Nationals Day 3: Colorado and the Callahan

Colorado

Despite having already made it further at Nationals than anyone on the roster had in the past, the men of magnUM showed no signs of satisfaction or intimidation. The game began with two magnUM breaks, which would lead to 2-0 and 5-3 leads. The D-line was playing lock-down defense, and the O-line was moving the disc smoothly.

Of course, Colorado would not go down without a fight. They have a funny way of sneaking up on you, and although magnUM felt good about the first half, scattered mistakes allowed Colorado to regain the lead by halftime. magnUM never gave up, but would never regain the lead.

Highlights of the game included huge backhand hucks by Will Neff, one of which was tracked down by Andy “Dunnguardable” Dunn. The defense was able to slow down one of the nation’s most dynamic offenses for a bit of time with some truly inspiring defense. Everyone left it all on the field, and many played the games of their lives.

All said and done, magnUM fell to Colorado in the quarterfinals, 15-11. A disappointing end to a special season to be sure, but a strong showing against the eventual second place finisher.

Callahan

Visitors familiar with this page have probably seen the page supporting Will Neff for the Callahan award. Sunday evening, Will put the finishing touches on magnUM’s season by winning the 2009 Callahan Award. We are tremendously proud of Will for all he has done for magnUM and feel he is as deserving a winner as any we have seen.

Completing the Season

And so the season for magnUM2k9 ends with a 5th place finish at Nationals and a Callahan trophy. Two ending notes: The Egg Man won the spirit award for magnUM, and assistant coach Ryan Purcell represented Michigan as only he can in the College All-Stars vs Team USA showcase game at Nationals. If you’d like details on the game, check with rp^3. With that we’d like to take the time for a few thanks. First, thanks for the players who are now eligible for those ridiculously sweet alumni jerseys: Dominic Conti, Andy Dunn, Dave Fumo, Alex Kaulins, Zak Kemmer, Matt Marcum, Will Neff, Craig Sanford, Gordon Siegfriedt, and Jeff Siddiqui. Second, thanks to all of our supporters including alumni, Flywheel, girlfriends and parents (double thanks to parents who helped out with dollars). We owe a shout out to U of M Rec Sports for the great facilities we get to use. Last, Ricky, Ryan and Jav deserve our thanks for their fabulous coaching work, including all those early and late sessions at the Oosterban.

So long magnUM2k9. For those interested in being a part of next season’s team, feel free to reach out to the contact information on the website.

Returners, next season started a few hours ago. We’ve got work to do…

Nationals Day 2: Virginia, Stanford, and UCSB

Pool play

magnUM opened Saturday with two tough games against the top two seeds in our pool, Virginia and Stanford. The Virginia game, um, well … (words not fit for blogging). At certain points in the first half, we might have been better had we just centered the disc to Virginia. Oh wait, we pretty much did that on a couple points. Night Train rolled us 15-5 in arguably our single worst showing of the season.

The Stanford game presented an interesting dilemma to the team. Unless we beat Stanford by more than 10, which was unlikely, we would finish third in the pool regardless. Once Stanford secured a strong early lead, our decision was made—we would work in all the rookies and measure our effort in the heat while working out a couple offensive kinks. The rookies absolutely capitalized on their chance, trading blows with Stanford’s best and even went on a mini-run to make the game closer. Stanford would win 15-9, but if ever there was a uplifting 6 point loss, this was it.

UC Santa-Barbara

Finishing on seed in our pool, we earned a pre-quarterfinals berth against UC-Santa Barbara. This was a rematch of a hard fought 14-12 win at the Stanford Invite earlier in the year. In addition, Black Tide was on fire, breaking their 5th seed in pool play with upsets over Tufts, Georgia and Illinois. I won’t ruin the ending, but I promise reading all the way is worth it.

The game started out well. Considering the O line had been broken to start 3 of the 4 games so far, it started out extraordinarily well. Matt Marcum landed a sweet huck to Will Neff to put magnUM up 1-0. Matty Mich had a twinkle in his eye after that toss, and you knew he had more in store. magnUM almost took the first break, but couldn’t capitalize on a Dave Fumo D. Black Tide would earn the first break and take an early 2-1 lead. Both teams would alternate the next seven points, with Alex Kaulins and Derrick Wolbert netting a pair of goals and Matt Marcum a a pair of assists.

