Antwerp QC, Much of Belgian Core, Leaves Competitive Quidditch


Eight individuals came together as general managers to draft an “all-star” lineup of college division quidditch players from the 2019 USQ season to play in the All-Campus Cup, a hypothetical fantasy tournament created by The Eighth Man and sponsored by Utility Apparel.

 

Per the rules of the draft, players were drafted based on 2019 USQ season ability and in a scenario where they would be given a month to train together before competing. The tournament would be played under the USQ Rulebook 13 ruleset. Voting was split 50/50 between our panel of voters and a public vote. Panelists ranked the teams based on talent, compatibility, diversity of strategy and playstyle, depth and ability to adapt to the strength of other teams during gameplay.

 

Below are the full results for where each general manager placed in our panelists’ rankings, the fan vote, the final composite rankings, as well as anonymous panelist comments on each team.

 

Congratulations to Sena Morimoto’s team for being our All-Campus Tournament Champions, and thank you to all eight general managers who participated in creating some all star college teams! 

 

List of Panelists (Region*): Kimberly Megan Cheng (W), Marty Bermudez Jr. (SW), Lee Hodge (S), Ryan Davis (S), Emily Hickmott (NE), Kerri Donnelly (NE), Keegan Remy-Miller (NE), Dany Yaacoub (MW)

 

*While the playing region of the ranker was used for this list, special consideration in choosing rankers was given to candidates with regional diversity in travel and coaching throughout the 2019 USQ season.

Panelist Quotes:

Sena Morimoto

“I picked Sena’s team for my number one for the insane athleticism in Luke Meissner and Connor Mcintyre alone, but I’ve heard a lot about Aidan Phipps as well. The amazing chemistry between their starting beater pair, Balde Nunez and Kat Hayworth, as well as the number of Creighton players and the physicality brought home through players like Tim Ngyuen and Jaydan Gilstrap helps push this team to the top.” 

Kellan Cupid

“I chose Kellan’s team as my No. 1 because he has by far the best seeker/beater combo for snitch on pitch. While I think his team could end the tournament with negative quaffle points, Kellan’s track record for catching snitches (very quickly) when it matters is too impressive to discount behind Daniel Williams and Justin Dewick.”

Tate Kay

“Tate assembled the avengers for his squad, taking some of the best components of last year’s national championship-winning Texas team. Jack Wang and Josh Johnson are collegiate stars while Carsyn Dietz and Ian Quincy were fantastic value picks. However, Tate’s team sacrifices depth at chaser, for tons of male beater depth and that might hurt them here.”

Naresh Edala

“This team has a lot of top talent from several different regions including fantastic late-round picks Emmanuel Cureton and Landis Walther. Naresh was also able to snag long-time college player Thomas Jaworski to provide some veteran leadership to this team as well. However, I’m not sure if the first line on this team can match-up with the first line of some of the others.”

Zeke Majeske

“Tate Kay’s dominant beating paired with Kaufman, Morgan, and Potter’s scoring/defensive potential should keep all the games pretty close in order for Zeke to catch and secure the win. I also really like the ‘utility’ team because it gives you so many options, styles and looks to counter your opponents in a given matchup.”

Kobe Kendall

“Kobe made the most of his late round selections, snagging John Molina, Averie Messenger and Tony Bonadio, three great late round picks. His snitch on pitch play is arguably the best out of these teams with dominant beaters and two star seekers in Bonadio and Eric Reyes. While this team doesn’t have any weak spots it stands firmly in the middle of the pack because I’m not sure how all the playstyles fit together on offense.”

Fiona Wisehart

“Utility player Tess Acosta in the seventh round is an absolute steal given her experience on a high-level college team and in club. Wisehart continued to snag value picks with Michael Johnston Jr. (round nine), Nick Zoner (round 11) and Justin King (round 13). This team has a lot of driving power but also has one of the best finishers in the USNTDA program in Ellie Lisec.”

Serena Monteiro

“Carlee Kleppin and Dana Dixon will shine when matched with the high-level experience and game knowledge of Athena Mayor, Matt Cooper and/or Frank Minson. Zain Bhaila and Heather Farnan are a solid beating pair, but this team—compared to others—may face a strategic drop off in the beating game when these two need a sub. Overall, this is a fairly solid team with good pieces, but I think it sits squarely in the middle of the pack amongst this group.”

 

Special Shoutouts

 

Best Sleeper Pick

Emmanuel “Manny” Cureton

“Manny Cureton is the best pick in rounds 12-14 because he is an elite beater with top-level club quidditch experience. He has proven that he can hang with the best beaters the Boston and New York club scenes have to offer. He is also an extremely athletic player with a strong arm to make necessary beats but almost always uses his legs to close gaps and make the beat while not risking losing bludger control. Drafted in the 12th round I would argue he would be the best beater on 3 of the 8 teams in this draft.”

 

Most Surprising Omission

James Devaney

“James Devaney from Harvard University is the player I was most surprised wasn’t drafted. He is a versatile keeper/chaser who often plays point while wearing the green headband for the 13-1 Harvard team. He is the embodiment of a fast break and can often force turnovers himself through tackles. In a half-court, he’s comfortable on and off-ball and is extremely experienced playing with and against some of the best beaters in college quidditch.”







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