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To Recruits:
I left behind my two favorite sports (football and baseball) to attend the University of Michigan, and magnUM has meant so much for me over the past two years, especially coming from a family of collegiate athletes. The only way I feel I can put this into words is simply, if I had not played for magnUM, I would not have stayed at U of M. The competitiveness, skill, commitment, and teamwork exceeds any expectations for a college athletics program, and it certainly filled my void.
-D’Mo
Derek Moen has been an athletic stand from the first day of tryouts, having turned down opportunities to play collegiate sports at the DI level. He is quickly improving his ultimate skill set and becoming a contributor on the defense line. His speed and previous athletic experiences have made he a valuable player with huge potential.
Being a competitive soccer player since I was 10, I had hoped to continue my soccer career in college. When I came to U of M, however, I found my skills outmatched by both the varsity and club soccer teams, which are two very reputable clubs. I tried out for the club soccer team my freshmen year, came close to making the team, but didn’t. It sucked, but I ended up finishing my freshmen year without joining any competitive sports teams. For me, it was rough. I played IM soccer here and there, and actually trained with the women’s varsity soccer team as a practice player, but it wasn’t enough to fulfill my itch be a competitive athlete.
I had heard of and played ultimate in high school a little bit, sometimes after school or just with some friends, but it was mostly just messing around. When I tried out my sophomore year I made magnum straight away; the captains and coaches liked me because I was athletic. The fall season was tough, I didn’t know a single person on the team, I was not in great shape, and I had the worst throws on the team. However, starting with the first team practice, I can honestly say that every magnum player and coach were very understanding and helpful to me learning the game, and I slowly became more and more hooked on ultimate and the overall team culture.
All in all its a great way to stay competitive if you love sports (the level of play is very high and comparable to any other sport), and a great way to meet other people who love sports, partying, AND are smart (we all go to U of M after all).
-Dan DeTone #18
Dan DeTone is a rising defensive star on Magnum. He is a great, supportive teammate and a fierce competitor on the field. He shined in the quarter finals of the College Ultimate Championship in Madison when he saved a goal with a layout D in the endzone against Cornell.
Playing with Magnum and competing on a national level has been an incredible experience. The big plays, the conditioning, the social life, the friendships, and the TEAM…are all worth the commitment.
-Brandon Beeler #26
Brandon is a rising Junior that improved steadily over his sophomore year after playing for Reserve (magnUM’s B team) his freshman year. He is a defensive handler that played exceptionally during the playoffs and will likely have a big role as a Junior.
As a freshman, I arrived at Michigan determined to play club ultimate. I had played a lot of VERY unorganized (from 2v2 to 14v14) pickup in high school and was itching for the structured game.
I made the B-team my freshman year and worked my ass off. My sophomore year tryouts proved successful. The next three years of my MagnUM experience are the highlights of my undergraduate career. MagnUM provides you with fierce athletic competition, an awesome group of friends, and a grand since of achievement. After recently graduating in 2010, I can easily say that MagnUM is the sole thing I miss most from undergrad. And that coming from a guy that also founded Sigma Pi at Michigan.
-Derek Towster #5
Derek was in the Michigan ultimate system for all 4 of his years at school. He worked his way up from being a B team player to a being a defense starter, huge playmaker, and captain of MagnUM his senior year.
Nationals
Pool C
As the second-placed from the Great Lakes region, magnUM drew the 15th seed of 20 teams at nationals, and was placed in a pool with Colorado (2009 runner up), Wisconsin (hosts and strong program), Pitt (2009 quarters) and Texas State (South Regional champs). We were in a formidable pool to be sure. Most pre-tournament predictions had us finishing no better than fourth in our pool.
A little ditty about Dennis and Diane (copyright 2010: Derrick Wolbert and John Mellencamp)
Accommodations for magnUM in Madison were provided by Seth Collins’ fabulous parents. We can’t possibly thank them enough for all the wonderful food and their incredible patience with 20+ sweaty guys camping out for the weekend. Also, on Thursday afternoon, the score was Jesse Brauner 0, neighbor kids with water balloons 1.
Wisconsin
magnUM opened nationals 2k10 against the hosts. On paper this was a daunting game. But early on the Hodags failed to, well, show up. Despite a couple of early hero throws by magnUM handlers, everything went our way. Seven points in the score was 6-1 in our favor with the D line on fire. After Wisconsin’s O converted a goal and then a couple of breaks, the theme for the game was set: D lines would be making the runs after the rare goal from an O line. magnUM would lead 7-2 but take half at a rather disappointing 8-6. Wisconsin owned in the early second half, and behind at least 250 hometown fans, seemed destined for the win when their early deficit was finally eliminated as they tied the game at 11-11.
This magnUM team, as Michigan State can attest, is fabulous at counterpunching. The Hodags found out, and their fans found out. And on field 9, things got REALLY quiet. magnUM O punched in the goal courtesy of a throw from Volde to Yoni, both rookies. And the D line closed the deal. D-Wolb caught a huge break goal. Up 13-11, magnUM D won one of the more epic points of the game. After a Hodag turn, magnUM worked up the disc to near the endzone. The Hodag D tightened down, and a high stall dump for Brandon Beeler drifted towards the sideline. The resulting pair of layouts was either the most epic (and/or egregious) in the tournament. As seen below, Brandon making a layout grab, and an unidentified Hodag is laying out directly above Beeler.
Brandon Beeler layout catch.
Perhaps well prepared for assault from above due to endless Ricky jokes (Brandon, RUN…. HIDE, it’s a large bird!), Beeler fought for his life and caught the disc.
