Fast Takes with Fast Break: Collegiate Rankings
Rankers: Eric Shen (Cal); Curtis Taylor (Creighton); Tad Walters (Columbia College); Heather Farnan/Tai-Juan Generette (UMD); Kasye Bevers/Caroline Tao (UT); Mario Nasta (Unaffiliated)
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
Commentary:
Texas: “UT is historically the most dominant college program in modern quidditch, and are unanimously considered the favorites for this year’s nationals. Texas may have a ton of rookies but they still have USQ National champions and MLQ champions Josh Johnson and Davis Roe who scored almost every goal for Texas in the finals of Breakfast Taco. Davis Roe is a certified bucket and is easily one of the best if not THE best chasers in the college game. Paired with Caroline Tao and Jack Wang, the starting line up of this team can take on anyone.”
Creighton: “A team full of incredible athletes, who are looking to fast break every chance they get. With two regional titles in one season, a seasoned club coach, and an impressive B team to train with, Creighton is poised to have an incredible nationals. [Winning GLRC] with a roster of 9-11 all weekend and the closest game was with their JV team shows the immense talent on this team and the transition/athleticism has yet to be matched.”
Texas St: “TXST played UT and lost 160-145. Performing well in their other games this season is just gravy. Cameron Ogilvie is one of the best beaters in college and the combination of veteran leadership/MLQ experience plus a new athletic crop of rookies makes them perfectly situated to mature as a team throughout the season. They're physical, they're smart and they're team oriented.”
Maryland: “As much as Maryland has been overhyped in the past, there is no denying their performance so far this season. Blowing away the rest of their region by a large margin and bringing some serious experience from MLQ, Maryland is ready to make a deep run at nationals. Maryland would be way higher if they had more players but especially with how physical the college game is with 2 hand tackling, I don't think this team can go the distance to the championship based on roster size alone”
Cal: “Big returning class and rookie class; addition of Thomas Chang-Davidson from Tufts has created a 4-male beating rotation that dominated Vipers and Breakers at Cal Classic; Aidan Phipps and Dara Gaeuman are elite; currently dominating west quidditch. Their beating core is fast and has the arm strength to take over a game, and their chasers are ready to hit hard on defense. Additionally, Cal seems to be getting more out of their female chasers than many other college teams, watching their female chasers driving on hoops with clear comfort, speaks volumes for this program.
Tufts: “Tufts hit the ground running this season. Bringing some MLQ talent to their line up, and boasting one of the best seekers in the college game, they came into this season ahead of most teams.”
Sam Houston: “It speaks to the strength of Texas quidditch that being the 3rd best college team in the state is enough to crack the top ten in the country. But in all seriousness, the physical play style and continuous tough competition really does set up Sam Houston for a good showing at championships this year.
Rutgers: “A team full of young talent, Rutgers is getting better every single tournament this season. One thing that has been consistent, however, is their pace of play. Always looking to fast break, they punish teams which lack roster depth, and force other top teams to play at their pace. While at times they seem streaky in their performance, I think they will learn from each game they play at championships, and be ready to push into the middle stages of brackets.”
Mizzou: “Mizzou had a strong regionals, and while they weren’t able to field a team for a rematch against Creighton, they did manage to stay within two quaffle points of them in their first match. If they can keep up with Creighton, there aren’t many teams who will be able to put them out of range at nationals, and that alone warrants them a spot on this list.”
Harvard: “Harvard,Tufts, and Rutgers are all about the same level depending on the day and the in-game matchups. I'm taking Harvard because they look the cleanest at the beginning of the season.”
Fast Break News Staff Ranking
Naresh Edala
Texas: The perennial powerhouse- the difference between Creighton and UT is very close for me. I believe that the top line of UT is better than any other college team in the country, but we have yet to see how the depth will fare. Jack Wang has cemented himself as THE best beater in the country but the X factor is Kyzer Polzin. This duo coming out of the backfield for UT is lethal. Pairing Roe/Tao/Bevers/Johnson as the starting quaffle line could be too much for teams to handle.
Creighton: Everything that Creighton has done this season has fit the billing of an elite team. It could have been hard to live up to the national contender hype the team had generated coming into the season, but they have shown that they are a well-balanced team and boast insane athleticism. Darian Murcek-Ellis has shown he could be one of the best players collegiate quidditch has ever seen.
Texas St: Another Texas team that has historically been great, they showed early in the year that could hang with UT. Cameron Ogilvie is truly a Tier 1 beater and their success will ride off of how far they can go from his play. However, with a multitude of rookies and the seeming loss of David Avila, it will have to be seen how the Texas St team fares going into the start of their season. Even with that uncertainty, Texas St will still be a team that can be too much for other teams to handle because of their athleticism and solid beater play.
Maryland: Maryland won (read: dominated) MARC and showed why this is still the UMD we know. Even with newer faces they have come back from a pandemic lost year and continued to do Maryland things. The sheer size of this team will be too much for most teams to handle and combined with the leadership of Heather Farnan and Tai-Juan Generrette this is a team that is primed for a deep run at Nationals. They were even able to get a 15 person roster for day 2 of Regionals quelling fears of a depleted roster.