The D line was struggling to contain Black Tide’s deep game. But as the game progressed, the D line was getting their measure and finding chinks in the Black Tide offense. Ben Deland would lead the rally, gathering two D’s and an assist to the Meatball for the first break. When Seth Collins landed a gorgeous deep huck to Fumo to for the second straight break, the sidelines exploded. magnUM lead 7-6, the first lead since 1-0.

The lead would be short held in this back and forth game. Black Tide answered swiftly to tie it up, then broke the O line to take half at 8-7. The halftime huddle was an anxious meeting, but everyone was unanimous that a) we still weren’t playing out best and b) it was only a matter of time until the entire team caught fire.

Unfortunately, a matter a time still meant more breaks for Black Tide as their O line held serve, then broke us for a commanding 10-7 lead. Will Neff answered with a goal to Ollie, but Black Tide had another for an 11-8 lead. Black tide then took the game by the absolute neck with a sweet layout D and a score for a 12-8 lead.

At this point the game became the feature pre-quarters game, as most other games were nearly finished and our game had some long points with many tight calls (our observers had many tough decisions). Indeed magnUM appeared all but finished when an Alex Kaulins score was answered by USCB to keep them up four, 13-9—remember that score. To further stress the hearts of parents, coaches and magnUM sympathizers, we turned the disc on the next O line point. But Craig Sanford immediately got the D on the mark in the turning point in the game. Ollie hit Tom Haynes and magnUM was still alive at 13-10.

To this point the D line hadn’t had a break since the first half. Derrick Wolbert had enough of that, bookending the point. Suddenly we had a pulse, 13-11. The last break was fueled by our zone D, and it forced a second straight turn (this time a turf in the end zone). Will Neff threw a hammer to Ollie, and we were back fighting, 13-12. Will wasn’t done, not by far. He D’d a huck and then threw an assist back to Derrick Wolbert. Brand new game at 13 all. Black Tide finally stemmed the Maize and Blue tide to take a 14-13 lead.

At this point our game was bordering on epic and the only game around, the sidelines filled 5 deep with spectators. Alex Kaulins did his best to kill some of those fans, when he fell on the ground, then got up and tipped, bobbled, and caught a Neff huck. But he caught it to tied things up at 14. UCSB would not die easily, and returned serve, again, 15-14. magnUM wasted no time answering on O with Will making a nice sliding catch on the right side of the endzone, back to 15 all.

Now we had a game to 2, technically still down a break. After a UCSB turn, young guns were the signature of the point, as sophomore Ben Deland hit freshman Seth Collins deep. After being down for most of the game magnUM now was at game point, 16-15.

Will Neff did the rest. He got the D. He soared above the crowd for a high pass from Fumo. And he threw the winner. Matt Marcum grabbed the disc, tucked his toe in the corner of the endzone and for once, didn’t spike it. magnUM and their many fans exploded with the epic victory. We closed the game on an 8-2 run from that 13-9 score. And to underline his team MVP status, the Boxcar grabbed 5 assists, 2 D’s and 1 goal on our last 7 points scored.

What’s next you ask? Quarterfinals vs Colorado Sunday afternoon. See you there…

Nationals Day 1: Minnesota and UCSD

Minnesota

magnUM opened Nationals first thing Friday morning against 5th seeded Minnesota. Although they were the lowest seed at Nationals, Grey Duck had a strong season, posting wins over fellow nationals qualifiers Tufts and Kansas. To add a little spice to the game, the Little Brown Jug has been expanded to Ultimate.

Right before the game began, magnUM was surprised with special Nationals jerseys (thanks Derek Towster’s Dad and Pretzelmaker company…“freshens with a twist”).

Followers of magnUM will recall repeated references in this blog to slow starts. Rest assured, we held on to that for Nationals as well. magnUM received the opening pull and proceeded to get broken. After trading a few points, magnUM was broken a couple of more times to fall down 5-2. Andy Dunn helped supply some of the waking up material with a sweet leaping layout catch, dubbed a ‘rocket jump’ by a fellow 1020 E. Ann resident. After a scoring to make 5-3 that featured another one of those Neff hammers, magnUM D rattled off two breaks, capped by sweet bookends from Tim Lee. The rally continued through to half, when Seth Collins D’d a huck, then sent the disc back sailing to Dave Fumo to take half for magnUM at 8-7.