(Note: The Hodag has now been identified)
Again magnUM would have to go the double score route. Carson found AVS for a seemingly clear cut score, only for it to be called back on a pick. After a couple of more dumps, Beaker found a falling AVS for a 14th point that effectively clinched the game. With hard cap on the Hodags would get a 12th point for a 14-12 final. magnUM earned an early upset in pool play, though several stretches of play left a lot to be desired.
Other highlights in the game included: – The approximately 10 magnalUMs and parents who got to enjoy the silent Hodag sidelines.
Notable Stats (arranged alphabetically by first name):
Wisconsin
Volde – 1G, 2A, 2D, 0T
DWolb – 3G, 1A, 1D, 0T
Pape – 2G, 2A, 1D, 1T
Tom – 1G, 5A, 1D, 1T
Both Yoni and Zubin had 1G, 1D, no turns
magnUM alumni repped all weekend long.
Jeff Pape putting on a clinic.
Pittsburgh
Eh. Ah. Eh. Oh. Ouch. So the Wisconsin game went really well. But the Pitt game did not. Whether it was the heat, or basking in the previous win, or Pitt’s higher intensity, magnUM wasn’t up for the game. Two early Pitt breaks set the tone. Dtow got a nice layout D and magnUM had a chance to get the game back even at four apiece. Unfortunately, the endzone O fell to a hero throw. magnUM would not score for the next several points. Pitt rolled to a 15-5 win, magnUM’s worst loss of the season.
Notable Stats:
Seth – played ONLY last 5 points, 1G, 1A, 1T
Volde – 2G, 1D, 1T
magnUM versus Ice Baths
One of the fantastic features of the ditty at Dennis and Diane’s was the ice bath situation. A pair of kiddy pools were set up in the back yard. Few things on the weekend were more amusing than a bunch of supposedly super tough guys coping with the sensation of ice baths. With the size of the kiddie pools, two at a time was optimal. Beeler spilled part of a kiddie pool, then whined about the cold, then splashed others. Yoni needed more coaxing than a 3-year old . Meatball was defeated by the cold.
Texas State
Saturday morning, there was serious work to do. To have a strong chance of advancing from pool play, magnUM needed to hold seed against 19th seeded Texas State. This was the first of several Centex rematches on the weekend. Texas State won the flip and the game in San Antonio that weekend in a huge upwind-downwind game with 30mph winds and zero breaks. This time, TX State won the flip again, but the result was hardly in question. Texas State kept a shorter rotation, while magnUM rolled the full roster. The Texas State game was also part of a gamble—the return of Seth Collins. Seth, a few months removed from a major shoulder injury and in between resultant surgeries, took the field as an O liner for his first serious time since his injury. He made plays. This proved a huge boost to magnUM for the remainder of the weekend.
Notable moment: Off a dead disc, Ollie begins an up-line handler cut. Perhaps confused over how defense should actually be played in Ultimate, or perhaps reversing to his primal football roots, a Texas State defender found it prudent to simply blindside check Ollie instead of running with him. Following a foul call and an aghast Ollie discovering neither observer saw the infraction, Ollie calls his own number again, this time scoring easily on the same cut. Upon scoring, Ollie made sure to thank his defender for not breaking any sort of spirit-of-the-game code by telling him how nice of a person he was. Unfortunately, the observer did not enjoy Ollie’s English-major-laden praise, and Ollie received a classy PMF.
A second notable foul-involved altercation:
Jesse Brauner claiming an unidentified TX State Bucket for himself.
The final score was 15-11, magnUM earning a precious second pool play win.
Notable Stats:
Volde – 1G, 1A, 1D, 0T
Pape – 1G, 2A, 1D, 0T
Ollie – 3G, 4A, 1D, 4T
Tom – 5A, 2T
Seth – 5G, 1A, 0D, 1T
Dwolb and Zubin focusing hard in between points against Texas State.
Colorado
The second Centex rematch was with Colorado’s Mamabird, who ended magnUM2k9’s season. This game was played very hard, but also had the feel of a chess match. With both teams at 2-1 and guaranteed a spot in the pre-quarters, neither team had to win. With hardly a cloud in the sky and temperatures in the mid-80s, the team that worked harder might be wasting precious energy for the next round. But a formidable presence loomed for both teams. Pool C crossed with Pool B in the pre-quarters. Due to an early upset loss to Harvard, defending champs Carleton seemed likely to take the second place in Pool B. And to top it off, this game featured a myriad of fouls, contests, violations and so forth. magnUM and Colorado did not get along well.
The game got off to an auspicious start. Colorado broke magnUM twice right away. But in keeping with its trademark style, magnUM answered and held firm, eventually taking half at 8-7. Courtesy of some strong athletic plays and patience working the magnUM zone, Colorado would eventually win 13-11. But it was not without cost. Both teams put a tremendous amount of energy into the game. magnUM was twice rewarded for their efforts. Harvard lost their last pool game and fell to second in the pool. And though magnUM fell to Colorado, we’ll take an assist to UNCW, who cruised past Colorado in the pre-quarters immediately after the game. In fact, playing magnUM at 2010 nationals, win or lose, was a costly endeavor in terms of energy spent in the task. Teams went 1-5 in the game after playing magnUM, the lone win coming for a Pitt squad that beat us quickly and also had a night’s rest between games.
Notable moment: Zubin’s massive incut layout D, arguable the best of the tournament. Afterwards, the Mamabird player gave Z the all too familiar “how-can-he-do-that” look.
