When all was said and done, Gung-Ho, the Northwestern women’s ultimate frisbee team, received the national championships berth it wanted – it just came later than expected.
NU defeated Case Western 15-8 on Sunday to finish second in regional competition, qualifying for the 16-team national championship tournament. The championships will be held Memorial Day weekend in Spokane, Wash. The Case Western game was originally scheduled for April 28, but darkness prompted officials to move the competition to Sunday.
“We were excited but a little nervous,” co-captain Nancy Ketsche said. “We were ready to have it over with no matter what.”
NU entered the competition missing two key players: senior Kath Ratcliff, who was scratched because of a broken collar bone, and sophomore Adele Mischel, who had a scheduling conflict.
If NU had lost, the team’s season would have ended.
The absences forced the players to assume new roles, and it took time to adapt to the unnerving adjustment, Ketsche said. After trading points for the first five scores, NU struck for three unanswered points by halftime before pulling away.
Despite narrowly qualifying, NU has made a team goal of improving upon its 10th-place finish at nationals last year.
“We have a lot of hard work ahead of us,” Ketsche said. “We will be a lower seed and it will be a harder road to climb.”
SURPRISE, SURPRISE: As the No. 2 seed, the NU club baseball team entered its double-elimination postseason tournament expecting Wisconsin to pose the biggest threat to unseat it as defending conference champions.
NU was right. And wrong.
It was Wisconsin’s B-team, the No. 7 seed made up of mostly freshmen and sophomores, that did the damage. The B-team upset NU 5-4 on Friday in Madison, Wis., to begin the tournament. NU was unable to run the table after the defeat, losing 4-0 to Marquette on Sunday, just one game before it would have reached the championship.
Wisconsin-Eau Claire, a team NU defeated in all six previous meetings, knocked off Wisconsin’s undefeated and top-seeded A-team. Wisconsin-Eau Claire went on to win the championship.
NU’s loss to Wisconsin’s B-team kicked NU into the consolation bracket early, which was unexpected for a team that had long anticipated a first-place finish.
“They were a surprisingly good team,” NU team captain Luke Winn said. “We just didn’t get any consistent clutch hits from anyone. If you can’t get clutch hits in baseball, any team can beat you.”
NU stranded 12 runners in the game, a problem that would continue to plague the team throughout the tournament.
NU rebounded in its second game, blowing past DePaul 12-0 in five innings and winning by the slaughter rule. Senior pitcher Dave Alvarez earned the win, allowing only one hit over three innings.
An opportunity for revenge presented itself in NU’s third game, and the team took full advantage with a 13-7 win over Wisconsin’s B-team.
“I think that another loss to them would have been the most embarrassing thing you can fathom,” Winn said.
NU’s fourth game, the much-anticipated duel with Wisconsin’s A-team, proved to be the most exciting game of the tournament, Winn said. NU prevailed 6-5, with junior Tom Strandness inducing a flyout to right field with runners at the corners to end the game. Winn pitched the first 6 2/3 innings, throwing more than 110 pitches and striking out nine.
“We took solace in the fact that if we were going down, we took the big dog down with us,” Winn said.
NU had only six hits in its loss to Marquette in the consolation bracket championship.
“We left the tournament not fully satisfied with what we had done,” Winn said. “For eight guys, it was the end of competitive baseball for them.”
CRUISING ALONG: The NU crew team performed well at the Mid-America Collegiate Rowing Association regatta on Saturday, a promising sign as the team prepares for its biggest invitational – this weekend’s Dad Vail regatta.
Out of about 10 competing schools, NU’s women’s four-person open-weight boat won silver, and the four-person lightweight boat took bronze. The women’s eight-person boat also won the bronze.
“It was our last row as an eight for the season, so it was nice to come together and medal for our last race” said sophomore Jill Falor. “Overall, I think we were pleased.”
The men sent out five boats, with the lightweight four-person boat winning bronze.
The Dad Vail regatta represents the highest level of competition for club crew teams, with more than 100 schools participating. NU’s women’s team will send two four-person boats, varsity and novice, and the men’s team will send two eight-person boats, also varsity and novice.