Cal: Tate said it best when he said this Cal team looks like a team primed for a run similar to 2019. The sheer athleticism on this team paired with the experienced beaters could make them a hard out. Ivan Avalos does not get the credit nor love that he deserves. As a rookie he led his Cal team to a finals run and he is in a position to do it again, the addition of Tommy Chang-Davidson only supplements the beater core.
Mizzou: Justin DeWick is another beater that does not get the love he deserves. A position where experience can dictate production, DeWick pairs that with his athleticism and is one of the best beaters in the sport. Mizzou has put up the best quaffle differential against Creighton so far this season, showing that they can hang with anyone (final score of 165*-110). A limited roster might impact how far of a run they can make, but in terms of production this will be a team that is experienced and ready to compete at Nationals!
Tufts: Consistently a top-tier Northeast team, they are back again with smart coaching, exciting rookies, and stars in the beating and quaffle game. The Smiley twins, Brooke and Jordan, lock down their positions with ease and they are true anchors for what Tufts wants to do on offense and defense. Henry Baer-Benson (HBB) is a true game-changer, his ability to end the Snitch on Pitch period in seconds is an advantage that few teams can match. Paired with the speed and power of Jacob Carruli and Chris LaBudde, this is a Tufts team that can take their depth and have a good run at Nationals.
Rutgers (I coach this team): In their second official game ever this Rutgers team held Creighton to their lowest quaffle points (110) and overall score (145*) so far this year and played nearly even through 20 minutes (70-60 Creighton lead). There are still the mistakes that come from inexperience but the eagerness and the steady progress shows this is a team that can make a run at Nationals.
Blue Jays: 11 of their 15 players are rookies and they looked like the second best team at the Great Lakes Regional Championship. Being able to practice with their varsity squad and the number of games that they have already played has allowed for an extremely young team to gain invaluable experience. Madi Namanny put in major minutes and was able to lock up the beater position for this squad at GLRC and that was her 2nd week in the sport. This is a roster that is filled with athleticism and even though they are deemed a “JV” team, this is truly a top 10 team in the country.
Harvard: This is a team that, in my opinion, could hang with nearly every team in the country for a single game. Felix Bulwa and Leo Fried are the heart and soul of this team and have shown that they are ready to run at all times. With smart quaffle players who always know where to be at the right time and beaters that are getting better every day, this is a team that has the makings of a truly hard out at Nationals. Jessica Lee, a freshman beater, is the standout player for this team. Her ability to position and take charge of the game is truly special, especially for someone who started about two months ago.
Tate Kay
1. Creighton
Creighton has shown that they are the most complete and balanced team up to this point in the season. A dynamic quaffle attack along with steady beater play has allowed for Creighton to run through three different regions. Though their beaters and quaffle defense have yet to be significantly tested, some of their deficiencies may have yet to be seen.
2. Texas
On paper Texas looks to be the best team in the country and a good bet to defend their championship. Though they let a TXST team - that isn’t as good as many portray them to be - play them close, they leaned heavily on their veterans to get the job done. How much they develop their new talents will decide how successful this team is because their stars can only carry them so far.
3. Maryland
Maryland is back with their patented “we are bigger and more athletic than you” team build. Like many teams this season they appear to be raw but oozing with championship potential. Marrying their athleticism with a winning strategy is this team’s key for success.
4. Mizzou
Overshadowed by the success of Creighton, Mizzou is the hidden gem of the Midwest. Led by a dynamic beater core, Mizzou has the athletes to compete with the best of teams. The question for them is if they can develop the depth and strategy needed to be a champion.
5. Cal
Who said that nobody cares about the West? Cal looks to be the early favorite to run the table in the region and has a team blueprint that could make a run similar to the 2019 team. Eerily similar to the 2019 team, the 2021 team’s strength is in their quaffle game. The questions are if they can build a competitive beater core and will the competition in the West set them up to be successful in April.
6. Tufts
Unlike most teams at this point in the season, this Tufts team looks to be on the same page across all position groups. Their unselfish play is great to see but can sometimes hinder them at times, especially on the fast break. They don’t have the size of some of the more elite teams but if they can develop their strategy and team chemistry even more they can be deadly.
7. RPI
Similar to Tufts, RPI’s quaffle players know how their offense is run and how to execute it. Each position group flashes potential yet they can be inconsistent. Once plays break down they appear to be lost and panic. However, if they can maintain composure and be consistently confident they could start to look like a real competitor.
8. Rutgers
This team has been one of the biggest, if not the biggest, surprise of the season thus far. Many players are very raw but have developed more quickly than I think anyone would expect which has led to them becoming a competitive team in the Northeast. If they continue on their current trajectory the sky's the limit.
9. Blue Jay
A young developmental roster that clearly is the number 3 team behind two other top 10 teams in the Midwest, Blue Jay Quidditch shows how and why the Creighton program is so strong. With the access to scrimmaging the top team in the nation, Blue Jay Quidditch will continue to develop into a highly competitive team that could make a run at Nationals like Austin Quidditch did in 2019.
10. UCLA
Another feisty team out of the West, UCLA has potential but has a long way to go. They did squeak out a win against a short staffed Cal team but victories like this can go a long way. More strategy for a team like this can do wonders and turn them into a competitor.