Now is as good a time as any to give a shout out to our three fabulous coaches: Ricky, Rook, and Colin. First, for their amazing coaching, support and leadership throughout the year. Second, for nailing the casual classy look for the weekend. We had easily the best dressed coaches on the weekend. Colin helped observers all weekend make better calls than they initially did, much to the chagrin of other teams.
We had easily the best dressed coaches on the weekend.
Head Coach Ricky Eikstadt, who will be representing the US at world in Prague (with Surly) along with former coach Ryan Purcell and former Callahan winner Will Neff (both Ironside).
Notable Stats:
Volde – 2G, 1A, 2D, 0T
Pape – 1G, 1A, 1D, 0T
Ollie – 0G, 4A, 1D, 2T
Tom – 2G, 1A, 0D, 1T
Harvard
The third and final Centex rematch was with Harvard’s Red Line. A particularly special feature of magnUM2k10 has been the contributions from every player, including many a player from reserve last season. magnUM’s Mr. Bookends, Mike DeRubeis, kicked things off to start the game. Red Line worked the disc most of the way to the endzone, until a horizontal Rubeis got the big D. For what seems like his 15th bookend of the spring season, Rubeis also scored the goal. The next point was more of the same. Zubin Shetty contested a missed Harvard huck, then scored the goal. Chris Vandervoort got the next break a couple points later, and magnUM was up three breaks early. The rest of the game saw magnUM withstand several charges from Red Line and its Callahan nominee George Stubbs. Stubbs had a big game, but magnUM’s top D players, including dtow, afey and dwolb, combined to contain the runs and limit the damage. Meatball even had a very important O line catch midway through the game after Harvard managed to get a break back. You might have seen video of the game winner on the USA Ultimate College Championships. magnUM O received the pull and worked it to near midfield. Jeff Pape caught a swing near theright sideline. Tom Haynes did what he did all season. Got open deep. Pape threaded a slick huck to the back corner where Tom slid magnUM safely into the quarters.
Spencer Jolly hauling in a questionable blade from the unidentifiable thrower looking on anxiously in the foreground.
One individual essential in this game and throughout the weekend that warrants isolated recognition is Chris Vandervoort (“Volde”). You can’t say enough about his work throughout the entire nationals weekend. Fast enough to get downfield, tall enough to challenge anyone in the air, and with his trademark monster lefty backhand, Chris showed he will continue to be a dominant college ultimate player next season.
Volde is also at times confused with the male silverback mountain gorilla.
Notable Stats:
Volde – 3G, 1A, 1D, 2T
DeRubies – 2G, 0A, 1D, 0T
Jolly – 4G, 1A, 0D, 1T
TOM HAYNES – 4G, 3A, 0D, 0T
Cornell
magnUM’s quarterfinal opponent was Cornell. So many highlights in the game of the tournament, these few words and pictures will hardly do justice to all that was this game. Both teams fought and battled ceaselessly, and every player on MagnUM’s roster left their hearts and guts out on the field. The score showed the guts of both teams, as Cornell pushed from down two breaks to sitting on game point, 14-11, capitalizing on impatient O-line turnovers and marathon points. MagnUM refused to let their season end in a fashion similar to our 2009 quarterfinal’s exit, and battled back to even it up at 14 apiece, led by a bookends and the inspirational defense of Yoni.
The 2nd half of Seth’s bookends.
Late in the game, Yoni Rafael skied a taller Cornell cutter in magnUM’s most sensational D of the weekend. Here it is again at a reverse angle
Right to the very end, magnUM fought and fought. But universe point was not to be. Despite two absolutely world class D’s by Tom Haynes, magnUM couldn’t punch it in. Near midfield, Jeff Pape put on a killer mark forcing a stall nine upwind 50/50 huck into a crowd. Sadly, Cornell won on universe, 17-16. Congrats to Cornell on their Semis run, as they were a formidable and classy team in all aspects.
How close the game-winning hospital pass really was.
One of Captain Tom Haynes’ stellar D’s on Cornell stud Andrew Ji.
Though it’s not typical to post opponent’s plays and especially goals, this late game catch on a marathon point that saw our D get a pair of turns deserves to be commended.
Notable Stats:
DTow – 1G, 3A, 0D, 1T
DWolb – 2G, 1A, 2D, 0T
Pape – 3G, 2A, 0D, 1T
Tom – 3G, 3A, 2D, 1T
magnUM2k10
MagnUM 2k10.
sagnUM induction ceremony
With the conclusion of magnUM2k10’s season, Sunday night became time to induct the newest members of the magnalUMs. One by one, Beaker, Dtow, Meatwolb, and the pharmacist (AVS) took a toast from a fellow alum and a swig (or three).
magnUM2k11
And so another magnUM season passes to the history books. The bar for magnUM2k11 is high. Back-to-back quarterfinal appearances seem to indicate the time is right for a breakthrough into the last four, or better.
On a personal note, as a new alum this is my last blog entry for magnUM (and our first). The blogs shall continue as Seth, Chris V, Chris Li, and Spencer have expressed interest in furthering the tradition. Indeed, they’ve chipped in with this blog entry.
Although it doesn’t show up in the stats, the MagnUM handlers had
outstanding weekends, and had to make difficult throws to keep
possessions alive. Thank you Ollie, A-Fey, Towster, Beeler, and Pape
for your efforts.
