The basketball, hockey and football teams may monopolize press coverage around Madison, but in terms of accomplishments on a national level, one University of Wisconsin team is making strides the rest can only dream of — and its name isn’t even the Badgers.
The UW’s club frisbee team — which labels itself the Hodags (the name of a mythical creature hailing from northern Wisconsin), — brought home a national championship last season, and is looking to try for another this year.
The Hodags became a club team in Madison in 1994 and have grown steadily ever since. There is now an A-team and a B-team. A person tries out for the A-team and if he does not make it, he is put on the B-team.
“[The team has become] progressively better, especially over the last five years,” said team co-captain, fifth-year senior Matt Ley. “We have the potential to be, at the very least, a semi-final team.”
The club frisbee regional tournament takes place May 8-9 at UW-Whitewater. The national tournament is in Seattle, Wash. over Memorial Day weekend.
“Everybody on our team thinks we have a chance to win it,” sophomore Tom Burkly said. “I’m predicting at least semi-finals.”
Throughout this season, the team has been ranked in the top 10 overall nationally. Currently, the team is ranked No. 6. In every major tournament in which the Hodags have participated, they have, at a minimum, made it to the quarterfinals.
In Lawrence, Kansas, the Hodags beat the University of Colorado-Boulder’s frisbee team, which was ranked No. 1 at the time on their way to a victory in that tournament. “Things are looking good,” said senior co-captain Ryan Carrington. “Hopefully we are peaking at the right point of the season.”
According to Burkly, UW’s largest rivalries are with University of Iowa and Carleton College in Minnesota.
Co-captain Ley identified senior Scott Allen and junior cutter Ted Tripoli, who transferred from UW-Eau Claire, as two of the Hodags’ key players offensively. The defensive players to watch on the team are senior Grant Zukowski, junior Jimmy McMurray and sophomore Dan Heijman.
The B-team, called the Pimpdags, also is highly rated.
“The B-team has been pretty close to the top,” said sophomore B-team captain Matt Scallet. “We just have a huge program.”
Many of the players on the team became involved with frisbee when they were young children. Players such as Burkly, Carrington and Scallet played during high school. Some, like Ley, caught on only when they came to Madison.
The team has been practicing since the fall at University Bay Fields. The Hodags average about 15 hours per week, doing field and running practices.
