Category: Rookie of the Month

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 Stephen Bittner! He is a Senior currently pursuing a mechanical engineering degree and expects to graduate in 2026. Here are his responses to some brief interview questions.

Q: How do you feel about winning Rookie of the Month for the second time?

A: It feels great! I put in my best at Nationals, and this feels like recognition for the hard work I’ve put into dodgeball.

Q: What skill do you think you improved the most throughout the season?

A: I think I’ve improved the most on blocking. When I first started with dodgeball, that was the skill I had the least experience with. It felt awkward when I first started and I dirty blocked a lot. Fast forward to today, and I think it might be my best skill, and it feels great to protect teammates while they make plays.

Q: What was your favorite part of Nationals?

A: My favorite part was definitely coming back after Saturday and proving how well we could work together as a team against CMU and UIUC. It was a really good way to end the season!

Q: What was your favorite tournament this season and why?

A: It’s between the Ohio Nationals and Tyler Webb Memorial III for me. Despite getting destroyed at bowling green, it was a really enjoyable experience for me to go up against some really good teams and see how well we could stand up against them. I think I also learned a lot from that tournament in particular.

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 Chloe Kaderabek! She is a Freshman currently pursuing a mechanical engineering degree and expects to graduate in 2029. Here are her responses to some brief interview questions.

Q: How does it feel to be recognized by your teammates for this award?

A: It feels really good getting recognized for this award and knowing that the work I’ve been putting into practices and tournaments are paying off.

Q: What was your favorite moment of the season so far?

A: My favorite moment of the season so far was beating UNL in the no-sting match at the Zanderthon tournament. It was so cool seeing my team work together and show off their skills on the court to get that win.

Q: What did you think of your first women’s nationals?

A: My first Women’s Nationals was the best tournament I’ve been to so far. Meeting most of the other women in dodgeball and getting to know them was so cool. Seeing how other female rookies improved through the season was awesome to see too.

Q: What are you looking forward to most for nationals this year?

A: What I’m most looking forward to at Nationals this year is finishing off the season on a high note with my team. I’m excited to see how we all play, and to see everyone show off their talents.

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 Alex Kirchman! He is a Freshman currently pursuing an Animal Science degree with an emphasis in pre-veterinary sciences and expects to graduate in 2029. Here are his responses to some brief interview questions.

Q: How does it feel to be recognized by your teammates for this award?

A: It really surprised me, having joined the team in January, I didn’t expect the recognition, but I am super excited about it and really grateful. 

Q: What is one skill you have been focusing on improving this semester?

A: I have been working on my throwing a lot. I have never done a sport that entailed throwing, so that is my biggest focus for the rest of the season. 

Q: What was your favorite moment from playing dodgeball so far?

A: My favorite moment was getting my first catch in my first tournament at home. I was thrown at off the start, and it was the point after I had gotten out by being thrown out off start. 

Q: What are you most excited for going into nationals this year?

A: I am really excited to see what we can do in women’s and coed, and see how we compete against stronger teams. It is really cool to see how much the team has grown in the little time I have been a part of the team. It is going to be a really cool experience for me, and I am super excited for it. 

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 Stephen Bittner! He is a Senior currently pursuing a mechanical engineering degree and expects to graduate in 2026. Here are his responses to some brief interview questions.

Q: How do you feel about being recognized for this award by your teammates?

A: It feels really good. Sometimes you can get focused on the things you aren’t that good at. This was a good reminder that I have improved since I started.

Q: What are you looking forward to most this semester?

A: I’m really looking forward to how my new shoes impact my performance on the court. It’s going to be interesting not sliding 5 feet across the court whenever I want to stop.

Q: What is one skill you hope to focus and improve on?

A: I’m also going to focus on court awareness. This will help with teamwork, setting up team throws and defending teammates. It will also help me play better against enemy crosses.

Q: What was your favorite moment from playing dodgeball last semester?

A: I think my favorite moment was playing against Iowa. It was a really good experience playing with the B team against a fellow new team.

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!