For those of you who like stats, here you go:
Reserve Season Recap
After magnUMs great run in Madison, WI for Nationals, here is a look back at what Reserve, Michigan’s B-team, has accomplished this year. Ending its season with a 19-14 record and ranked as high as 79th in the nation, Reserve made Regionals, joining Colorado-B and UCSD-B as the only B-teams in the nation to do so. This marks the second year in a row Reserve has made it through Sectional play, a tribute to the leadership on Reserve, as each year brings the loss of returning players to magnUM and the arrival of fresh rookies with much to learn about college Ultimate. Early in the season we were told that this team, Reserve, would improve more than any other team in the country as the season progressed, and coaches Andy Foldesi and Henry Tyler, along with captains John Truesdell and Kevin Yien, deserve much of the credit for its realization. Setting goals of winning both a tournament and a game at Regionals, Reserve set out into the fall season.
Fall Brawl / Glory Days / Bowling Green
 Scotty Bohrer |
Michigan Indoor Tournament
Given two games, against magnUM and Purdue, Reserve was pumped to come out and showcase the work put in at its biweekly late-night Oosterbaan sessions. Saturday morning gave way to a focused, intense Reserve team (and its new flag!) attempting to upset magnUM. The will was there, but magnUM proved to be too much, as they won 15-5. Sunday against Purdue looked to be a different story. The Reserve O-line was unstoppable for the majority of the first half, scoring on the same give-and-go huck play four times in a row. Unable to get the break on D, Reserve let Purdue hang around, and they eventually clamped down on our O, as they pulled away to win 15-10. A disappointing weekend for sure, but Reserve was starting to show glimpses of how good it could be.
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Arctic Vogue lived up to its name, dumping a foot and a half of snow on Cincinnati, OH before Reserve’s arrival. Having finally returned to outdoor play (yay?) after seclusion in the Oost, Vogue transformed into a coming-out party as Reserve finally began to click as a team. In pool play Reserve rolled to 3-1, losing only a close, chippy game to Edinboro 8-9. Saturdays highlights included frozen toes, too many blades to count caught by Brian Yost, and a rousing Jews vs. Gentiles point. Reserve retired to the amazing comfort of the Klaben household to catch the Opening Ceremony for the 2010 Olympics. Sunday arrived, and with it a match-up with Loyola-Chicago, no longer split-squad. With lingering memories of drubbings at Fall Brawl and Glory Days, Reserve pulled out arguably its best game of the season. Finding the perfect mix of intensity and fun, every person on Reserve made plays, trouncing Loyola 13-6, and recording only four turns the entire game. John Abela’s stat line was particularly epic, with few points not containing a D, A, or G. Next was Southern Indiana in the Semis.
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EMU Round Robin
Despite strong winds and rain, Reserve made its way to Ypsilanti for a round-robin tournament with numerous sectional opponents. Reserve came out quick with a 10-3 win over a under-manned State-B, followed by a 10-6 win over Kalamazoo. The weather made for plenty of zone defense and some sweet bids into what became a small lake. Eager to avenge a universe point loss at Bowling Green, Reserve trudged across the fields to play Eastern. As the game went on, the other teams packed up and left, leaving this game as the impromptu finals. The wind was a large factor, as neither team managed to make any headway towards a break. Reserve received the disc on universe point and threw a huck deep to set the zone. Eastern managed to break through the zone and worked it up the field for the first and last break of the game. Eastern over Reserve 7-6. A disappointing and wet start to the spring, Reserve rolled on.
Chicago Invite
Looking forward to defending a ninth place finish last year, and early seedings as high as fourth, Reserve traveled to Naperville, IL for the Chicago Invite, once again accompanied by torrential rain and high winds. The weather seemed content to remove all hopes of normal Ultimate, as many games were decided by the flip. First up was the top seed in the pool, Wisconsin Whitewater. After a nice upwind break on a huck by Michael Glotter, Reserve broke down, losing 5-10. Next up was an 8-7 win over SUNY-Buffalo as Reserve held serve in the wind and cold. Reserve finished out the day with a disappointing loss to Wisconsin-B in a 5-10 effort, followed by an upwind-downwind loss to Loyola-Chicago 6-7. Disappointed and wet, we returned to the hotel. The next morning Reserve learned the tournament had been cancelled. Apparently cars had torn up the parking lot due to all the rain, and it was unsafe for horses. Hooray Midwest weather? All in all, not the weekend we had hoped for.
Whitesmoke XIV
Finally facing some better conditions, Reserve arrived in South Bend, IN for its last tournament before Sectionals. Lacking many returners, the rookie-heavy squad looked to make a splash so close to the Irish. Friday night Reserve learned that the seeding had snubbed us from pool play, and we would have to fight through the Boehm Bracket to even make bracket play on Sunday. First up was North Park-B. Reserve cruised to a 13-2 win as it worked out its kinks on both sides of the disc, and highlighted by a nice layout D by Josh Gilly. In the next round the MSU Alumni were conspicuously absent, as Reserve won by forfeit. Next was another alumni team from University of Illinois – Chicago. Featuring strong throws and athletic talent, Reserve had its hands full. Up at one point, UIC threw clam, and managed to get the break. The momentum was gone for Reserve, epitomized by a superb huck from John Abela hitting a tree overhanging the field and falling five yards short. UIC over Reserve 13-9. Up next was a 13-2 drubbing of Grand Valley, in which Reserve faced some sort of Christmas tree junk defense, but shredded it nonetheless. Finally was the third alumni team of the day, a group from South Bend. Their experience and pinpoint throws ran Reserve ragged, as they built a huge lead. Late in the game, Joe Besser came out like a man on fire as he single-handedly shredded their zone. South Bend wins 4-13. A frustrating end to a very long day. Sunday morning gave way to Reserve in bracket play. First up was a 13-5 drub of Valporaiso, in which Reserve rolled. Up next was Iowa, a strong team from the tough Central region. Unable to respond to the quick passing and speed of Iowa, Reserve lost 13-3, highlights including a full-field huck by John Abela. Dropping down, Reserve faced off against Purdue, in a rematch from the Indoor tourney earlier in the year. In a closer match then the score showed, Reserve gave up a frustrating 13-3 loss. Finishing out the day with a forfeit win over Marquette, several teams chattered about the need for one or two games to sanction under the new USAU rules. Reserve played a “showcase game” against Iowa and we headed back to Ann Arbor.
