On December 4th, Western Michigan University will be hosting the inaugural Dr. Peter Broe Classic. This tournament was name after Dr. Peter Broe, the founder of the club, as a way to say thank you for all the hard work he put in to get the club up and running. Peter provided several students a great way to make friends and take a little stress of college life and instilled his love of dodgeball in them. This tournament will see the nine following teams in action: WMU, GVSU, CMU, SVSU, CUW, Kent, OSU, UWP, and MSU. Below is the schedule for each court and a breakdown of each team.
Court 1
| Time | Team 1 | Team 2 |
| 9:00a.m. | WMU | CMU |
| 10:30a.m. | WMU | OSU |
| 12:00p.m. | GVSU | SVSU |
| 1:30p.m. | Kent | WMU |
| 3:00p.m. | CUW | WMU |
Court 2
| Time | Team 1 | Team 2 |
| 9:00a.m. | MSU | GVSU |
| 10:30a.m. | CUW | Kent |
| 12:00p.m. | Kent | CMU |
| 1:30p.m. | MSU | SVSU |
| 3:00p.m. | OSU | GVSU |
Court 3
| Time | Team 1 | Team 2 |
| 9:00a.m. | SVSU | UWP |
| 10:30a.m. | UWP | MSU |
| 12:00p.m. | OSU | UWP |
| 1:30p.m. | CMU | CUW |
Matt Barnett, the current President of Western Michigan Dodgeball, takes a look at each team below and what to expect from them this weekend.
Western Michigan University– This is the Bronco’s fourth tournament this year, very fitting that it is at home honoring their founder. This will be the second ever tournament in which the Broncos will have a full team of 18, so it will be very interesting to see what they will be able to do when they have a full squad. The team has gained a lot of valuable experience at these tournaments and it is expected that they go 3-1 on the day.
Grand Valley State University-The Ben Smart led Lakers are coming off a disappointing loss to James Madison at Akron’s Pinkout tournament. Now, that we know they can bleed will more upsets be in the radar? With this tournament being only a short drive for them, I’m sure they’ll be able to bring all their firepower. GVSU will look better this time around and don’t be surprised when they rebound and get wins against all of their opponents.
Central Michigan University-As this is the first appearance for Central Michigan since before Covid, it will be very intriguing to see how they come back and if they are able to become the powerhouse they once were. Their main objective this tournament is to just get playing experience and build off of that from there.
Saginaw Valley State University– The Cardinals had no appearances in November so this will be their first tournament since the Kentucky Invitational in October. The three main pieces of this team: Bryce Stevens, Joe Barber, and Cole Machiela, will be very critical in their success this weekend with a difficult lineup ahead of them with GVSU, MSU, and a weakened UWP. Their last tournament was a tough one and be assured they are ready to come out swinging this time around.
Kent State University– Kent State will be coming to this tournament with only nine players. While that is a huge disadvantage, we shouldn’t count them out fully as underdog stories really do happen. They may be only playing with nine but don’t be surprised if they are in every point as they are a tough bunch and work hard on the court. They are hoping this tournament will provide them a great experience which they can build off of for next semester.
Ohio State University-The Buckeyes are one of the few powerhouse teams that will be at this tournament. They are favored in their matches against UWP and WMU, but will they be able to close them out, especially this being their first time seeing a full powered Bronco team. Their true test will come from facing the reigning National Champions the Grand Valley Lakers.
University of Wisconsin Platteville– Platteville will be coming to this tournament with less people than they normally but we should take that with a grain of salt as they will still have most of their top players at this tournament. Platteville gets to play many teams they don’t normally including OSU, SVSU, and MSU. Platteville has been in this place before and they always ready for the challenge.
Concordia University Wisconsin– This team is the epitome of having that dawg in them with Connor Knott leading this team eloquently. The Falcons will be looking for their first program win this weekend with their team of phenomenal athletes. With the experience they gained at the Pioneer Classic, they could end up picking up two wins and giving WMU a tough match.
Final Thoughts-There will be many good matches this weekend, especially with the National Championship game rematch. The games on the day will all be streamed. The links to each court’s streams can be found below. Make sure to subscribe to each of the channels!