The following was written by Guero Namara. You can find the original article on Medium at the below link. A big thanks to Guero for contributing this article!
I’ve been a Stan-level fan of the sport ever since I played for the VCU Rams (RIP) in 2012, and over the years, the NCDA has guaranteed two things every season: Excitement and certainty.
Year after year, it seemed all but guaranteed that the Grand Valley Lakers would be the last team standing. In 2019, Towson shocked the dodgeball world, and I wondered whether it was a legendary anomaly or if parity had finally come to the league. When the dust settled in 2022 after the two-year hiatus, the new boss sure looked a hell of a lot like the old boss, and the status quo was painted blue & white once again.
GV’s shadow began to loom over the rest of the league again until Michigan State’s perfect team knocked them off in 2023, and then they went back to back the following year. Like the Chiefs replacing the Patriots, the Spartans slid into the role of dynasty, and the NCDA seemed destined for a case of deja vu. Then, the 24–25 season went off-script. The reigning Champs sport a worse record than the last two years, several of the elites have risen and fallen, and no team has dominated consistently.
While there is and will always be a hierarchy in the league, the top is more muddled than ever. Typically, there are four elite teams with one clear favorite, but neither holds true with the Big Dance on the horizon. Though anything can happen in sports, I see six teams that have a real shot to go all the way. There are also nearly as many dark horses who are more likely to play disruptor than champion, which makes the narrative even spicier.
Continue reading “The Contenders — Who Can Win It All At Nationals?”
