NCDA – Page 26 – National Collegiate Dodgeball Association

2020 Women’s All-American Team

Since 2017, the NCDA has honored the female competitors who have dedicated time and effort to their craft. The individuals on our list have excelled throughout the past year and made major contributions to their respective teams. Many of the NCDA’s female athletes also support their organizations through leadership roles, and this list is a way to recognize those outstanding individuals.

MVP – Kathryn Mays (Ohio State)

The NCDA honorably recognizes Kathryn Mays as our 2020 Women’s MVP. Kathryn sets the bar quite high for women’s participation in this league and should be seen not only as a role model for upcoming women in the NCDA, but for all women athletes around the country. Her dedication to her sport and her team is unparalleled by many players in the league. Her passion for the game was not the only factor in her MVP selection of course; Kathryn’s court knowledge and ability granted her high consideration for the MVP role. Making the starting roster on a top 10 team in the league is already no easy task, and while Kathryn not only starts for Ohio State, she can be seen as one of the main reasons for their success. Kathryn is a quiet player who may often be underestimated until she steps up late in the match to show off her survival skills, catching ability, and strategic throws. Her leadership and dedication will be landing her the role of President for The Ohio State Dodgeball Syndicate next year as she continues their team’s journey of success. Kathryn will continue to shine next year, and prove to everyone that women in this league can compete, and win, against many men on the same court.

2020 College Dodgeball All-American 2nd Team

1) Alex Jonauskas – Grand Valley State

Jonauskas comes in one spot shy of making the 1st Team after another strong season. This GVSU star has been a force for years in Allendale, Michigan. Jonauskas developed over the years into a strong leader, and well-rounded player for the GVSU Lakers. His survivability and knack for making clutch plays as the last man standing helped him gain recognition. In his final year as a college dodgeballer, Jonauskas stepped up as a leader and playmaker and helped Grand Valley to an undefeated season prior to the season being stopped due to COVID-19. Congrats to Jonauskas on making the list!

2020 College Dodgeball All-American Team

The National Collegiate Dodgeball Association continues to grow and improve. As the number of teams and players in the league increases, so does the competition to make the All-American Team. With COVID-19 cutting short the 16th season of College Dodgeball, it is time to announce the players who have earned a spot on this year’s list. Congrats to all the fantastic players who made the cut!

Player of the Year: Ben Smart – Grand Valley State

Earning his 2nd consecutive 1st Team All American honor, Ben Smart lands at #1 on this list, taking home the title of 2020 College Dodgeball Player of the Year. This Grand Valley State University star had an impressive season, showing off his skills any time he had the chance. Smart burst onto the scene two years ago in the 2018 National Title Game, and since then the legend of Ben Smart has only grown. He is one of the top catchers in the game, showing an ability to get low and make tough catches on well-placed throws. His arm strength has improved dramatically over the past few seasons, and he now has one of the toughest throws in the entire country to block/dodge. Smart was a play-maker all year long, at times showing he can secure outs at will when he is on his game. Smart will be back on the team again next season so look for more dominance from him in 2020-21.

NCDA Scholarship Fundraiser

This year the Platteville Dodgeball Club will be hosting an online tournament to raise money for the Tim Ebert Memorial Scholarship. With all the uncertainty going on, Platteville wanted to ensure that they could continue to help the NCDA with their internship program. For this year’s fundraiser, the Platteville Dodgeball Club will be putting on a Rocket League tournament. The tournament will be held August 8-9. Registration is due by July 26th, at 11:59p.m eastern time.

A special thanks to Caleb Frank for creating and designing this flyer.

Ballot Results for the 2021 Season

Below are the results of the preferential election for the 2020/2021 NCDA Rulebook, select Policies, and 2021 Executive Board. The Rulebook is scheduled to be released prior to the start of the 2021 Season.

Nationals 2021

Here were the final results for Nationals 2021 selection:

Ohio State University – 1st Round

Ohio State University has retained the right to host Nationals 2021.

2020 All-South Team

Listed below is the 2020 All-Region Team for the South. This list was voted on by captains within the South Region.

The following was produced by Zachary Rivera, Kyle Dattelbaum, and Hunter Ford:

1. Daniel LaJeunesse (Kentucky):

Back to back All-South #1’s for the University of Kentucky! Leading the Southern Region list is the captain of the University of Kentucky dodgeball team himself. This is his second year in a row being on this list, moving from #2 to MVP in the South, and rightfully so. LaJeunesse stepped up big time for his team this year, leading them to several victories throughout the season and the first ever Southern Dodgeball Cup Championship. He is an extremely versatile player with a ton of energy and presence on the court, and he has some pretty awesome moves which makes him surprisingly hard to hit. He also makes some pretty funny Tik-Toks, so check him out!

