On Saturday, March 8th the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign (UIUC) hosted their club’s first ever home tournament. The other teams in attendance were: University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP), University of Cincinnati (UC), Miami University (Miami), and Cleveland State University (CSU).Let’s take a look at the results and see what the captains had to say on the day!
Here are the results from the Illini Impact:
CSU 4-2 UIUC
Miami 3-2 UC (OT)
CSU 5-0 UWP
Miami 4-1 UIUC
UC 7-0 UWP
Miami 3-0 CSU
Miami 6-0 UWP
UC 5-0 UIUC
The following are the responses from each team’s captains.
Erik Zander–How did you feel about your team’s performance?
Leon Rockamore (CSU)-CSU did very well. We came in expecting to face good competition with UIUC and UWP but still walk away with the wins. On that, we delivered. Miami was going to be a show of how far we’ve come as a unit and our ability to compete with one of the top teams in the league. I think we played excellent despite missing 3 starters and we’re feeling really confident in our ability to go the distance at nationals.
Sterling Gauche (UC)-I feel like our team is finally starting to round into shape and put it together. We played a lot more confidently, despite being down several starters. We felt more confident and in control at the front line, which is something that has been an issue for us historically as a club, but we aren’t quite there yet. Excited to see what we can do at nationals with a bit more focused practice. Honestly, dodgeball is the most “team sport” of all team sports, and I’m excited about the direction our club is going. The fall was a struggle due to multiple outside factors, but I believe we’re really turning a corner at the right time.
Nicholas Stocks (UWP)-This tournament was our only opportunity to see teams outside the central region before nationals this semester. This tournament showed us some areas we need to improve upon if we want to compete at nationals.
Max Edling (Miami)-I feel our team performed well above our expectations for the day . We had four players drop out the day before the tournament due to injuries and sickness and only played with twelve players all day. I loved how our team overcame adversity and all seven of the rookies we brought stepped up throughout the day. We knew 4-0 was achievable and we did it.
Charles Cardenas (UIUC)-I think our whole team can agree that our performance was subpar to what we expected. We wanted to put up somewhat of a fight against better teams, but it didn’t shake out that way.
EZ–What team really impressed you the most and why?
LR-I think UIUC came in with the most to prove and did. They have a potentially very talented OT6 and understand the game very well for a new team. I think with some more game experience and leadership they’ll find themselves with more wins under their belt.
SG-UIUC really impressed me, with how isolated they are, they’ve build a steady team that can hang with most other teams.
NS-Miami is a great team all around, they have strong throwers, play as a team, and consistently apply pressure. All these attributes make it difficult for teams to play against.
ME-CSU impressed me the most. We knew they were going to be a tough game because of their catching ability as a squad and what Leo is capable of doing. They have improved a lot since we played them in late September. They will be a tough out at Nationals.
CC-For me, Cincinnati was most impressive. They have a lot of firepower and confidence, which is something I think our team lacks at the moment.
EZ–Which of your players stood out to you and why?
LR-Our top players came and did what they do best all day, but I think Jordan Jones was the player that impressed me the most this tournament. He’s finding his own as a force on both offense and defense and finished 3rd highest in plus/minus at this tournament. His resurgence as one of our top players is going to be major for us at Nationals. Some other players that stood out to me were Zee Sweeney and Joshua Rockamore. They’ve been huge filling roles in our starting lineup with the potential to take a permanent spot in it.
SG-Players that stood out were rookie Brett Sweeney, he’s taken over our left corner and really become an anchor for us. As he continues to get more confident and accurate throwing, he will only become a bigger asset for us. Matt Rosinski moved middle and had a big day, which I wasn’t surprised about. Captain Will Hyatt played well, but I want to see him continue to move around the court more. We have like 3-4 guys who can anchor the right corner while he floats, so I’m hoping he grows more confident in the coming weeks and at nationals.
NS-Dylan Fabry and David Laux both played important roles on the court by being team players blocking for their teammates and providing pressure. They were also effective in getting outs and secured a couple catches each.
ME-Aidan Willkomm #24 had a lot of catches and kills at this tournament. His arm has improved a lot this year and it was nice to see him put together a good tournament performance. Evan VanCleaves #5’s communication and leadership had helped develop a lot of our rookies and also he had a good tournament. Also, shoutout to all of our rookies who played and rose to the occasion.
CC-Definitely our teams two corner players, Ehis Eromosele and Konnor Del Mar. Both of these guys always perform when they need to and can use their strengths greatly to their advantage in most situations. These guys are key parts of our team and will be crucial at nationals this year.
EZ–What players from other teams stood out to you and why?
LR-Ehimemen Eromosele and Konnor Del Mar (#33 and #6) for UIUC were very impressive to me. Both very talented arms, a lefty and righty, great catchers, and very athletic overall. They likely produced most of their teams offense from the corners and kept them in many points from what I saw. As UIUC grows as a team, look for them to become All American players.
SG-#33 on UIUC, Ehimemen Eromosele impressed me playing on the right corner. His ability to make consistent catches when they mattered stood out.
NS-For Miami #98 Philip Hampton and #8 Max Edling did a great job leading their team and getting lots of outs. On CSU #13 Antoine Lamar was a difficult player to play against and #10 Govinda Kishan Lakkireddy was throwing people out and catching all day.
ME-Sullivan for UWP- had a good arm and made a few catches. Eromosele #33 for UIUC: was a tough out on their right, had some good blocks and kills. I played at UIUCs first tournament ever and Cardenas has done a great job developing their club and team since April 2023. Rubin #27 on UC: I think this guy is one of the most underrated players in the league, he has a good arm and played for UC in the middle where they were missing some players.
CC-I’d say Leo Rockamore on CSU for his leadership and all around great play. Also, Max Edling on Miami for his strategic plays and good survivability. Finally, I’d say Matt Rosinski and Will Hyatt on UC for being nearly unstoppable for us in most rounds.
Final Thoughts
This was a great weekend as it was able to bring together two regions to play some quality games before nationals. For most of these teams, this was their last tournament before then and each team got what they needed out of it. Miami was able to stick together and get 4 wins on the day, which will make any team feel good going into the last few weeks of the season. UC played well with a young squad and got a lot of good play out of their players. They are starting to put things together and play the way they want to. CSU showed that you better be prepared to play them as they have throwers and catchers! They just have a few pieces that they need to add and this will be a tough team to play at nationals. For UWP and UIUC, they were able to play high level quality teams to help them better understand what they will be facing at nationals and allow them to take their clubs to the next level.
Now if you missed the action last weekend, make sure to check out the games at our league’s YouTube Channel College Dodgeball. Make sure to subscribe to our channel so that you can get the notification when we are live this weekend at the University Akron’s tournament the War!