Grey Duck was far from finished though, and after trading a couple points early in the second half, they returned the break rally to take an apparent commanding lead, 12-9. Trading points to 13-10, magnUM called timeout. Coach Eikstadt called for a rally, saying that if the O line would just score one, D line would take care of the rest. He was very nearly right, as magnUM went on a 6-1 run to close out the game. Gordon Siegfriedt broke Grey Duck’s back by running down a slightly tipped huck for a layout grab, and Jeff Pape caught the winner from Dave Fumo.

Other notable contributions came from Alex Kaulins (scores goals), Patrick Collins (led team in skymiles Friday) and Alex Fegert (two layout D’s near his own endzone). Some highlights of the game made it on the UPA Championships website.

UC-San Diego

After a tough opening win against Grey Duck, magnUM had a bye before facing the 4th seeded Air Squids. UC-San Diego opened with a tough game against 2nd seeded Stanford and came away on the short end of 15-12 score.

The Air Squids immediately presented a change of pace of magnUM with the ‘stand in front of you, barely mark the thrower and take away the downfield looks defense.’ Accustomed to opponents making us work for each pass, being given a free three yards simply confounded the O line…and magnUM was again down early. magnUM would rally to take half on serve at 8-7, but only after Coach Purcell threatened self-amputation, Dave Fumo screamed through an entire timeout, and Tim Lee got bookends…again.

The second half was much more Natty Mich. O line was deadly and chilly, even taking a chisel point against the aforementioned D with no less than 30 passes completed, 20 of which were less than 5 yards long. D line got its breaks, plenty of them.

Ollie Honderd headlined defensive highlights, including chasing down a huck and making a sick layout D on a huck. Meatwolb (aka Meatball aka Meatwad aka Derrick Wolbert) had a couple of nice D’s in addition to leading the team in macked discs to the other team. Ben DeLand and Dave Fumo anchored the D line as usual with their share of highlights. DeLand almost had an instant youtube highlight when he skied at least two feet over his mark to nearly pull down a huck, only to be fouled and lose the disc.

Like the Minnesota game, magnUM closed out the Air Squids on D, earning the turn with hard work, followed by Alex Fegert working the disc to Seth Collins, who threw the winner to Tim Lee. Final score: 15-10.

All in all, a successful Day 1 of Nationals for magnUM. Neither win was pretty, but they both were wins. A much tougher awaits in Day 2. Hope to see you there.

Nationals?

Oh right, there’s a tournament this weekend. That must be what the 7am practices and team breakfasts are all about. It’s probably also the reason that those with jobs haven’t gotten anything done for the past two weeks. And it’s most definitely the explanation for my 120bpm resting heart rate.

Nationals is why we play ultimate. 20 teams going to Columbus, magnUM is seeded 9th. This places us 3rd in a pool with Virginia, Stanford, UC-San Diego, and Minnesota. Games against UCSD and Minnesota on Friday, Virginia and Stanford on Saturday, bracket play on Sunday. Check the full schedule here.

You can follow us on Score Reporter, Ryan’s Twitter feed, and Batey’s Twitter feed

Also, Logan Braun will be there this weekend filming, so stay tuned in the coming weeks for a brand new highlight video!

Great Lakes Regionals 2009

Fresh off of their cruise through sectionals, magnUM rolled into Oberlin fired up and ready to go. Thanks to big wins outside of regional competition and head to head wins over Illinois, Notre Dame and Ohio State in March and April, magnUM earned the top seed as they attempted to repeat as regional champions.

What follows is not a story of a regional championship. But a story for the magnUM annals none the less.

Ball St

magnUM opened against 16th seeded Ball State, famous far more for David Letterman than their Ultimate. Still, the Wizardz did everything that should be expected of a 16 seed. They played their best and made several great plays.

magnUM wasn’t quite as ready. Rusty and tentative, magnUM yielded too many easy upline cuts that led to flick hucks and scores. Far too many mental errors on O and D. In the end talent and depth carried magnUM to a 15-11 win.

