NCDA – National Collegiate Dodgeball Association

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 All-Midway Conference Team

The 2021-2022 season comes to an end and it is time to recognize the individuals that put in the work to make it onto The Midway Conference All-Region team. This year the teams that were included on this list are: University of Nebraska Lincoln, University of Kentucky, and the University of Wisconsin Platteville. This list consists of the top 12 in the conference, voted on by their peers. A special thanks to the players that helped with this. Let’s take a look at the results and see who impressed this year!

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2022 College Dodgeball All-American Team

What a season. After a Covid-shortened 2019-20 and the lost season of 2020-21, College Dodgeball was back with a vengeance in 2021-22. New faces popped up on teams across the country, and new stars emerged. Congratulations the the following 12 players for being selected as 2022 1st Team All-Americans:

ROTM March 2022 – Terence Checkett (Ohio)

I had a chance to sit down with Terence Checkett of Ohio University who was the Rookie of the Month winner for March.

Terence is a Freshman studying Political Science at Ohio University. He made a splash this year on one of the youngest teams in the NCDA and was a standout player who played a key role in the Bobcat’s offense. Going forward, expect Checkett to continue to be household name within the realm of college dodgeball.

No description available. — PC: Max Vincent (BGSU-Alumni)

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

A League of Our Own – Skye Marvin

Dodgettes Navigating a New League

As the 2022 semester comes to an end, one thing can be said for certain about the college dodgeball atmosphere: we are amidst an entirely new league. After practices came to an abrupt end two years ago, college dodgeball returned last fall, and with it came an exciting season of close matches, upsets, rookies, and of course, dodgettes (Shout-out to Akron University’s female players for coining the new term).

This article continues to highlight dodgettes across the league: 2021-2022 season graduates, pre-COVID veterans, and new recruits. Stay tuned to hear how they made their name in the league, and what they are looking forward to in the coming season; in other words, dodgettes navigating a new league.

Power Rankings: Postseason 2022

Team writeups provided by the NCDA Power Ranking Panel

1) Grand Valley State- Back on top for the… *checks notes* 11th time, the Lakers once again saved their best for last this season. In a year (especially Day 1 of Nationals), where the league seemed more wide open than ever, of course the Lakers ripped through everyone in bracket play (by a combined 20-4 score) to win the title. Ben Smart was sensational on Sunday of Nationals, Josh Hill’s cannon arm was on full display (per usual), quite honestly the entire team put it together when it mattered most. The unsung heroes of this season might be the GVSU rookie class, led by Matt Budai and Ryan Paddock. Don’t look now, but GVSU only loses a few starters, so this might be the start of another title streak for the Lakers.

ROTM February – Jonathan Crockett (MSU)

February 2022 ROTM Interview with MSU Freshman Jonathan Crockett

Rebecca Shappell: I had the chance to sit down with February Rookie of the Month, Jon Crockett, to hear what he had to say over an incredible Michigan Dodgeball Cup performance to help Michigan State secure their first MDC title in 17 years!

Crockett is a freshman studying Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State. Prior to college, he played baseball but found club dodgeball at MSU’s fall recruitment event, Sparticipation. Crockett quickly developed into a strong rookie player for the Spartans by showing off his arm early. While he had a little bit of a quiet start to the fall semester, he burst onto the scene in spring with a stellar MDC performance, notching several catches, huge hits and great transitional play. He quickly showed that he is an integral piece to an already powerful Spartan offense.

Crockett may show off a powerful throw but what has quickly catapulted him into the top of MSU’s rotation is his hands. He is always looking for catches and made multiple clutch plays to swing momentum at key points in the Spartans championship match against GV. His versatility in how he moves on the court allowed him to capitalize on stray throws and catch teams off guard. Crockett worked his way into a stacked Michigan State OT-6 roster and wound up making two huge catches to help seal the victory at MDC.

We look forward to seeing Crockett improve throughout his college career. Expect him to be a household name for the Spartans as he becomes an upper class-man. Congratulations on the achievement, Jon!

A League of Our Own – Faith Perdue-Schertzing

Dodgettes Navigating a New League

This article continues to highlight dodgettes across the league: 2021-2022 season graduates, pre-COVID veterans, and new recruits. Stay tuned to hear how they made their name in the league and what they are looking forward to this year; in other words, dodgettes navigating a new league.

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

Standings as of 2022-04-11

In the 2022 Season, we have 45 technical upsets in 172 ranked matches (73.84% success rate) across 22 events.

The Gonzalez System is a computer ranking model similar to Elo and is a rating exchange system based on research performed by World Rugby. It has been adapted by the NCDA to the demands of College Dodgeball, but can be tuned and customized endlessly to incorporate accurate data. It has been used to help determine seeds for the Nationals bracket since Nationals 2014, and was used exclusively for each Nationals bracket since 2017.

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.

After 36 Months, College Dodgeball Returns to its Biggest Stage

THE FOLLOWING WAS WRITTEN BY NCDA ALUMNI KEVIN BAILEY AND WES PETERS

Link to the full weekend schedule can be found here.

36 months. That’s how long it’s been since the last time the National Collegiate Dodgeball Association (NCDA) crowned a National Champion. That season, it was the Towson Tigers, thanks to a thrilling upset victory in the 2019 Title Game, arguably one of the greatest games in history.

College Dodgeball was in a great place back in 2019, and for the majority of the 2020 season as well. Clubs across the country were thriving, the league as a whole was deep, talented, and competitive from top to bottom. 15 years after the NCDA’s first season, the trajectory of the sport at the collegiate level was as exciting and promising as it had ever been.

After Towson took home the hardware in 2019, becoming the first non-Michigan school since 2006 to do so, the 2020 season appeared to feature 7+ schools with a legitimate shot at winning the National Championship. That level of parity at the top of the league was unheard of.

10-time champion Grand Valley State was their usual self, sitting atop the standings with an undefeated record. Michigan State was loaded with talent and had taken GVSU to overtime several times that season. Defending champion Towson was atop the East Coast once again and in great position to repeat. Ohio, 0-29 only a few seasons prior, was putting together a historic season (16-1 when the pandemic hit). Ohio State, owners of the first two NCDA titles (‘05 & ‘06), was right on OU’s heels thanks to a deep roster filled with veterans seeking their first championship. Miami was stacked and primed for a title run after coming up just short of their first Final Four berth in club history in 2019, and let’s not forget the always talented Dukes of JMU were no slouch back in 2020, with an above 70% win percentage. Bottom line, we were poised for an EPIC Nationals… The NCDA seemed to be hitting its stride.

Western Michigan Broncos Pre-Nationals Spotlight

Leading into Nationals, we look to spotlight as many teams as we can in hopes of shining a bright light on standouts from participating teams. These glow-ups include up to 2 of each team’s standout rookies as well as a handful of core contributing players that have gotten their respective team to where they are going into the National Collegiate Dodgeball Association’s annual finale. Lastly, we get a glance into each participating team’s mindset and expectations going into Nationals.