Sectionals
At this point in the season, Reserve had all the pieces together for a deep run in the series, it just needed to pull them all together. Sporting its new white jerseys, Reserve arrived in Kalamazoo, MI ready to go. Saturday’s games and the first game on Sunday would be pool play, seeding into the championship bracket for Sunday afternoon. Reserve started out with a stellar dynamic warm-up led by Bryan Bush, and opened up with a game against Kalamazoo-B. Working out some nerves and priming up its play, Reserve cruised to a 13-1 win. Unfortunately, this is the point where Jonh Abela breaks his finger, sort of, on an excellent throw-through-the-foul, in no way a turnover and/or foot-block. Uneasy about its chances without a main handler, Reserve headed over for yet another grudge match with Eastern Michigan. The game against Eastern marked a game akin to the Loyola match-up at Vogue, as Reserve scored on a huge sky by Joe Besser to start the game and never looked back. With intensity and determination, Reserve broke Eastern upwind several times. Ryan Kurkul and Michael Glotter continued to rack up the layout D’s and John Truesdell scored on an amazing bid into the goal. Reserve over
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Regionals
Due to graduation, Reserve brought a rookie-heavy squad to Regionals in Bloomington, IN. Facing off against the number one seed overall Michigan State, Reserve had its hand full. Losing to a determined Burning Couch, Reserve fell 15-2. Up next would be Reserve’s final game of the season against Miami – Ohio. Looking to fulfill its final goal of winning a game at Regionals, Reserve came out strong, able to work the Miami zone. Miami finally cracked down, as Reserve fell again 15-5. This would be the end of Regionals in Bloomington due to the weather, once again. Since Reserve had lost twice, it was not invited to the Regional conclusion in South Bend the following week. The second goal remained unfulfilled, but Reserve was confident, that had it gotten to play again, it would have gotten the win.
Having brought it all together when it counted, Reserve can be proud of the 2009-2010 season. It established itself as a top B-team in the nation and had strong play against some very good teams. It’s time for summer, and that means hard work for Reserve players, whether looking to move up to magnUM next year, or to establish Reserve as a perennial competitor at Regionals.
Reserve Highlight Reel
Check it out! Under the Videos section. A recap of the Reserve season is coming soon.
Regionals, part two
Illinois
Great Lakes Regionals traded rain + thunderstorms in Bloomington for cold + windy in South Bend. The practical difference was that the cold and the wind didn’t tear up the fields. Saturday’s regional semifinal kicked off with a regional rematch with Illinois at 3pm. Illinois opened strong, getting an important upwind goal on the first point of the game and then adding a second a few points later. The early difference seemed to be execution, and perhaps a case of the nerves. The wind ensured both teams got D’s on almost every point and slowed the game down considerably. magnUM could not convert early, but did get their first upwind break on a hammer to Brandon Beeler. With soft cap on before halftime in Illinois took an 8-7 lead. magnUM O scored downwind to tie up the game at 8-8, setting up double-game point. TNT’s drama has nothing on the Great Lakes Region. Universe point saw each team take turns on goalline O, and each team making a major stand. Tom Haynes made three straight layout bids on Illinois throws called back for various offensive or defensive violations before a drop gave magnUM the disc. magnUM too had their shot, also ended by a drop. Eventually, Illinois would land a 50-yard bending huck, booking their ticket to the Regional Final versus MSU. A disappointed magnUM squad would have to settle for the race for the second Great Lakes bid to Nationals for a second year in a row.
Notre Dame
magnUM’s first backdoor bid would have to be against Notre Dame. As magnUM2k9 will gladly point out, this was the same team who famously lost on universe in the game before the game-to-go last year at Regionals. More recently, Notre Dame came to Oosterbahn Fieldhouse and beat magnUM2k10 on universe point during a January game. Perhaps wary of those past results and playing Notre Dame on their fields, magnUM came out and promptly surrendered a couple of breaks. This prompted an early timeout and an epic Richard “YOU DON’T NEED ME!” Eikstadt speech. Or as Colin puts it: “Ricky admitting that you don’t need him and that coached by me and Rook, it’s up to you all to step on the field and get it done.”
And then Tom Haynes blew up. Yes magnalUMs, the same baby-faced Tom Haynes who sat out his first Nationals with mono back in 2006. magnUM’s 2010 Callahan nominee featured in what I’ll estimate was half of magnUM’s goals in the next two games, primarily though not exclusively on the receiving end. You name the guy throwing it — Ollie, Spencer, Pape, and even a deflected deep huck from Towster — Tom got it (in the latter case leading to a hammer assist). magnUM’s deep game saw its confidence increase thanks to Notre Dame’s D. At one point in the game, magnUM was calling plays for “a deep cut for whoever was guarded by the guy in the ______”. [Author’s note: visible apparel item stricken from the blog to protect the defensively humiliated]
The rest of the team too, rose to the challenge. Rim Ree, easily magnUM’s best defender of the weekend (so many D’s … so, so many D’s), continued owning everyone he guarded. Chris Vandervoort got a sweet layout D. ROY Carson Mailler made a ridiculous layout grab off of a seemingly D’d dump pass. Jesse Brauner continued his Spiderman-like ability to catch any disc he touched, making a couple of big skies. AVS got into the act with a left-handed snag of an underthrown high-release backhand. Yoni made big plays, including a precision flick huck that prompted alum Armand Conti to exclaim, “Holy sh!t, has that guy played before?”