Northwestern

Following a short rest and pep talk from the captains and coaches, magnUM came out fired up against 9th seeded NUT. Just like Ball State, NUT was zeroed in on giving magnUM everything they had. Early in the first half the teams largely traded points. magnUM’s D-line got the disc on D often enough, but just couldn’t quite punch it in for a score. A memorable highlight during this period came at the hands of Will Neff. His flying-D-catch-somersault over a tall box of bagels was best described by team weatherman Andy Dunn’s question: Have you ever seen a dolphin leap out of the water?

Back to the game…while the O-line largely held steady, the D-line smelled blood when NUT took a timeout after scoring. Oops. Tied at 5 all, D broke the game open with three straight breaks to take half 8-5. In the span of three points the game had effectively ended, and magnUM controlled the second half en route to a 15-9 win.

Illinois

Like any college sport, Ultimate is as much a game of skill and speed as it is emotion, momentum and luck. Against the 4th seeded Illini, magnUM didn’t muster all of their available skill, couldn’t match the Illini’s emotion, and wasn’t the luckier opponent.

As you might recall, magnUM met Illinois at Huck Finn earlier this year and played one of their most complete games en route to a 13-2 victory. Right from the beginning this game was entirely different. Illinois needed just four points to surpass their Huck Finn total and a 3-1 lead. Playing a smart, gritty style of Ultimate that can give any team fits, Illinois was absolutely on form and had zero comparison to their St. Louis incarnation. Sometimes an opponent’s game is ‘on.’ When that’s the case, you had better be ready to fight tooth and nail.

magnUM was not. With the disc, far too many throws and catches weren’t in sync. Far too many hucks went deeper than a wide open receiver could reach, including four to a wide open fUMo. And late in the game the end zone seemed to have a repelling effect on magnUM hands and discs. Many D-line players will be haunted by the upline cuts they yielded.

The final result was a nearly devastating body blow as the Illini knocked magnUM out of contention for a second straight regional title by a score of 12-9.

Congrats to the Illini, who would win the regional title the next day.

Recovering…

Sitting the shade and now relegated to the backdoor bracket, magnUM was down Saturday afternoon. A victory against Illinois would have meant just one more win to a regional title and a return to nationals. Now magnUM had to win three straight games. Three straight games against foes with the same desperation to make nationals. The margin for error was now zero. magnUM packed up their gear, and headed back to their fabulous Westlake accommodations to rest, energize, and partake in the annual paper plate awards, before doing work Sunday.

Chicago

Tenth seeded Junk probably felt like their name when they found out Saturday afternoon their path to nationals now had an angry wounded wolverine squarely in their path. The game was highlighted by PC getting smashed going up for a floaty disc, dazed and ready to call foul, only to realize Boxcar had it. For the sake of brevity and emphasis on the far more dramatic games later in the day, we’ll stick to saying magnUM took a measured 15-11 win rotating in lots of rookies to keep everyone fresh for the next two games.

Notre Dame

For men’s college Ultimate, many 2009 regions have been a tough go for teams with a 1 or 2 seed and the Great Lakes region was no exception. Top seeded magnUM met 2nd seeded Papal Rage in a final, but neither planned on that matchup in backdoor final. The game was a rubber match given two prior meetings for the ‘08-09 season. In the fall Notre Dame cruised past magnUM in pool play of the Classic City Classic. magnUM answered with a 13-9 win at Huck Finn.

With the rivalry inherent in Michigan-Notre Dame and a chance just to play for nationals on the line, the game had all the makings of a classic. It did not disappoint. The spectators at Regionals, perhaps suspecting as much, started filling in the fields for magnUM’s most watched game of the season to date.

The game was a back and forth encounter. Each break or pair of breaks would be answered. Both O-lines were good, but both D-lines were plenty opportunistic. A couple notable highlights include Bandit bringing down a Deland hammer in traffic, and Tom Haynes pulling down a huck over two taller opponents. Still, in a game of this magnitude, so many big plays are obscured by the final result. Up 16-15 and waiting to receive the disc, magnUM’s O was ready to punch it in. For the first time this weekend, it was absolutely silent on the fields before the pull, an eerie and foreboding sign to be sure. When ND broke magnUM, pessimists could be sure the signs were against magnUM.