2020 All-East Coast Team

Listed below is the 2020 All-Region Team for the East Coast. This list was voted on by captains within the East Coast Region.

1. Evan Eschenburg – JMU

For the 3rd year in a row, Eschenburg finds himself receiving an All-East Coast selection, and now adds an East Coast MVP to his illustrious career. While taking a step back as captain of the Dukes, his play certainly didn’t take any steps back. He was constantly a spark on a talented JMU team that finished 4th in the country.

2020 All-Michigan Team

Listed below is the 2020 All-Region Team for Michigan. This list was voted on by captains within the Michigan Region.

1. Ben Smart – Grand Valley State

Landing at #1 on the All-Michigan list in Grand Valley State star Ben Smart. Known for his great instincts, clutch catching, and devastatingly accurate throws, Ben Smart is the definition of an all-around player. At times this year it seemed like he could eliminate opponents at will. The lefty for the Lakers has such phenomenal movement and placement on his throw, and great timing in transition, that he can pick off opponents at a very efficient rate. Smart helped the Lakers to an undefeated record prior to the season being suspended, and while he would’ve loved to finish out the year with a National Title, he will be back next fall to help lead GVSU in their pursuit of a championship.

2020 All-Ohio Team

Listed below is the 2020 All-Region Team for Ohio. This list was voted on by captains within the Ohio Region.

1. Owen Sill – Bowling Green State

This year’s All-Ohio MVP is none other than the man behind the infamous gym hype video, Owen Sill, of the Bowling Green State Falcons. Owen is a tour de force on the dodgeball court and you’d be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t been on the wrong end of his terrorizing throw. Owen is a larger than life presence on the court and he knows it. He’s in the middle of every big play for the Falcons and when he’s on the court, the mission of the opposing team is to get this man to the outline so they have a chance of victory. As soon as Owen is ever caught back into a game, you can feel the tides changing in favor of Bowling Green. His team and BGSU fans alike cheer out loud when this man enters a game. There hasn’t been many talents like that. Congratulations to Owen on what has been a monumental career. Hopefully we get to see his talents on the court in grad school. Truly a once in a lifetime player.

2020 All-Midway Conference Team

The 2019-2020 season comes to an end and it is time to announce the Midway Conference All-Region team. Our Midway Conference consists of: University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL), DePaul University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, (SIUE), Ball State University (BSU) and the University of Wisconsin Platteville (UWP). This list consists of the top 12 in the conference, voted on by their peers. A special thanks to the players that helped me out with this. Let’s take a look at the results and see who impressed this year!

Internship Program 2020

The NCDA is always looking to improve and provide a better dodgeball experience for the league. In part, that is why we started an internship program, to allow for new ideas to be developed and grow the league. We are proud to announce that we are offering two internships starting in June and running to the end of August. Upon completion, they will receive the Tim Ebert Memorial Scholarship for their work. The two positions will be the Social Media Specialist and Recruitment & Retention Coordinator. Below are the two candidates and what they will be working on for the league.

Average Joes’ Podcast Reunion

Jazzy Josh Raymer, Zac Newton, Alex Heichelbech, and the illustrious Felix Perrone host a reunion podcast to discuss their time in the NCDA and how much the game have changed.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Inaugural Southern Dodgeball Cup Recap

The following was written by Zach Rivera (GSU – Alumni)

Mar. 7, 2020 – Dahlonega, GA

Earlier this month, the University of North Georgia (UNG) hosted the University of Kentucky (UK) and Georgia Southern University (GSU) for the inaugural Southern Dodgeball Cup (SDC). Although the Southern Region of the NCDA is not as large as some of the other established regions in the league, this tournament showed just how competitive this region has become with some nail-biting matches that are sure to show the rest of the league what to expect from these Southern teams in the future. Below are the scores and outcomes from the tournament, and some thoughts on each matchup and how each team did overall:

Standings as of 2020-03-10

Standings are to be released every Tuesday

In the 2020 Season, we have 47 technical upsets in 204 ranked matches (76.96% success rate) across 26 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 the each Nationals bracket since 2017.

February Baller of the Month: Dylan Greer

This month, we will be getting back to current players as the Baller of the Month, and this months winner is well deserving of the distinction. Dylan Greer, captain and president of THE Ohio State Dodgeball Club has brought the Buckeyes back from obscurity, to be named as this years “Dark Horse” pick to win the National Championship. Dylan had a lot to say, so lets get to the interview!

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