The individual brilliance and significantly improved attitude added up to a team much greater than its individual plays, and a game that was not in doubt. Afey closed the day doing his best to decapitate Beaker with a downwind blade flick. The Professor was up to the task, and magnUM advanced 15-10.
Shenanigans
Shenanigans (n): Term for all behavior exhibited by the most immature members of teams, including head coaches. Examples:
Friday
1. Yoni interpreting “make the first left” as “go straight at the first intersection.” FAIL.
2. Jeff “I exist to order the most ridiculous dinners possible” Pape. Exhibit 978: Ordering a house salad with three $2 orders of chicken on it with no dressing and calling it his Friday dinner. The waitress mocked his ‘special salad’ for the rest of the night.
3. Zubin’s sugar throwing van. They thought they were hot stuff.
Saturday
1. Two police officers walking into the Mexican restaurant for dinner right by the team table table, and Jeff Pape picking that exact instant to shout “OH SHOOT” (or something similar).
2. Ricky’s room summoning multiple people to their room because “he wanted to talk for a second.” Said person (Carson among the victims) would knock. Rick would declare “it’s open” (it wasn’t). Door opening failure was followed with racuous laughing and high-fives.
3. Beeler not falling for the “it’s open” trickery, while at the same time getting locked out of his own room.
Indiana
In the game before the game-to-go, magnUM opened against Indiana, a rematch of a Huck Finn pool play game magnUM won 13-6. This game was a closer, but the O line pretty well ensured it was hardly in doubt. Indiana’s O, featuring a variety of strong throws from the Mohawk guy, kept magnUM D at bay for the majority of the game. magnUM got an early break here and another break there, but the D couldn’t convert the turns they earned. Had the game ended another 20 minutes later it might have been a very close game. Indiana finally found chinks in the O line for two late breaks. But hard cap sounded after the second, magnUM winning a closer-than-it-shoulda-been 14-13 game. Up next was the game-to-go, and a big time rematch.
One of the most memorable highlights came on the efforts of magnUM’s second shortest vegetarian, Spencer Jolly. Jeff Pape wrote it best “he attempted a 15ft greatest into ditch, got hand on the disc and the crashed horribly into the ground.” As firsthand witness to the earth shaking crash, I was concerned Jolly wasn’t getting up. And he did, playing out the weekend on a bum wrist.
Michigan State
And so magnUM earned a rematch with the Michigan State’s Burning Couch. For blog followers or witnesses to the sectional final, the script was eerily familiar. Couch broke magnUM O twice to start the game. A third break through the first five points saw magnUM in a massive 4-1 hole.
And at this point in the season, some might now have blamed the team had we packed it up and called it a season. Seth was done a long time ago with a dislocated shoulder requiring multiple surgeries. Snow at CCC and QCTU plus Centex’s windstorm and now cold May weather could have emptied the emotional bank of some teams. Robbie Steinbock broke his right ankle the week before Regionals. Pat Collins re-injured his surgically repaired knee just a couple days before this part 2 of Regionals and was on crutches for the weekend. And now the team was down three breaks to a Couch squad that had beaten magnUM three weeks prior. We didn’t. We just kept clawing back.
The first break started it. Slowly, the script was becoming clear. magnUM, a gritty team, could out work Couch. Play by play, throw by throw, pivot by pivot, magnUM was just a little closer, a little more determined, and a little fresher. The breaks were incredibly hard work to come by, but around the hour mark the field was irrevocably tilted in magnUM’s favor. magnUM took half 8-7. Ricky made it clear the rest would be about the entire team. Everyone would and did play at least one point. Everyone would work as one to grind them into the ground. Couch got an eight point despite a heroic Mike DeRubeis catch in between two taller players. But their end was coming, not ours.
With magnUM up 9-8, Ollie Honderd (who had a huge game) skied a crowd, then ripped off a hammer to Yoni for a score. On the ensuring point , an end zone setup saw Dtow with the disc, fake, pivot and break to Tim. Tim then found Mike DeRubeis — the same DeRubeis who caught the winner to advance magnUM Reserve to regionals last year — and magnUM was going to Nationals! (Not without a hitch though … a certain player who threw the break but will sort of remain nameless reportedly asked, “Wait, is that the game?”)
The game winning goal.
After the game, magnUM2k10 cooled down to the humor of the paper plate awards. Seth, JB and DMo compiled a stellar set of awards (amazing, I know…), and then we watched Flywheel cruise to yet another regional title. Both teams would meet up in Ann Arbor later that night to celebrate (where a challenge of a scrimmage was extended and Alex Fegert acknowledged no shame in layout D’ing a girl if necessary).
Nationals 2k10
And so the countdown begins to 2010 Nationals, May 28-31 in Madison, WI. We have lots of work to do between now and then. We have plenty of defensive shortcomings to resolve. Many offensive turns could have been avoided. More conditioning is required. You’ll like the product on the field in Madison, so come out to watch us.
Going to Nationals!
Magnum takes second place in the Great Lakes region, winning three straight elimination games (against Notre Dame, Indiana, and Michigan State) after losing 9-8 to Illinois in the semifinals. Full details to follow.
Many thanks to alumni email, texts, and sideline encouragement that helped us through the weekend.