The pessimists were wrong. magnUM received again on universe point and would not falter again. Final score 17-16. An absolutely gritty magnUM win, setting up a winner take all to go to nationals against…

Ohio State

Leadbelly fell to Illinois in the Regional final by the score of 15-10. If the Notre Dame game had all the makings of a classic, this game was set from the get go to be epic. When the greatest rivalry in college sports coincides with a win-or-go-home game, a big game is bound to happen. magnUM family/friends, magnUM reserve, Flywheel roved the sidelines, and plenty of OSU partisans helped bathe the field in noise. Throw in the fact that Nationals this year are in Ohio State’s hometown and the teams split two close previous games this spring and you get the picture.

From the first pull the game was chippy with more than a few contested calls. Observers rarely went two points without being consulted.

Early on, the teams traded points as both O lines ran well. Then magnUM’s D-line made their biggest run of the season with three breaks to take half 8-4. When Matty Mich scored on a deep shot to make it 9-6, there was a hint of an inevitable magnUM win. This hint was soundly crushed as Ohio State rolled on three straight breaks to tie the game up at 9-9.

What followed next was a battle of wills, an epic point. magnUM received the pull, worked it up field, and then turned the disc over. This would not be the last turn. Back and forth the teams battled, through contested fouls, multiple injury subs and the crowd gasping over nine more changes in possession . The last turnover was one of the plays of the weekend by Tom Haynes (ahem, Great Lakes all-region), who made a poach layout D in his own endzone to save a goal. The play may have saved magnUM’s season, as a fourth straight break might have been too much. magnUM then worked the disc upfield for a huge score to make it 10-9.

The two teams would trade points once more to 11-11 with the hard cap set at 12. For the second game in a row, magnUM was facing universe point. For the second time in 4 months magnUM and Leadbelly played to double game point with magnUM receiving the pull. This time magnUM did not falter. After a series of solid cuts working the disc to right sideline near midfield, Will threw a hammer to a streaking Tom Haynes, who made another huge play coming down with the disc. After a brief interruption for an injury, Tom broke to Pat for the score and magnUM stormed the field!

Many thanks to the Michigan faithful watching the game including fellow nationals attendee and Great Lakes Women’s Regional Champion, Flywheel. After handshakes with our vanquished foe, we joined our fans in a rousing chorus of Hail to the Victors.

…headed for Columbus

magnUM learned quite a bit about themselves this weekend, including just how deep they can dig when the going is tough.

This is as good a point as any to mention some of magnUM’s other stars on the weekend. Alex Kaulins scores goals. Lots and lots of them. Dom “dangit dominic” Conti made a layout grab to save my behind among numerous other big Dom plays this weekend. Senior Captain Will Neff did what only he can do. Andy Dunn led the team in sweet jokes and “wow he’s fast” moments. Craig Sanford led the team in pointless Cleveland Cavalier references and was his usual self as the quintessential handler this weekend. Matt MarcUM led magnUM in showtime factor (as always) and scored a big goal in the second half that nearly broke Leadbelly. We love Gordon Siegfreidt! (he also joins this next guy with kickass handler D). Jeff ‘Bandit’ Siddiqui led the team, as usual, in layouts and defensive hustle. Zak Kemmer couldn’t play this weekend due to a hamstring injury, but short of playing did everything any teammate could ask for. And last on the list but first in our hearts, Captain and fifth year player Dave fUMo did everything on the field except take a bullet for his team.

And so magnUM’s season will last three more weeks, along with that of 19 other teams. We suggest you stay tuned for the latest. Due our loss this weekend, we’re likely a 3 or a 4 seed in our pool at nationals. We are a nightmare for anyone expecting 3 or 4 seed caliber talent. See you at nationals. GO BLUE!

Nationals bound

After losing to Illinois on Saturday, magnUM won three straight elimination games this weekend to place second in the Great Lakes region. It was a weekend full of emotion, capped off with two double game point wins against Notre Dame (17-16) and OSU (12-11). Check back soon for more details and photos.

See you at Nationals.

Regionals updates

I’m not sure how often either of these will be updated, but you can check Score Reporter and assistant coach Ryan Purcell’s twitter feed for updates this weekend.

