Snitch World Cup Recap Part VII
Welcome back! In case you missed it, or if you need a refresher, check out part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, or part 6 here. We continue where we left off
Update: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Ottawa was eliminated by Boston University, this has been corrected.
Update: A previous version noted the score of Miami-Purdue game as being 80*-30, the score was 80-30*. This mistake has been corrected.
Photo by Isabella Gong/IQA Staff.
University of Maryland (College Park, MD): Underachieved. Maryland was expected to top Pool 11 and make a serious run through the bracket. Instead, they finished 3-1 in their pool, where they lost the Lost Boys (Lomita, CA) 90*-40 and were eliminated in the Sweet Sixteen by Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, OH) 90*-60, after a 100*-30 win over the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) in the Round of 32. Heading into the tournament, chaser-seeker hybrid Harry Greenhouse was touted as one of the best seekers in the sport, and while there is no shame in losing out on snatches to Steve Dicarlo of the Lost Boys and Sam Roitblat of Bowling Green State (although to be fair, Greenhouse was red-carded in the Lost Boys match, which given his aggressive style of play is not completely surprising), when it mattered, Maryland was 0-2 in snitch grabs.
University of Massachusetts (Amherst, MA): Achieved. If Amherst was going to have any shot at a win, it was going to be over Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN). After they fell to that squad 90*-60, an 0-4 performance was inevitable. Perhaps in another pool, they would have had a better shot at a victory, but against University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL), Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, LA), and Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ), they were always going to be overmatched.
University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL): Achieved. Miami is a tough team to judge because of the dichotomy between their pool performance and bracket play. Drawn into the “Group of Death,” Miami emerged not only unscathed, but with the third seed in the bracket. In so doing, they overcame a feisty Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, LA) squad that turned in a solid showing during the Cup, in a closer-than-the-score-indicates 160*-60 win. Miami also beat Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ) fresh off a solid showing in Western Cup IV, 110*-50. Miami also overcame the lesser squads in its pool: Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN) 80-30*, and University of Massachusetts (Amherst, MA) 180*-30. None of this mattered in the bracket though, as Miami was taken down 80*-50 by Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, OH) in the Round of 32. Although Miami protested the finish, the result was upheld. Coming in with high expectations of keeping the championship title in Florida, to see Miami fall so early is disappointing, but their performance on Saturday cannot be completely disregarded either.
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI): Underachieved. Nothing terribly surprising from the only squad to beat Middlebury College (Middlebury, VT) at the World Cup, but still a relatively disappointing show. This group finished second in Pool 3, losing to Texas A&M University (College Station, TX) outside of snitch range, and cruising to relatively easy wins over Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD) 140*-60, and Fleming College (Lindsay, ON) 210*-0. However, I expected this squad to put up a better effort against the New York University Nundu (New York, NY), as Michigan narrowly won 120*-110. These performances earned Michigan the No. 19 seed, and a matchup with the University of Maryland (College Park, MD). Michigan's 100*-30 defeat in that match made them the lowest seed to bow out in the Round of 32 outside of snitch range, perhaps an achievement one would rather avoid. While a matchup with Maryland was a tough draw, Michigan has only themselves to blame as there is no reason they couldn't have put up a better point differential on Saturday and earned a higher seed.
University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN): Achieved. A disappointing return to the World Cup for Minnesota, one of last year's Final Four teams, although not an entirely unexpected one. Pool 4 was as tough as they come, and Minnesota was a big reason for that. All four of their contests were decided by snitch grabs, with Minnesota emerging 1-3. The lone victory, 80*-60 over Roadrunner Quidditch (San Antonio, TX), was a 20-minute defensive struggle, while the defeats all ended in significantly less time. Ultimately it was the seeking game that failed this squad, and perhaps the pool-drawers as well. Losses to Emerson College (Boston, MA) 80*-20, the University of South Florida (Tampa, FL) 120*-90, and the University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA) 70*-50 are all acceptable, but with a slightly better snitch game, Minnesota could have found themselves advancing to bracket play.
University of Ottawa (Ottawa, ON): Overachieved. Ottawa's Cup run was one of the surprises of the tournament. With exams and a snowstorm potentially preventing their travels (for more, see Clare Hutchinson's World Cup Diary), this squad not only made the trip, but excelled. After falling 70*-50 to Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, AZ), Ottawa reeled off three snitch-grab wins: 70*-30 over Boston Riot (Boston, MA), 110*-50 over Marquette University (Milwaukee, WI), and 140*-80 over Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL) to earn the 20th seed. Although they were knocked out 80-30* by Baylor University (Waco, TX) in the Round of 32, few expected such a strong showing from Ottawa in pool play.
University of Richmond (Richmond, VA): Achieved. Richmond turned in a strong performance, and was ultimately unlucky to miss out on bracket play. Like the rest of Pool 10, Richmond was handily defeated by World Champions University of Texas-Austin (Austin, TX), 130-50*. Overall, they finished 2-2 with an 80*^-50 win over the Ohio State University (Columbus, OH), and a narrow 70*-50 loss to Tufts University (Medford, MA). These two results made Richmond the odd man out when all three squads finished 2-2. Ohio State earned the second seed by virtue of their overtime loss, while Tufts then placed, after having beaten Richmond head-to-head. Richmond also trailed both squads in point-differential after narrowly beating University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, MS) 70*-40; when both Tufts, and Ohio State won by 100 or more. A bit of a dark horse entering the tournament, Richmond did well to beat Ohio State and contend with Tufts.
University of Rochester (Rochester, NY): Achieved. Rochester turned in a solid showing, finishing second in Pool 5 with close wins over Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, OH) 70*-50, and Paris Phénix 120^-80*. Rochester was eliminated by ninth-seeded Michigan State University 100*-50 in the Round of 32. Overall, it was a solidly average tournament for Rochester.
