The Rookie of the Month award is an award given monthly to a player voted on by their teammates to recognize all the hard work they have put into the team throughout the month. This month’s winner was Shaun De Vries! He is a Junior currently pursuing a Civil Engineering degree and expects to graduate in 2027. Here are his responses to some brief interview questions.
Q: How has your opinion on dodgeball changed since you started playing?
A: I didn’t think it was as serious of a sport until I started playing. There is a lot more involved than just throwing and catching dodgeballs.
Q: What role on the court do you hope to play in the future?
A: I would like to take up more of a leadership role with pulling people together and keeping the team moving effectively while still having a good time and doing good myself.
Q: What was your favorite moment of the season so far?
A: My favorite moment was probably practicing dressed up as Deadpool.
Q: What is something you hope to improve on next semester?
A: I would like to improve on my overall court awareness and playing capabilities. Focusing more on faster throws and more consistent game-time catching.
Congratulations again to Shaun for being recognized for this award!
The Rookie of the Month award is an award given monthly to a player voted on by their teammates to recognize all the hard work they have put into the team throughout the month. October’s winner is Logan VanCamp! He is a currently pursuing a degree in general engineering and expects to graduate in 2029. Here are his responses to some brief interview questions.
Q: How do you feel about winning this award?
A: Winning this award feels pretty good. We have quite a few solid rookies, so getting the nod over some of the other guys (and gals) means quite a bit. I think it will be fun competing with the other rookies for this award throughout the year and I think it will push all of us to become better players.
Q: What skill do you think you have improved on the most since joining the team?
A: I think what I’ve improved on the most since joining is just being comfortable out on the court. When I first joined, I was a little overwhelmed at times, but now I’m much more comfortable and confident during play.
Q: What are your thoughts on this season and tournaments so far?
A: So far dodgeball has been a lot of fun and has made the college experience much better overall. I’ve only gone to 1 tournament so far, but I am looking forward to going to more and seeing how much we can improve as a team, and how much I can improve as an individual player throughout the year.
Q:What are you looking forward to the most for our home tournament this weekend?
A: I’m really excited for Pioneer Sweets being at the home tournament because I love ice cream.
Congratulations again to Logan for being recognized and receiving this award!
The Rookie of the Month award is an award given monthly to a player voted on by their teammates to recognize all the hard work they have put into the team throughout the month. September’s winner is Anna Behnke! She is a currently pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering and expects to graduate in 2029. Here are his responses to some brief interview questions.
Q: How do you feel about winning this award?
A: It feels good to start out my dodgeball career strong, seeing I could have a future on this team.
Q: How has this award impacted your interest in Dodgeball?
A: I am more driven to continue learning about the sport and better my skills.
Q: What did you think of your first tournament?
A: I think the first tournament went okay, there is a lot to learn and practice. Could have gone worse.
Q: What skills do you hope to improve on for future tournaments?
A: I mainly want to work on my throwing accuracy, but continuing working on my blocking, and communication.
Q: Where do you see yourself on the team going forward?
A: I hope to be a part of the starting 12 in the future.
Congrats again to Anna Behnke for winning this award! We can’t wait to see how much you improve throughout the season!
This is award given to a first year player on the women’s team that has put in a lot of effort and makes an impact on the court. They provide us with throws and catches when it is needed the most. After being voted on my teammates, I was chosen for our team’s first Women’s Rookie of the Year. Here are the questions given to me for winning this award!
Q: How do you feel about winning this award?
A: I feel so proud of myself for earning this award. Although I already knew this, it proved to me that I belong on the team and that my teammates also see that. This makes me even more excited to improve and play next season.
Q:What was your proudest moment from this season?
A: It is hard to pick just one moment from the whole season, but my favorite has to be competing at women’s nationals with a full team. Even though we didn’t win in the end, I am so proud of our accomplishments and the number of catches and thrown outs we were able to get.
Q: What do you hope to improve on?