Also new on the site is Will Neff’s highlight video as a part of his callahan nomination.

magnUM Reserve Sectionals Recap

Asked to retell the happenings of April 18th and 19th, I thought to myself how I might be able to tell the mystical and fantastical journey of awe and wonder. I didn’t know if I could do it justice and I figured that for the magnUM faithful, straightforward and to the point might be best. Reserve, coming off of excellent finishes at Chicago Invite and Double Down looked to cruise into the “Zoo” and make a statement in Michigan by breaking their 6th seed and grabbing a bid to Regionals. A challenge was set forth by the Reserve leadership that this team was going to Regionals and would settle for nothing less.

Calvin College

Battling bugs on the field, Reserve started off their Saturday at 9am facing Calvin. The day didn’t start off on the best foot. Captain Steve Kilpatrick, lacking a “Volde warm-up” (McDonald’s breakfast) was apparently groggy, and threw a Callahan. But not to worry, Reserve shook off the cobwebs and took half 7-2. Calvin, however, would not die and eventually returned the score to 11-10. Reserve quickly closed the door though, capitalizing on Calvin turns, Truesdell scored the last two goals to seal the victory.

Waterloo

Reserve’s second game of day was against our neighbors from the North, Waterloo. The game was close, and MANNSCHAFT put up a good fight, but in the end they were no match for captain Eric Haywood and his seven assists! That’s right, I counted, seven! Because of cap restrictions, Reserve won this game 12-10. Shout out to Copp, check out Copp’s face on this sick D! Nice work!

Michigan State-B

After the break and some definitely needed sloppy joe nourishment, Reserve returned to the field against Michigan State B. Wanting to show the state who was the better B team, Reserve brought everything to the table. With its offense clicking, MagnUM Reserve won handedly, 13-3. Enough said.

Michigan-A

After the B battle, Reserve looked across the field and saw another sea of yellow. Once brother now foe, Reserve turned to face Natty Mich. The game started with a back and forth momentum. Both teams capitalized on the other’s mistake and taking a few breaks, the score remained 4-4. After holding their own, Reserve crumpled after a few drops and throw aways. MagnUM took the game, and afterwards the program was once again all smiles.

Kalamazoo

Saturday was over, and a Regional bid was still in the cross hairs for Reserve. “Sunday is Fun-day” was their cry and standing in their way was Kalamazoo. Last year Kalamazoo had ended Reserve’s hope for a Regional bid. That being said I don’t know what the deal was but Reserve did not come to play this game. Whether it was the rain, the early start time, or that they just slept on the wrong side of the bed, but Reserve came out flat. Having enough drops in the end zone to win the game thrice times over, Reserve struggled. Succumbing to their own undoing, Reserve lost 4-15. However, they would not forget this loss.

Eastern Michigan

Reserve, still in the same funk, did not come to play for the first half against cross town rival Eastern Michigan Hellfish. Reserve went down 7-2 as the Hellfish took half. The seniors, realizing that this may be the last game that they play with the MagnUM logo on, stepped up in a big way. In fact the entire team took up a cut throat mentality. Finally, Reserve started to play the ultimate that they knew they could. Reserve dominated the second half and eventually went on an 11-2 run to win the game. It felt good to see us playing up to our full potential.

Hope College

Having tasted blood from the previous game, Reserve did not get out of their kill mode. While playing Reserve ultimate, we dominated the sky, the land, and the sea? Don’t know, but either way outstanding lay out D’s were a dime a dozen (Kilpatrick had 4 D’s on one player in one point!). Reserve rolled to a 13-6 victory over Hope. Also, I would just like to have an aside here and say wow to Chris “Book-ends” Li. If he could get a D and throw a goal to himself he would! But Li must be content with having someone else throw him goals. The win placed Reserve in 3rd place game and still gave them a fighting chance.

