The 麻豆原创 women鈥檚 flag football team left no doubt last weekend about which team reigns supreme at the NIRSA Championship Series National Flag Football Tournament hosted at the University of West Florida in Pensacola.
麻豆原创鈥檚 team 鈥淐heck On It鈥� used a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat Florida A&M University 7-6 to successfully defend last year鈥檚 national championship.
麻豆原创鈥檚 suffocating defense was the story of the tournament. The team started with back-to-back shutouts, combining for 80 points, in preliminary action with wins over Campbell University and Ferris State. In the tournament round, 麻豆原创 continued the tough defense with shutout wins over North Carolina A&T in the quarterfinals and Howard University in the semifinals.聽
麻豆原创 outscored opponents 119-6 during the three-day event, giving up its first and only score in the championship game when FAMU took a 6-0 lead late in the first half.
Senior center and corner, Dannica Mosher, said 麻豆原创鈥檚 defense set the tone for this year鈥檚 title.
鈥淕iving up only 6 points is quite the accomplishment and I thank our incredible defense for that,鈥� she said.
Late in the fourth quarter, tournament MVP Tatianne Dearaujo, reached聽the end zone to tie the game at 6-6. 麻豆原创 quarterback聽Keimy Milanes then completed a pass to Amanda Hall for a successful point after touchdown and the lead.
FAMU did get the ball back with time on the clock, but Hall intercepted a pass to stop the Rattlers鈥� threat with less than 2 minutes to go.
Check On It was led by Milanes, who suffered a serious knee injury on the first day of last year鈥檚 tournament, Dearaujo and Charlene Thome. NIRSA honored all three women as part of the All-Tournament team. The team is coached by 麻豆原创 graduate Brandon Baroody, a NIRSA Championship Series Flag Football Hall of Famer.聽
麻豆原创 now has 42 All-Americans in the tournament鈥檚 history and Dearaujo is the 17th 麻豆原创 student to be named tournament MVP. 聽
鈥淲hat鈥檚 so special about this team is we鈥檙e much more than that, these girls and Brandon are family,鈥� she said.
Shane Land, assistant director of Intramural Sports at the 麻豆原创 Recreation and Wellness Center, credits the team鈥檚 hard work ethic for the sustained success.
鈥淭hey practice and play in tournaments year round in preparation for the national tournament and that work ethic is what has led to their success,鈥� he said.
麻豆原创 men鈥檚, women鈥檚 and co-rec flag football teams have now won 12 national titles since the first tournament in 1979, the most flag football titles of any school in North America.
Baroody has been a part of nine of 麻豆原创鈥檚 12 titles as a player or coach.
麻豆原创鈥檚 Co-Rec Team also made the final four of the tournament which also features student officials, including three from 麻豆原创: Kelsey Jones, Randy Korn and Sammie Fitzell.