2002 Carolina Kudzu Coed Classic Results

THANKS!

A mighty fine tradition was upheld on May 25-26 at the Morrisville Cedar Forks complex: the 5th Annual Carolina Kudzu Coed Classic. Thanks to all of the following for their help this weekend:

Best wishes to Anthony Burgess for a speedy recovery from the injury he sustained early on Sunday, a humeral midshaft fracture of the left arm (a break between the elbow and the shoulder). SugarBuzz, with whom he was playing, played out the rest of Sunday with a mission, and they went from the depths of Saturday's #18 finish to rise to #9, champs of the B Division.

Saturday Pool Play Results

The Carolina Kudzu Coed Classic opened the 2002 Memorial Day weekend with the 9am arrival of reps from 19 coed squads. Saturday's initial pools, with results:

Sunday Brackets

The long, cloudless 90-degree day probably contributed to the party's light attendance, but perhaps it was Sunday's 9:30am A and B Division pre-quarters.

C Division Results

B Division Results

A Division Results

Commentary

The biggest positive upset in pool play occurred with SortaSal's impressive 3-1 performance in the C pool. Ranked only #4 in the pool, this Salisbury University-based squad solidly and athletically took it to the club-level squads ranked above them.

Another, less surprising pool-play upset was Blue Ridge Ultimate's strong 17-13 performance against Triangle-based Kudzu.

The worst team upset was SugarBuzz's strangely anemic performance on Saturday, where they lost their #3 pool seed with an 0-4 performance. Why such negativity is worth reporting is because it makes the account of their rebound play on Sunday that much more impressive. SugarBuzz took its #18 Sunday seed and parlayed it into a staggering #9 finish, to become B-div champs.

On Sunday, Shiva Kali and Kudzu rested up after pre-quarters victories and upset their matchups in the A-div quarters. Neither team was able to use their victory to gain momentum in the semis, as the higher seeds dominated.

The finals matchup featured Nationals Coed runners-up Blue Ridge Ultimate and the Kudzu 2001 runners-up Bears, an offshoot of Tim Brooks' Spear squad, combining Triangle players from Ring, Griffins, Cranky, and BackHoe, led by Ring's Alan Hoyle.

BRU pulled to start the game, but long-bomb miscues from the Bears gave BRU the first point. After some better-played point trading, with the score 2-1 for BRU, the Bears took their pull, moved the disc back and forth behind the huck line, then shot for and scored the game's first two-pointer. After a 4-3 sequence, in favor of the Bears, the score at 7-5, the Bears again struck with a quick two-pointer, ending the half, 9-5. In the first half's 12 points, there were 16 turnovers sprinkled throughout only 6 points, the other 6 being played without error (or defense).

At the start of the second half, with the Bears pulling to BRU, a single turnover resulted in an Augie to Tammy score for the Bears (10-5). Five turnovers in the next point gave the Bears another score as Augie connected with Mike Kelly (11-5). Despite 4 turnovers, BRU held serve, sort of, as Chris Hinkle (playing/practicing with BRU for upcoming Worlds) connected with Kevin Kusy (6-11). A flawless Bears point had Dan Axon connect with Liz Mahanna (12-6). BRU followed with its own perfect point, with Suzanne Bradley punching it in (7-12).

Seven turnovers, many from intense D (including a Kusy layout block over Augie), gave the disc back to BRU as Nate Miller made the scoring shot (8-12). A minute and a half of controlled Bears play had Frannie Goodrich delivering a soft high shot which Jeff Faulkner pulled in over Hinkle (13-8). Twelve minutes were needed for the next point as both teams took time-outs during the 8-turnover-riddled point, with the result that Kusy finally got a successful shot to the lone Adam Phillips (9-13).

BRU regained possession 3 times and scored on Hinkle's throw (10-13). A single miscue over the next two points gave the Bears an Augie/Axon and Tim/Liz score (15-10). BRU lost the disc early, then worked hard to get it back, with Kusy pulling in Adam's throw (11-15). Axon to Steve Frame for the Bears (16-11). A miscue and recovery, then Ross connecting with Neva Cherniavsky (12-16). Tough D from BRU, but the Bears worked the disc patiently, and it was a Linda Zier backhand to Mike Kelly for the game (17-12).

Twelve of the game's 27 points played were done so flawlessly, while the other 15 points were riddled with 35 TOs, of which a third were directly due to defense. There were only two 2-pointers in the game, both shots from Augie (to Linda and Frannie) in the first half.