2025 College Qualifier Previews: Champaign
Author: Jack Levy
PC: Kielan Donahue Photography
Introduction
After a thrilling and windy weekend in Howard County, tomorrow is the final qualifier of the season in Champaign, Illinois. The Midwest teams, which before this season were the first teams to punch their tickets to nationals, are now going to be the last additions to the field. The final four D1 bids and final four D2 bids will be taken this Sunday. If last year’s Champaign qualifier taught us anything, we should see many close games between rival programs. The start of day 2 should provide some of the most exciting college games all year. This qualifier had some of the hardest bid allocations to predict. Expect the battles for the last D1 bids on Sunday to be in-range games.
Blue Jay (Creighton)
Blue Jay might be Creighton’s B-team, but they should not be written off as a threat this weekend. Blue Jay is clearly at the top tier of the college game this season. If all goes to plan for the Creighton program, Blue Jay will be playing Creighton in the final. Last season, Blue Jay was one win away from getting a D1 bid, but fell to Michigan in a close game. This year, Blue Jay is a favorite to walk away with a D1 bid, as they have been nothing but dominant all season. Blue Jay opened the season at Missouri Loves Company, where they took down Minnesota and Illinois. The only loss Blue Jay took was against Creighton. In February the team made waves across the Quadball community when they shocked Virginia at Blue Jay Classic in a stunning comeback win. Once again, Blue Jay only fell to Creighton. If the biggest threat to Blue Jay is their A-team, the Creighton program is exactly where they want to be entering Champaign. The pool drawing also could not have gone better for Blue Jay. They dodged Mizzou, a team Blue Jay only beat by 15 in Omaha, and got the pool with only four teams in it. Blue Jay’s pool still has some tough matchups, but they are still the highest ranked team in the pool. All Blue Jay has to do is win three games on Saturday to secure a D1 bid, and win one game on Sunday to reach the final.
Blue Jay is returning a lot of their roster from their home tournament. One standout name is the Blue Jay seeker Lily Haas. Haas will most likely be wearing the yellow headband at 20 minutes. It was her catch that shifted the tides and led the Blue Jays to take down Virginia. If Haas has time with the flag runner, she will execute and give the Blue Jays momentum to win down the stretch. In the chasing game, look for Brynn Chang-Kanoa, Eric Nguyen, Matthew Pien, and Justice Wu. Across the Mizzou and Virginia, those four chasers scored every single goal except one. While Blue Jay has a lot of chasers rostered, the group is only bringing four beaters to Champaign. Look for Graham App, Conner Dvorak, Mia Manzo, and Jaeden Muramoto-Kilantang to play major minutes across the weekend. Expect the young roster to avenge their loss from last year and snag a D1 bid. A Blue Jay finals run is definitely in the cards, but is dependent on their ability to win in close games.
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University enters the weekend having attended all three Rust Belt Invitationals and is looking to bring their experience in the fall into the Champaign qualifier. While the Falcons have yet to record a win on the season, they’ve had some notably close games against solid teams so far this season. At their first Rust Belt tournament, they only lost by 15 points to Case Western. At their third Rust Belt tournament, they only lost by 5 points to Michigan. The Falcons could end up shocking some teams this weekend. While a D1 bid seems just out of reach for BGSU, they could end up knocking off a team and grabbing a D2 bid. Bowling Green has always managed to leave qualifiers with surprising results, and this weekend might be no different.
Leading the squad is Dominik Twarowski. Twarowski had a breakout summer in MLQ for the Cleveland Riff and the veteran has a lot of experience. Twarowski finished third in goals scored, second in chaser stops, and tied for second in assists for the Riff this past season. Twarowski’s experience will be critical for the Falcons this weekend. Also look for keepers Riley Freeman and Braden Hawk to rack up goals on the weekend as they’ve proven all in the fall. In the beating game look for Samaja Amison, Abby Engle, Andrew Howard, Lily Schlade, and Trena Wiseman-Esparza to generate stops for BGSU. While a lot of teams are sleeping on the Falcons, the group has the ability to spring an upset and a chance to take a D2 bid on Sunday.