Kalamazoo

And then there was Kalamazoo… again! Reserve now in the 3rd place game had one team in the way. magnUM Reserve had not forgotten the lashing they had received from Kalamazoo earlier that morning. Reserve now had the opportunity to beat this same team, on the same field, and go to Regionals. It was too poetic! Having not forgotten the loss handed to us this morning and the bitter taste it left in our mouth, we were convinced that K-Zoo would not end another Regional’s run for Reserve. Reserve came out with a spark but the game would not be taken easily. Battling back and forth, K-Zoo took half 7-6. After half Reserve looked to the sidelines and again saw the yellow sea that had plagued them on Saturday. This time, Natty Mich was here to pick up the team. As they arrived the decibels increased tenfold and so did the intensity of the Reserve team. Reserve, after half went up and never looked back. After the score reached 13-12, Reserve braced for the O line point that would get them the win. Kalamazoo pulled and the disc was centered Volde. Without hesitation, Volde cranked a huge lefty backhand huck to Jolly awaiting near the endzone. Jolly jumped/used a jetpack to reach the upper atmosphere and sky the multiple K-zoo defenders. He then flicked the disc to DeRubeis sitting in the endzone wide open. The sidelines erupted, the heavens opened and a shout of joy was released. Reserve is going to Regionals! This is the second time in the programs history that Reserve will be making a Regionals appearance (the previous time was in 2005). This year Reserve will also be one of only three B-teams in the nation to win a bid to Regionals, a testament to the strength of the magnUM program. Eddie Helderop, captain of Hope College, said after the tournament, “You guys definitely brought it. I think it’s a little funny that UM secures two of our section’s three bids. Solid ultimate program there.”

Next stop for the Train: Oberlin, OH. See you March 2nd!

Huck Finn Recap

Eager to improve on a strong showing at Centex two weeks ago, magnUM cruised into the greater St. Louis area aboard sweet new spaceship vans. Saturday exhibited plenty of Natural Michigan Ultimate. Despite the strong start, magnUM would leave St. Louis Sunday frowning upon a missed opportunity.

Georgia

magnUM arrived at the fields bright and early Saturday (but not before the sun rose this time), ready to tangle with Jojah, a rematch from 2008 Nationals and last fall’s Classic City Classic. Typical of college students early on a Saturday morning, both teams spent a couple of points feeling each other out and/or waking up. More than one ridiculous turn was made. But magnUM D, reprising its starring role from Centex, took control midway through the first half. Riding three breaks in short succession with contributions from everyone on the D line, magnUM took half 7-5. What transpired in the second half depends on your perspective. Jojah fans will probably say they battled hard and hung around for a long time. magnUM partisans will tell you they didn’t deliver the killing blow to an inferior opponent. Jojah would push magnUM into OT, but fell to the maize and blue 14-12. Now normally we make space in this blog for individual highlights, but our highlight regards Ultimate rules. Beaker would like to ask a certain Jojah player to please read (find a Georgia Tech student if you need help with this) the 11th edition rules. He was right.

Purdue

The Purdue game, following a mid-morning bye, kicked off a string of three straight games against regional potential foes. Thus they marked a chance for magnUM to make a statement for matchups in early May and earn a good seed. magnUM would not squander the opportunity and cruised to a 13-3 win.

Worth noting in the game was the development within the magnUM roster combining major missing pieces from earlier spring action. Tim Lee, Matt MarcUM, Derrick Wolbert, Alex Fegert and Patrick Collins weren’t just added depth but starring players. More than a turn or two happened against Georgia as these guys established tournament chemistry with the core. But the rest of the weekend these guys were as integrated as anyone else on magnUM and each collected their share of big plays.

Illinois

Up next was regional rival Illinois. magnUM steamrolled the Illini. 13-2. Enough said.

Notre Dame

The mention of Notre Dame vs Michigan conjures up one of the great rivalries in college football. Thanks to a defeat at the hands of Papal Rage at the Classic City Classic last fall and Notre Dame’s top 10 ranking going into the game, this game had the making of a big matchup. magnUM was not found wanting. Continuing the strong Illinois game, magnUM came out firing and quickly secured a couple of breaks. The game would settle in, magnUM taking half at 7-4. The second half was a testament to the strength of magnUM’s O-line, arguably the team’s stronger half this tournament (we love you O-line!). The second half featured zero breaks, but the O-line carried the day as Michigan went on for a 13-9 final score.

One of the highlights of the Notre Dame game related to the games within the game. Playing on the field adjacent to magnUM was a school from further south and a player known for his hammer. Will Neff asserted he has a pretty sweet hammer as well. From the shadow of the cone in his own end zone, Will launched a full field hammer miles over the top of the ND zone to his fellow captain Ollie Hondred. Two things are notable. One was the sound of jaws slamming on the ground while the disc was in the air. Second was a raw childish glee on Will’s face during the play. Just to reassure the audience this was no fluke, Will did it again, glee included.