A: Next season I really want to focus and improve on my skills in pinch. My main goal is to get more comfortable with letting throws hit me in order to secure more catches. I know it is possible if I continue going to skills practices.
Q: What are you looking forward to for the next season?
A: I am looking forward to recruiting more players and winning some more games. Our team is already very talented and getting some new rookies will only help us improve.
Q: What is your greatest takeaway from this season?
A: My greatest takeaway is that we are capable of really competing with good teams as long as we work as a team and have good communication. We had lots of close points and games that we could have won if we worked together just a little more.
This is award given to a first year player on the team that has put in a lot of effort and makes an impact on the court. They provide us with throws and catches when it is needed the most. The winner is voted on by their teammates and this year’s rookie of the year is David Laux. Let’s take a look at the interview below and what he thinks of winning this award!
Q: How do you feel about winning this award?
A: I feel great! It is awesome to see that all the hard work this year has paid off.
Q: What was your proudest moment from this season?
A: My proudest moment this year was at the tournament in NIU where I got 4 catches in one game and got “rookie of the month for the league”.
Q: What do you hope to improve on?
A: I hope to be more consistent in everything next year especially blocking and throw accuracy.
Q: What are you looking forward to for the next season?
A: I’m looking forward to playing more and being a big part of the team.
Q: What is your greatest takeaway from this season?
A: My greatest takeaway is that I need to watch what my teammates are doing just as much as watching what my enemies are doing.
This is a new award this year that is given to the best woman on the court. She throws outs, makes catches, provides pressure, and allows our women’s team to compete. The winner is voted on by their teammates and this year’s winner was Hollie Wheeler. Let’s take a look at the interview below on his thoughts of winning the award.
Q: How do you feel about winning this award?
A: I’m very appreciative that both my male and female teammates felt I deserved this recognition. It’s exciting that we even get to have this award this year. I hope I can keep it up and be a contender for it again next year.
Q: What was your favorite moment playing women’s no-sting this season?
A: Although I loved getting the opportunity to play at women’s nationals, I had the most fun playing no-sting on our home courts during practice. I’m glad we decided to record a few no-sting practices against the guys, and there were a lot of great moments. One of my favorites are when Ian acted as a human shield for our club President, Daniel, and my ball was still able to get Daniel in the foot. Another good play was when I caught a ball at my hip at close range while holding two balls in my hands.
Q: What is your proudest achievement this season?
A: My proudest achievement has got to be playing on an official women’s team. I really thought it wouldn’t happen until after I graduated, but I was hoping I could help lay the foundation before I left. Turns out, it was a pretty strong foundation and now we have a team.
Q: What goals do you have for recruiting new players next season?
A: I would really like to have a B team so that we can practice playing other girls, but also so we can dominate against other B teams in the league.
Q: What personal goals are you setting for yourself for the upcoming season?
A: There is always room for improvement in every aspect of the game. I want to be a strong player on both courts. Mostly, I want to throw far fewer catches. My goal is to become a player that others look up to and want to learn from.
This is an award that is given to the best player on the court. This individual throws outs, makes catches, provides pressure, and allows the team to compete. The winner is voted on by their teammates and this year’s winner is Jalen Sims. Let’s take a look at the interview below on his thoughts of winning the award.
Q: How do you feel about winning this award?
A: I appreciate the award. I feel a lot of people on the team could have gotten it, thank you for the votes.
Q: What was your favorite moment or moments from this past season?
A: My favorite moment from this past season has to be getting the last hit at nationals (felt pretty good).
Q: What does your future in Dodgeball look like?
A: Undecided
Q: What do you hope to see the club achieve this coming season?
A: I hope to see the club be in the top 10 teams next year.
Q: What advice can you give to any young or rookie players for the next season?
A: My biggest advice would be to don’t be afraid to throw the ball and get hit.
This award is given to the individual that puts in the work and effort to improve and take their game to the next level. They are always looking for ways to get better and want to make an impact on the court. The award is voted on by their teammates and this year’s most improved player is Hollie Wheeler. Let’s take a look at her interview and what she has to say about winning this award!