Creighton University
Creighton University enters the weekend as the unquestioned favorite to win the qualifier. They haven’t taken a loss at a qualifier since 2022 and this year looks to be no different. Creighton is one of the few teams left standing to not take a loss all year. They also have recorded wins against some of the best teams in the college games. In the fall they took down UTSA, Texas A&M, and Texas State at Diamond Cup. Last month they took down Virginia, Mizzou, and Blue Jay. Creighton isn’t just winning, but they are winning in dominant fashion. In all their games except one, they’ve won by 85 points or more this season. Most of the time they are winning by triple digits. Luckily for them, the one team that was able to hang in-range, Texas State, won’t be at Champaign. After many years of entering nationals as the favorite, the Quadball world will be looking to see how dominant Creighton is this weekend. Right now, Creighton looks like they can beat any team in college and they hope to keep it that way as they punch their ticket to Richmond.
Creighton’s roster boasts some of the strongest beaters in the game. Madi Namanny and TJ O’Connor, the USNTDA pair, will be dominant all weekend long in the beating game. Expect the duo to hold control throughout the qualifier, regardless of who they play against. Namanny and O’Connor will likely start, but the depth behind them can still take over games. Look for Ryan Cleary, Max Chang, Tiffannie Chang, Mason Dasig, and Derek Dearking to still get plenty of minutes and look to generate tons of turnovers. In the chasing game, Creighton is led by another USNTDA add in Riley Usami. Usami loves to shoot on any open hoop and will make defenses pay for any small mistake they make. Also look for Mimi Baldwin, Anya Ortiz, and Danny Rendon to put up points all weekend for Creighton. The beater and chaser depth for Creighton is one of the best in the country. Look for the team to have a dominant weekend in Champaign and enter Richmond undefeated.
Michigan State University
The only other team coming to Champaign without a loss is Michigan State University. The veteran squad has spent the first half of the season attending Rust Belt tournaments, much like many of the other Midwest teams. The Spartans have recorded two wins over Case Western, and two wins over Bowling Green, but none of them feel better than their two wins over Michigan. Their in-state rival has been dominant over the past couple seasons. In fact, before this season the Spartans haven’t beaten the Wolverines since years before the pandemic. This weekend Michigan State gets to find out if they can continue their win streak against more competition. The 6-0 start to the season should be a good sign of things to come for the Spartans this weekend.
While the Spartans have the smallest roster of any team of the weekend, they also have one of the most veteran teams. The team has a handful of chasers with valuable MLQ experience. Leading the Spartans is Gwen Pratt. Pratt has many years of experience under their belt playing for Michigan State and MLQ’s Detroit Innovators. They finished fifth in scoring and fifth in stops among Innovator chasers and finished the summer second in assists on the team. Defenses will also need to find a way to stop Luc Marklin. Marklin, another Innovator, finished second among the Detroit chasers in stops and second in scoring. Also look for Brady Sowers, another MLQ veteran who finished fourth in scoring for Detroit over the summer, to score against every opponent. Jackson Massey will also look to drive in and dunk on defense throughout the weekend. In the beating game look for Fiona Flynn and Brice Tweddle to generate turnovers and transition opportunities for Michigan State. Expect the Spartans and their veteran roster to be fighting for a D1 bid on Sunday morning.
Purdue University
Purdue University is merging with Ball State University, another Indiana-based program, to play at Champaign this weekend. After going D2 at Round Rock last year, the Boilermakers are looking to punch their ticket to Richmond as a D1 team in April. So far this season Purdue has been able to grab wins over Michigan and Bowling Green. They also split a pair of games against Illinois. In a close game, the Boilermakers fell to Case Western by one goal. With solid wins in the early part of the season, Purdue is looking to shock some teams this weekend.
The name that stands out on the roster is keeper Sam Magner. Magner leads the Boilermakers chasers by getting around point defenders and facilitating the halfcourt offense. They also played for MLQ’s Boston Forge over the summer where they recorded 50 points on the season. If teams can’t stop Magner on offense, Purdue will find a lot of success over the weekend. Also keeping for the Boilermakers is Raymond Tharp. Tharp has found a lot of success for Purdue in a handful of Rust Belt games. In the beating game, look for Leah Osborne and Keith Sturgeon. The Ball State pair will fit in seamlessly into the Purdue offense, especially considering Purdue has far more chasers rostered than beaters. The Boilermakers are in a great position to ruin a team’s chances at a D1 bid and punch their ticket to Richmond.
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois is once again close to home for their qualifier. Last season, the Illini got knocked out at qualifiers with a golden-goal loss, preventing the group from grabbing an automatic D1 bid. After coming up just short in Champaign, the Ridgebacks are entering this weekend looking to avenge their losses. Illinois has spent the fall playing a handful of teams throughout the region. So far this season they’ve played close games against Blue Jay and Mizzou, but fell to both teams. They’ve also traded a pair of games against Purdue in October and were able to beat Minnesota at Missouri Loves Company. The close games against Blue Jay and Mizzou demonstrate that Illinois can leave with a D1 bid. If everything goes right for the Ridgebacks this weekend, they may find themselves playing for the qualifier title on Sunday.
