The Contenders — Who Can Win It All At Nationals?

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.

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Illini Impact Recap

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!

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Illini Impact Preview

This Saturday, March 8th the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign (UIUC) will be hosting its first ever home tournament and we should be in for a good one. The teams in attendance will be the University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP), University of Cincinnati (UC), Miami University (Miami), and Cleveland State University (CSU). Let’s take a look at the schedule and teams below.

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Zanderthon Throw-Down IX Recap

The annual Zanderthon Throw-Down took place on March 1st at the University of Wisconsin Platteville. This event was between Platteville, Illinois, Stout, Eau Claire and UWP alumni. Let’s take a look at the results and here some thoughts from the day!

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Zanderthon Throw-Down IX Preview

Platteville will be hosting the the 9th annual Zanderthon Throw-Down on March 1st. The teams in attendance will be the University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP), the University of Wisconsin Stout (UWS), University of Wisconsin Eau Claire (UWEC), University of Illinois Urbana Champaign (UIUC), and alumni. This weekend UWEC and Stout will join up to make a team and UWP and UIUC will be doing a double header making it 4 times they will have played each other. Let’s take a look at the teams, the schedule, and some thoughts from a few players below.

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Michigan Dodgeball Cup Prediction

By Daniel Fernald

The Michigan region has historically been the cream of the crop in the NCDA with the Michigan Dodgeball Cup (MDC) winner often going on to become National Champions. Even with no team in the league this year cementing themselves as favorites, we will definitely seem some top contenders in this year’s edition of the MDC.

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Ohio Dodgeball Cup Preview

By Rylan Close

The Ohio Dodgeball cup is upon us once more, and this season looks to be potentially the most exciting one yet. Top-to-bottom this might be the deepest we’ve ever seen the Ohio region. There are simply no “bad” teams in this year’s lineup, and so far this season the inter-region games have been some of the most exciting in the league so far. For the first time ever, it is not irrational to say that every team in the region has a REAL chance to win it all this year. It should be one of the most exciting non-nationals tournaments the league has ever seen. There’s quite a lot to talk about; so without further ado, let’s get into the breakdowns for each team.

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Central Region 2024-25 Women’s Mid-Season Spotlight

The first part of the 2024-2025 season has come to an end and it is a great time to reflect and highlight the women of the Central Region and the growth we have seen this year. It is really exciting to see these talented individuals in action and where they might be as players come the end of this season! To see some of their highlights check out the link from the Pioneer Classic (more to come) Below we will take a look at each individual and how they contribute to their teams!

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Mid-Season Recap: Central Region 2024-2025

The first part of the 2024-2025 season is over and its time to break down the Central Region and summarize each team’s performance to date and what they need to do next semester to have a successful rest of their season. Below is where each team currently sits in the league standings.

Standings

  1. University Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) (#8)
  2. University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL) (#16)
  3. University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP) (#20)
  4. University of Wisconsin Stout (Stout) (#23)
  5. University of Wisconsin Eau Claire (UWEC) (N/A)
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Pioneer Classic V Recap

This past weekend on November 9th, the University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP) hosted the following teams at the Pioneer Classic V: University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), University of Wisconsin Stout (Stout), and the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire (UWEC). Below we will take a look at the teams on the day and hear from captains and coaches on their team’s performance. The following pictures were taken by Richard Laux.

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Pioneer Classic V Preview

On Saturday, November 9th, the University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP) will be hosting the follow teams at the Pioneer Classic (V): University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL), University of Wisconsin Eau Claire (UWEC), University of Wisconsin Stout (UWS), and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Below is the schedule, breakdown of the teams, and some thoughts from captains and coaches.

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Cornhusker Clash Recap 2024-25

On Saturday, October 26th, the University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP) and the University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL) played in a double header at the Cornhusker Clash VII. Nebraska was able to get both wins on the day and continue their dominance in this series. Below we will take a look at how each game went and highlight some of the top players from the event.

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Scholarship Award 2024

On September 7th, the Dodgeball Club at UW-Platteville hosted the annual Tim Ebert Memorial tournament. Tim was a player on the UWP team that made a huge impact and with the scholarship in his name he will continue to make an impact. This event was able to raise $1,000 and with that amount raised, we will be offering two scholarships. One will go to a current player on the Platteville Dodgeball Club and another to an individual around the league.

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Cornhusker Clash Preview 2024-2025

It is another week of college dodgeball and this time the Central Region is back in action! On Saturday, October 26th the University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL) and the University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP) will go head to head in a double header in the Cornhusker Clash. This has become an annual tradition between these two teams and it is currently the 7th iteration. The first two involved UNL, DePaul, and UWP and since then it has been the Pioneers and the Cornhuskers. Let’s take a look below at the history of these match ups and the both teams in attendance!

Logo design by Caleb Newell (UWP)
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Eau Claire Dodgeball Brawl Recap

Last Saturday, September 21st, the NCDA kicked off the season with the Eau Claire Dodgeball Brawl. The teams in attendance were: the University of Wisconsin- Platteville, University of Wisconsin-Stout, and the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire. UWEC’s games were both scrimmage games and UWP vs Stout was the official match. The following were the results UWP vs UWS 4-0, UWP vs UWEC 3-1, and UWEC vs UWS 4-0. Let’s take a look below on the day and hear what some of the players had to say.

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