Trump shaking hands with Kim Jong Un, Justin Timberlake performing at the halftime show, and NUT going to Nationals. All of these happened for the first time in 2018. Coming in as the 17-seed of the Milwaukee based tournament, NUT looked to take full advantage of their first trip to the USAU D-1 College Championships.
Playing Stanford Bloodthirsty in their first game on Friday, NUT was looking to make a statement. Big games from Jay Valdillez and Josh Venegas paired with some quality D2 breaks made the difference as NUT went on to win 15-10. In their second game on Friday, NUT took on defending champions and the tournament’s number one overall seed, Carleton CUT. While NUT played them hard, CUT played efficiently leading to NUT’s first ever loss at Nationals, 8-15. Shoutout to NUT alum, Carl Deffenbaugh, for hosting the team and fans at his house Friday night for a barbeque. If you haven’t met Carl, you should meet Carl.
Saturday is where things got serious. NUT was in need of one win to make the bracket and UMass ZooDisc(8 seed) and Auburn Aetos(13 seed) stood in their way. NUT and ZooDisc traded highly contested holds until 12s. At this point NUT decided to have the most epic zone defense point of the season. They were pushing UMass backwards, the 100-person sidelines were getting rowdy, they were gonna get a break and win! But…. alas, they left a guy wide open deep and ZooDisc threw a huck to Pat Barron for the hold. The next point, NUT got broken by a ZooDisc huck. ZooDisc never looked back and won the game 15-12. Nevertheless, NUT was proud of the way they performed and was ready for their next challenge. Auburn.
So it all comes down to this. Northwestern vs Auburn in the infamous pre-pre-quarters. Winner goes on, loser calls it a season. NUT was feeling fresh coming off a 3 hour break, however, it was Aetos who started hot, capitalizing on NUT mistakes to take half 8-5. What happened next may be the defining moment of NUT’s season. Baking in the Milwaukee heat, backs against the wall, they had to make a choice: Roll over and accept their fate, or put their heads down and grind. Obviously, they choose the latter. In a swift act of divine justice, they broke four times out of half. Monster plays were being made all over the field by Jeff Holm, Christian Rozolis and Kyle Rutledge. Up 11-10 in a game to 12, NUT just needed to break for the win. Queue a Michael Jordan Flu-game moment from Kyle Rutledge. After getting injured earlier in the point, Kyle took advantage of an Aetos injury to come back into the game. With a cramping calf, Kyle received the disc in the middle of the field and launched an inch perfect OI huck to Jeff Holm downfield. Ballgame. 12-10. NUT to pre-quarters.
4th seeded Brown awaited NUT. Brown’s defensive intensity, handler offense, and zone-breaking throws led them to a 15-11 win. Not to take anything away from Brown, but NUT was evidently fatigued from the Auburn game as they struggled to shut down Brown on defense and made silly mental mistakes on offense.
With their season coming to an end, NUT huddled up one last time. Emotionally, captains and coaches gave they closing remarks. It was the end of NUT’s historic run, but NUT didn’t leave empty handed. Tied for 9th in the country and exposed to new experiences, NUT learned a lot from this tournament, something no one will take for granted.