results & Bracket

PSU def. BGSU 4-2
Towson def. Akron 4-1
OSU def. SVSU 3-2
Miami def. UK 5-2
CSU def. WMU 5-2
Ohio def. UNL 4-3
UC def. UWP 3-1
JMU def. CSU 6-1
MSU def. UMD 3-0
GVSU def. Miami 6-1
UC def. Towson 3-2 OT
MSU def. OSU 6-3
JMU def. PSU 4-1
GVSU def. Ohio 4-1
MSU def. JMU 4-3 OT
GVSU def. UC 5-1
GVSU def. MSU 5-1

2022 National Champions – GVSU

KALAMAZOO – WMU Student Recreation Center, at Nationals 2022:
GVSU def MSU 5-1 in the 2022 Championship match.

Grand Valley State Club Dodgeball is the National Champion for the 2022 college dodgeball season. At the conclusion of the 44 match event, the Director of Nationals, Peter Broe [WMU], along with the rest of the National Collegiate Dodgeball Association Executive Board, presented the Championship trophy to GVSU on Sunday afternoon.

The 2022 Season included 172 ranked matches across and 22 events.

This is GVSU’s 11th National title. This was the 16th National Championship for Collegiate Dodgeball competition; the NCDA was founded April 9th, 2005.

GVSU was the second rated team (48.593) going into Nationals, and was seeded #1 in the Tournament Bracket with a 50.149.

GVSU finishes the 2022 Season with 20 wins and 2 losses, including one win and one loss in overtime.

A League of Our Own: Sami Beining

The second of our article series – as well as a personal role model – has had her fair share of turning heads. With one of the most unique (and accurate) throws on the court, coupled with phenomenal court IQ and strong catching abilities, she proved herself to be a stand-out almost instantly. Sami Beining was a star, not just on the East Coast but across the league; at one point or another everyone had heard of the girl who softball pitched from Penn State. She carries a decorated career through her time in the NCDA, finishing as a 2x Female MVP. I had the pleasure of talking with her about what her collegiate career was like.

A League of Our Own – Kathryn Mays

When I began thinking over who to center my first main article of this series, one name stuck out from her play this past season and the new honor of becoming the 2019-20 Women’s MVP: Kathryn Mays. She quickly developed her skills through hard work and dedication, proving that she’s among the top tier of players on Ohio State’s roster. Most people may know her for her incredible catching abilities, but fail to realize that she’s frequently called on as a thrower for the Buckeyes. In three short years, she has climbed to the top of the women’s rankings. With her impressive resume in mind, there seems to be no better choice to kick off this series about strong women in the league than Kathryn.

A League of Our Own – Rebecca Shappell

Ten percent: that’s the percentage of women that comprise the National Collegiate Dodgeball Association (NCDA). The percentage who actually start and play? Significantly smaller. Looking from roster to roster across the league, a woman’s name seldom pops up, however their impact on the court can be significant. Women have been a part of rosters since the league’s conception in 2005, however they did not begin consistently being rostered members with frequent playing time until roughly 2008. The NCDA first began to recognize women’s involvement with the establishment of the Ladies’ Match in 2011 and things have slowly grown from there, adding the women’s All-American list in the 2016-2017 season. As important as this growth was for the NCDA, there’s still a long way to go. Being a woman in the sport of dodgeball, you are continuously over-looked; you’re seen as under-sized, under-powered and, if we’re being honest, under-valued. We’d like to change that mindset. As Michelle Obama once said, “there is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” My intention with this series is to tell the story of the powerful women, past and present, in the sport of college dodgeball in hopes to begin to erase that stigma. In order to start this, let’s begin with the easiest story to tell: my own.