Fortunately, Illinois has a full roster ready to perform in front of their hometown crowd. The Ridgebacks have a handful of experienced beaters. Leading the group is veteran Veronica Hoffman who played for the Chicago Prowl this past season. Hoffman was fourth in stops for the Prowl and is bringing in her valuable experience to the college game. Also bringing over his MLQ experience is Ojas Turekar. Turekar finished tied for fourth in plus/minus for the Prowl over the summer. Camila Rodriguez, another rostered Prowl beater, finished fifth in plus/minus for the MLQ team. The veterans will be comfortable anywhere on the field this weekend. With a trio of MLQ-experienced beaters, the Illini will be a force to be reckoned in the beating game. While he doesn’t have the same experience as some of his teammates, viewers should also look for Sohum Sharma, who will be dominating all over the pitch for the Ridgebacks. In the chasing game, Marcos Sandoval will be ripping shots for Illinois. The former Columbia College player is proving to be a valuable addition for the Illini this season. Chasers Emilio Rodriguez and Fianna Sullivan should also see many goals this weekend. Tomorrow the Ridgebacks have the opportunity and talent to take a D1 bid and assert themselves as a strong team entering Richmond.
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan enters this weekend with a chance to shock college teams around the country. After a rough start to the season, the Wolverines are looking to bounce back at Champaign and add some strong wins to their resume. So far this season the team has only played Rust Belt tournaments. Michigan has already secured a pair of wins over Case Western, and a pair of wins over Bowling Green. However the team has fallen to Michigan State twice and Purdue once. The results were a bit of a surprise for the Great Lake powerhouse who is coming off back to back D1 bracket runs. Despite the tough losses, it’s always a mistake to sleep on the Wolverines. The team has yet to compete at full strength and this weekend gives them the chance to do so.
Michigan boasts one of the most experienced rosters coming into Champaign. Ashton Glenn, a breakout star for the Detroit Innovators over the summer, can prevent any chaser from getting into the keeper zone. Glenn also has experience succeeding at a high-level, being a top three scorer for the Innovators over the summer. Coming over from the Toronto Raiders is veteran chaser Sarah Dykstra. Dykstra was tied for fifth in scoring among Raiders chasers and is bringing her MLQ experience over to the college season. A name you also might recognize from Michigan’s 2022 roster is Spencer Johnson. After missing last season due to an injury, he is back and ready to take down anyone in front of him. Also look for Nick Love and Jenny Sun, another pair of Innovators, to put up points for the Wolverines all weekend. In the beating game, Riley Hodder will lead the Wolverines. The veteran has years of both MLQ and USQ experience and will be making critical stops all weekend long. Much of what Michigan is able to accomplish on defense is due to Hodder’s positioning on the field. After twenty minutes expect Sun to put on the yellow headband and catch flag runners. Last season Sun made some critical grabs for the Wolverines, and she will look to be doing the same this weekend. While I’m sure some viewers are making the mistake of sleeping on Michigan, expect them to be a threat to take a D1 bid on Sunday morning.
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota is entering Champaign looking to make themselves known as a top tier Midwest team. While the group has only played in one tournament this season they’ve proven they can hang with some of the strongest schools in the region and earn themselves a D1 bid this weekend. Even though the team enters the weekend winless, the results suggest they can take down some of the better-known college teams. The Golden Gophers have played close games against Blue Jay and Mizzou, and if they have been steadily improving from the fall they can absolutely take down both of them this weekend. Look for Minnesota to be in close games throughout the qualifier and be playing in big games on Sunday for a D1 bid.
Leading the team is Meredith McDowell. McDowell has years of MLQ experience on the Minneapolis Monarchs under her belt and knows how to apply pressure at the right time. Expect her to be generating stops for Minnesota all weekend long. Also look for Talitha Anderson and Aidan Curley to play big minutes at beater throughout the weekend. The Golden Gophers are also bringing a handful of MLQ-experienced chasers to Champaign. Leading the chasers is Bryn Gustafson. Gustafson, who put up 60 points for the Monarchs over the summer, should see many goals throughout the weekend. Also look for Phoebe Thomas, another Monarch, to play a vital role for Minnesota. The Golden Gophers will also see a ton of goals from Jacob Fuhrman and Jonah Fuhrman. The duo was responsible for most of the team's goals at Missouri Loves Company. Expect Minnesota to learn from their early season losses and leave Champaign with a ticket to Richmond.