Regionals, part one
Kalamazoo
We just can’t get enough of a good thing. Two weeks after beating them twice at Sectionals, second-seeded magnUM opened bracket play against Kalamazoo. With each game, the results get a little better for magnUM. The Dutch connection (Vandervoort to van Staveren) hooked up for an early break and magnUM controlled throughout. Later in the game Pat Collins, the glory hog that he is, tried to intercept a pass intended for a wide open Brandon Beeler. Beeler’s hands proved steady despite PC’s layout mac bid, and magnUM got another score. Official scoring on the point for PC: 0.5 assists and 0.5 turns. Despite some moments of soft D in the second half, the outcome was never in doubt as magnUM rolled to a 15-7 victory.
Weather
The major story of the weekend was weather. In the final days leading up to the tournament, a major frontal system was forecast to stall in the Ohio river region and drop several inches of rain on many areas, including Bloomington. The decisions to play or not aren’t mine to judge, and the fact is we were planning to play as scheduled. Around 3am Saturday morning a major line of thunderstorms preceded around 3 hours of heavy rain. Under cloudy but dry skies, the first round started as scheduled and the field we played both of our games on held up well. However, several other fields at the complex were damaged by the first round, and much more rain was in the forecast for Saturday night. Before our quarterfinal match word got around that play would be suspended following those games.
Northwestern
Speaking of not getting enough of a good thing, magnUM met Northwestern in the second round, for our fourth meeting since January. Inspired to avenge an upset quarterfinal loss at Huck Finn, magnUM came out pumped. NUT didn’t help their case by choosing to go upwind on offense to start the game. magnUM got the first break, then followed on O to take an early 2-0 lead. After a couple of inspired but ultimately unsuccessful D points, Mike DeRubeis hauled in a huck with a defender right on him for the break that burst the floodgates and magnUM would take half 8-4. NUT broke to start the second half, but magnUM later broke back and controlled the second half throughout. Illinois was watching as we ended the game, and the weekend, 15-10.
Up Next: Great Lakes Regional Semifinals in South Bend, IN
The remainder of the Great Lakes Regionals was postponed 7 days and moved to South Bend, IN due to graduation weekend at IU. In yet another rematch, magnUM will again meet Illinois in the semis. This will be the sixth meeting between the two teams in major spring competition in the last two years. magnUM has wins over Illinois at Huck Finn the last two years and in the regional final in 2008. Illinois won a rematch at Nationals in 2008 and in the regional semis last year. The winner of our game will play the winner of the game between top-seeded Michigan State and Indiana for the regional title, while the loser has the difficult backdoor road to try and make nationals. Come out to South Bend this weekend and follow us. If you can’t make it, follow us at score reporter and our twitter feed.
How to be a fan
Follow us at Regionals this weekend, on Score Reporter or on our very new and exciting Twitter page. (You don’t need Twitter, just keep reloading the page.)
We’ve been working hard all season, now it’s time to see how far it takes us.
Michigan sectionals 2010
Pool Play
magnUM won its five pool games by scores of 13-6, 13-2, 13-11, 13-4 and 13-4 against Hope, Western Michigan, Kalamazoo, Kettering and Grand Valley respectively. Props to Kalamazoo, who nearly snuck one past an exceedingly casual magnUM squad — only to be put away by a sweet Tom Haynes sky.
Lowlights from pool play include:
- For the second year in a row, a rookie failed to posess a very catchable Callahan
- Pat Collins’ tomfoolery on the sidelines, tossing an errant disc which interfered with an adjacent game
- A successfully completed huck-dump
Sectional Final vs Michigan State
As was widely expected, magnUM met Burning Couch in the sectional final. magnUM knew coming in that Couch was much stronger than last year, and was arguably the favorite. The team from East Lansing did not disappoint. They came out fired up and were up 2-0 on two breaks very early. Couch would land another break and take a strong first half lead. The game would then settle in and two strong teams traded blows. As is frequently the case in a college ultimate game between two quality sides, there was a hotly contested call almost every point. Several calls probably could have used an observer to resolve the dispute and move the game along. Regardless, Couch took half with a strong lead. The second half featured a gritty magnUM side taking back the breaks, one at a time, in a race against the score and the clock. Down 14-13, magnUM got one more last break as the hard cap kicked in to force universe point. In a tight game, sometimes the most important break doesn’t go your way. magnUM would force a turn, but not convert. On Couch’s ensuing possession, the disc moved to the sideline and handler D clamped down. The stall count went higher and higher. But as Ollie observed in the postgame huddle “who under throws a bailout huck on a high stall count?” Burning Couch completed the huck, earned the resulting score and their Sectional Title.
2nd/3rd Game vs Kalamazoo
As a result of the loss, magnUM got a second game against Kalamazoo to in the section 2/3 game. This game was not nearly as close. Some rookie highlights punctuated the game, as magnUM ended the weekend with a 15-8 win.
magnUM Reserve goes to second straight Regionals!
For the second year in a row, magnUM Reserve won the “game-to-go” to advance to the Great Lakes Regionals. Congrats to Andy, Hank, Trues, KY and all the guys on another successful Michigan Sectionals.
Great Lakes Regionals Lineup
Based on Score Reporter result, the following 16 teams have qualified for the Great Lakes Regionals and its 2 bids to College Nationals:
Michigan Section
MSU
magnUM
Kalamazoo
magnUM Reserve
Central Plains Section
Illinois
Indiana
Purdue
Notre Dame
Ball State
Northwestern
Wheaton
East Plains Section
Ohio State
Ohio
Kenyon
Kentucky
Dayton
For now, we have less than two weeks to become the best team we can. Regionals are May 1-2 in Bloomington, IN. Come out to root to for magnUM! Yes, we know, some famous, powerful person is giving the commencement address in the Big House on May 1st. You can catch that on YouTube later. Comprehensive coverage of Regionals can only be experienced in person. Karst Farm Park. Bloomington. Be there.
