Dodgeball team advances to national tournament

One athletics team at Ottawa University not named baseball or softball recently qualified for a national tournament.

OU's 213 dodgeball team, winners of the "Dodge for a Cause" tournament at OU recently won the follow up tournament in Kansas City. That earned them a trip to Chicago for the National Amateur Dodgeball Association Outdoor National Tournament in July.

Sophomore C.J. Krug, a member of 213, said the competition in KC didn't really measure up to some of the previous teams they faced.

"To tell the truth, (the Kansas City competition) was alright," he said. "Our pool play to get in at OU was harder though."

The 213 squad, consisting solely of sophomores, went to KC last year, falling short of the national tournament. This year, they have a new focus.

"Every player has a role on the team, and we all play it pretty well," sophomore Jake Johnson said. "Max Brown, myself and CJ Krug can all throw the ball pretty hard and accurately, while Matt Gross, Brenton Byrnes and Clint Weldin do a good job of dodging and catching."

Krug said going to Chicago will be an exciting opportunity which they can take advantage of.

"We're feeling pretty good. It's a new experience for us, but if we play our game we'll be able to compete and hopefully win," he said.

Byrnes said they will use the same game plan they have used all along.

"We try to maximize our throws and look out for one another on the court," he said. "We usually target one guy and try to pick him off at the same time."

The team will receive free roundtrip airfare for the Chicago tournament.