University of Missouri
Just like last season, the University of Missouri is looking to once again leave Champaign with a D1 bid in hand. The Tigers’ early season results suggest they are one of the favorites, but also suggest they should be in close games. Mizzou has played in more tight games than any team at Champaign this weekend. So far this season they've beaten Minnesota by 15 points, beaten Illinois by 45 points, and lost to Blue Jay by 15 points. If their past games are anything to go on, the Tigers should be playing in some nail-biters both on Saturday and Sunday. If you’re viewing from home and you see Mizzou on the schedule, make sure to tune-in because the Tigers games will be some of the most exciting to watch.
Mizzou is bringing some of the best chasers in the college game to Champaign. Lauren Smith will lead the Tigers throughout the weekend. The USNTDA chaser is one of the best defenders in the sport. Over the summer, she led MLQ’s Kansas City Stampede in stops and finished third in scoring. Smith will stop any player on the field this weekend, whether that be wrapping them or blocking dunks at the hoops. On offense Smith will score on any chaser attempting to stop her at hoops. Mizzou is also bringing Jackson Herdade. Another MLQ veteran, Herdade finished second in scoring among the Stampede this season and will be looking to push the pace on offense for the Tigers. Ripping shots this weekend will be Sydney Boeger. The veteran will shoot and score on any open hoop for Mizzou. Look for Boeger to punish defenses that leave a hoop unguarded, even if it’s just for a second. In the beating game look Rachel Rader, Audrey Shively, Alex Tidler, Justin Ward, and Tayler Winderhold. Mizzou can stop any offense when they have control, so Tigers being able to hold dodgeballs is going to be critical this weekend. Expect Mizzou to be playing for a D1 bid on Sunday morning and punching their ticket to Richmond.
Must See Matchups
The game everybody should have circled on their schedule is Illinois vs Blue Jay, at 2:30pm on the livestream. The two teams have already played each other in a close game this season, and tomorrow should be no different. Not to mention, both teams will have a lot on the line. If Illinois and Blue Jay can remain undefeated throughout the day, they will be playing for a guaranteed D1 bid. Both of these teams fell just short of a D1 bid last year, and this matchup might determine who gets to punch their ticket to Richmond on Saturday. The winner not only secures the bid, but won’t see Creighton until the final. Meanwhile, the team that falls short will have to wake up on Sunday to play against a really solid opponent, likely Michigan, Minnesota, or Mizzou. They would have to win that game to just get a D1 bid, and then have to face Creighton. A lot will be on the line. Look for the Blue Jay chasers to execute when dodgeballs are down, but expect the veteran Illinois beater corp to prevent those situations. If the Illini can set up their halfcourt defense with control, Illinois will have the edge. If Blue Jay can hold control or the game becomes a high scoring affair, Blue Jay will have the edge. Make sure to tune-in, because this game could turn into a golden goal scenario.
The other must-see trio of games on Saturday will be the round robin between Michigan, Minnesota, and Mizzou. Assuming all three lose to Creighton and all three beat Bowling Green, the results between Michigan, Minnesota, and Mizzou will have a major impact. The team that goes 2-0 will likely play Michigan State or Purdue for a chance to earn a D1 bid. The team that goes 1-1 will likely play Illini or Blue Jay for a chance to earn a D1 bid. The team that goes 0-2 will be knocked out of D1 contention entirely. If all three teams go 1-1 against each other, one of them will draw the short straw on point differential to get eliminated from D1. While Mizzou is the favorite to go 2-0, don’t write off Michigan and Minnesota. Even though Mizzou was able to beat Minnesota earlier in the season, the final score was 155-170. Clearly the two teams are playing at a similar level and the game can go either way. While Michigan hasn’t had the early season results they would like, they have yet to play at full strength and are fully capable of shocking Minnesota and Mizzou. The three colleges are also teeming with MLQ-level talent, so expect the gameplay to be great. With Blue Jay and Illini coming down to the wire and Michigan, Minnesota, and Mizzou being a toss up, good luck trying to predict who’s getting D1 bids this weekend.
Predictions
Champion: Creighton
D1 Bids: Blue Jay, Creighton, Illinois, Mizzou
D2 Bids: Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Purdue