Huck Finn 2010
Indiana
magnUM2k10 wrapped up the 2010 regular season with a trip to St. Louis and Huck Finn. The tournament promised an interesting feel, with the cut off for the regular season prompting many prominent teams to stay home and prepare for the series. With Sectionals two weeks after Huck Finn and the chance to see several potential Regional foes, magnUM elected to show up and get better. And to top it off, for the first time since before rosters were finalized, magnUM played a full weekend in decent weather.
We opened play against Indiana, host of Regionals a month from now. Saturday morning featured wind sufficient enough for zone play, but nothing nearly as overpowering as that in Austin two weeks prior.
magnUM staked out to a comfortable lead early enough and would control the game throughout, despite a low-key start to the weekend. Highlights included bookends from Robbie Steinbock and the return of the meatball. Facing a high stall count on a slightly downwind point, Dwolb send a backhand across the field, largely into the wind. The disc caught an edge and then started rolling. And rolling. And rolling. What looked to be a 20-yard gainer across the field became a 20-yard gainer with a 35-yard roll, all the way down to the far cone. Meat, with his typical panache, seized the moment with a classic low fist pump. magnUM opened pool play 1-0 with a 13-6 win.
Northwestern
Up next was a second regional foe, Northwestern. magnUM and NUT last met when we hosted a short weekend round robin in January at the Oost. magnUM picked up their play early, and sealed the deal when Yoni Rafael made a ridiculous layout grab on a huck. magnUM eased past NUT by a score of 13-6, and prepared to face UW-Whitewater for the Pool A crown.
Wisconsin-Whitewater
Still two games Saturday morning magnUM still really hadn’t brought its best game, and to begin play against Subpar, magnUM again didn’t bring its best. Subpar earned a couple of deserved breaks early. Still, magnUM showed characteristic grit despite suboptimal play. Tim Lee played brilliant handler D and stepped into an dump pass for a casual looking Callahan. Mike DeRubeis further jumpstarted the comeback getting bookends for the D line. Down 12-11, Spencer Jolly grabbed a floatly disc in a crowd. Called subsequently for a travel, Jolly retorted “I’m big, I land solid.” Still, the resulting score earned magnUM only a double-game point on D going upwind with the pool on the line. Subpar turned the disc, and magnUM worked the disc up near the cone. Dtow found himself with the disc, near the cone and a high stall count. Dtow would later say “I saw PC coming and put all the marbles on that toss.” Most of the rest of the team saw PC cutting to the cone, but not exactly wide open, or open. And courtesy of some go-go-gadget arms on a layout bid, Dave… err Pat Collins made a spectacular game winning catch for magnUM. PC ripped a vicious spike too — in fact he destroyed a new disc, property of UW-Whitewater. magnUM would in fact write a check to replace said disc.
Illinois
With a Sunday bye on the line, magnUM got a third Regional rival on the morning. magnUM2k9 alums remember Illinois’ upset at regionals last year, and that provided all the motivation necessary. Right out of the gate magnUM got two early breaks and Illinois needed a timeout. And then Ricky took over. Most magnUMs and magnalUMs know that Ricky generally is usually calm in the team huddle. In this timeout, this was not the case. Ricky absolutely exploded in the huddle and asked for more. We responded. magnUM took three more breaks to go up 5-0, and the rout was on. With the game winding down, Jeff Pape skied all to put the exclamation point on a 13-7 win. A satisfying win over a regional foe, but as with other regional opponents, the games that really matter are in Bloomington in May.
Saturday night featured some high quality relaxation. Dwolb, a most trusted motor vehicle operator, did not drive another teammate to distraction on the way home. And the combined actions certainly did not garner the attention of other motor vehicle operators.
Later Saturday night, after Duke finished off West Virginia, Ollie (not playing this weekend to heal a quad) showed us just how cool he was by winning a Lord of the Rings quote-off with himself.
Sunday
The top Sunday morning highlight came courtesy of Ricky. With a bye into late morning, Ricky’s van visited Panera. Ricky, the perfect gentleman that he is, held the door for a couple of elderly ladies, eliciting the following response:
“Thank you sir you’re a gentleman. I would say a scholar too, but you don’t look like a scholar.”
Northwestern
I was a big Sportscenter fan growing up and among my favorites was Stuart Scott. One of his best lines was, after team or player made a blunder “see, what .. ha … happened was …”
That would explain our performance in the Sunday morning quarterfinals against NUT. The game was best epitomized on universe point, when the pull went OB after no more than 10 yards. NUT converted and well… crap.
St. Olaf
And so magnUM drew a consolation game against St. Olaf. A recurring problem from the NUT game was giving up too many easy open side in-cuts. The problem did not resolve itself in just one game, though Chris Vandervoort made several nice layout bids for his part. Mike DeRubeis capped off the game with a flawless upwind backhand to Dan DeTone, who did not have to make a ridiculous spearing layout dive. magnUM finished its competitive weekend with an 11-10 win. Not content with just two games, the entire team did sprints and/or plyos (joined by Derek Towster’s Dad!).
And with that, magnUM2k10 wrapped up its regular season. Up next, Michigan Sectionals, April 17-18, Versluis-Dickinson park in Kalamazoo. magnalUMs, friends, fans and family, if you can make it, come on out. We’re looking forward to playing Michigan State on Sunday.