Q: How do you feel about winning this award?
A: I feel very proud to have earned this award. I was nominated last year after just 2 months on the team, and when I lost, I told myself I would work hard to get it the next year. I know that every other candidate for this award has worked hard and their efforts shouldn’t go unnoticed.
Q: What moment or moments from this past season are you most proud of?
A: Overall, I’m most proud of how much I’ve changed since last season. Before, I had very little confidence doing anything. When I was left as the last player left multiple times, I didn’t know what to do. Now, I don’t even have to think about what to do in that situation. My coach just lets me do my thing and I don’t feel any pressure or stress from my team. I’ve been able to secure a good amount of catches as the last player left, and I’ve learned to survive and draw out the clock.
Q: What skills do you hope to continue focusing on? Any new skills you want to learn?
A: I want to keep up on my ability to catch. I love the satisfaction when it just sticks and the team just lights up with excitement. I want to improve my throwing and pump fakes that make people fall over like my captain, Dylan, can do. I’d like both me and my team to work on dropping to catch since there’s a lot of weak resets that can be an easy catch rather than a block.
Q: What was your favorite moment from this past season?
A: I think one of my favorite moments this past season was my 6 catches and a team catch at UNL. I believe it was technically my 5th tournament ever and I completely surprised myself. It marked a turning point in my confidence that helped me progress so much the rest of the season. Feeling how excited my team was after each catch and watching back the footage to see my coach enthusiastically clapping really cemented how much I enjoy being a part of this team.
Q: Do you have any plans to continue playing Dodgeball in the future?
A: Of course, I don’t think I could ever leave this team prematurely. I have plans to play in some NDA tournaments in the summer and I’m sure I’ll be back after I graduate. But until then, I’m not done improving. Thank you again to my team for voting me most improved this year!
The Team Impact Award is given to the player that always gives it his all on the court and brings the energy regardless of the score. They know how to rally the team and keep the mood light when it is needed. This individual was voted on by their teammates and the winner of this year’s team impact award is Nicholas Stocks. Let’s take a look at his interview on how he feels about winning!
Q: How do you feel about winning this award?
A: I am honored that the team selected me to receive this award. I wanted to see the best brought out in the team because my teammates helped me be the best dodgeball player I could be.
Q: What do you hope to see the club achieve this coming season?
A: Next season I plan to see Platteville in the championship bracket at Nationals. With the momentum from winning the consolation bracket this year, the club will be off to a great start next season.
Q: What advice would you give to younger and new players?
A: My advice to new players is to show up to practice. If you want to become better, attend regular practices and a few skills practices, you will see your skills grow significantly by consistently showing up.
Q: What was your favorite moment from this past season?
A: I always enjoyed coming to practice to play dodgeball and hang out with friends, but my favorite moment this season was the team throw with Jalen for the final out against WMU in overtime to win the consolation bracket.
Q: Do you have plans to continue playing Dodgeball in the future?
A: I plan to come back and play on the alumni team at home tournaments.
The Team Impact Award is given to the player that always gives it his all on the court and brings the energy regardless of the score. They know how to rally the team and keep the mood light when it is needed. This individual was voted on by their teammates and the winner of this year’s team impact award is Eli Huntley. Let’s take a look at his interview on how he feels about winning this award!
Q. How do you feel about winning this award again?
A. Glad that I could continue to have an impact on the team in my final season of dodgeball. It feels good to be recognized for the work that I put into the club.
Q. What do you hope to see the club achieve this coming season?
A. I hope to see an increase in the rookie class size over the next few years. More people will help with retaining players over the years.
Q. What advice would you give to younger and new players?
A. Keep playing. Dodgeball is a fun and competitive sport that allows you to compete and network with people all over the Midwest and more.
Q. What was your favorite moment from this past season?
A. Graduating.
Q. Do you have any plans to continue playing Dodgeball?
A. I will occasionally play in the NDA and help with league expansion when needed.