Another highlight to the came thanks to the hands of Matt MarcUM. During a hard fought point in the game, MarcUM made a hot grab in traffic for a score. Pumped about this, Matt spiked the disc. Apparently the good kids at Papal Rage aren’t such a fan of disc spiking, a feature of intense college Ultimate, and by no means anything personal. A word or two was pushed, and even a captain’s request to not spike was sent forth. Sorry guys, but Matt was pumped about the score, not trying to spit in your face. To quote Ben DeLand, “chill out guys.”

Iowa

I’ve failed so far to mention one of the more important parts of the weekend. Wind. The fields were in the middle of an elevated plain in the middle of, according to one free-speaking magnUMite, “God’s country.” While we managed to dodge the forecasted showers and thunderstorms on Sunday, a steady wind was present for the vast majority of points this weekend. If you were present you saw all manner of zones and junk D’s thrown, and more than one amusing throw. magnUM players Alex Fegert (classy flick pull…out-of-bounds at the wrong 1-inch line) and Pope “moonshot” Euges were far from alone in succumbing to the wind. One of the more comical highlights of the weekend featured magnUM’s two shortest players, Dtow and Bandit. Downfield defending a huck from an opponent to remain nameless, a huck better described as an ridiculously floaty throw, Derek and Jeff jockeyed for position furiously amidst taller opponents while waiting on the still floating disc. While this was happening, Dave Fumo grabbed some BTB, checked in on the latest Pastafarian happenings, did a cheeky set and finally resolved the dilemma in favor of magnUM.

I digress. magnUM won 13-7 to start 3-0 thus far against teams from the Big Ten (though there is no such conference in Ultimate).

Wisconsin

The Hodags won 13-7. Lots of reasons factor into the why. First, Wisconsin to their credit brings a core of players that have seen the pinnacle of college Ultimate and know how to bring the intensity necessary in a big game. For another, magnUM might have been looking ahead to the BCS-style amalgamation in place for deciding the Huck Finn final, worrying about margin of victory instead of taking care of business. Witnessing those same Hodags lose twice earlier in the tournament certainly didn’t help the focus. There’s more of course, and if you’re privy to magnUM practice in the next few weeks, you’re certain to get a glimpse or two. Bottom line: 7-13.

magnUM and its partisans should be able to take a measure of solace from this loss. A broken eleven game winning streak is never fun, but disguised in any run of success are the growth of bad habits and insufficient mental preparation. Nothing like falling back down to earth to ensure we keep the right habits moving on towards the series.

Missouri

The theme in the huddle before the Missouri game was about digging out of the Wisconsin rut as the first step building towards sectionals. magnUM jumped out strong taking two straight breaks right out of the gate. A bit of a lull ensued and Missouri even earned a break. Someone on the Missouri sideline is reported to have said “we might even win this game.” While we mean no disrespect to Missouri (who showed great spirit), they were not Moutaineers from Boone, North Carolina and a last second field goal attempt was not needed. Sharing points across the entire roster, magnUM rolled the rest of the way to a 15-6 victory, including a 7-1 second half. While the pain of the prior loss will not go away, the initial recovery has begun.

To be continued…

If you’d like to see what happens next, suggest you join us at Versluis-Dickinson Park in Kalamazoo on April 18-19 for Sectionals. Let the series begin.

Huck Finn Preview

This weekend, magnUM is traveling to a tournament with its most complete squad yet. Huck Finn will mark elite cutter Pat Collins’ return from a season-long knee injury, and the return of fifth year player Matt Marcum. With 22 of the 25 guys on the roster attending Huck Finn, this should be the strongest we’ve seen magnUM this year.

Schedule:

Sat Rd 1 (9:00) – Georgia
Rd 2 (11:00) – BYE
Rd 3 (1:00) – Purdue
Rd 4 (3:00) – Illinois
Rd 5 (5:00) – Notre Dame
Sun Rd 1 (8:30) – Iowa
Rd 2 (10:30) – BYE
Rd 3 (12:30) – Wisconsin
Rd 4 (3:00) – TBD

Likely to be some previews of Regionals, with magnUM matching up with Notre Dame and Illinois. It’s great to see 8 of the 11 Big Ten teams all attending the same tournament.