Northwest Challenge: Saturday Stock Watch (Men’s Division)

We pass judgment on the highlights and highlights of an epic few days in Cascadia.

March 24, 2024 Emmett Holton News with comments

There was a lot of intrigue in Seattle on Friday and Saturday, as the top 25 teams showed off their final (or near-final) form before heading into the series. Two top seeds proved everything we know about them, two Southwestern prospects competed for scraps of power bids and won big, and two Colorado D-liners were named All-Americans. They played very well and had a tough two days of games. This field concludes a difficult chapter in the ongoing saga of the best teams never making the cut. We’re trying to sort out all the biggest storylines with a simple stock watch.

stock up

colorado mama bird ceiling

On a day filled with close games between top teams and much lower ranked opponents, the #6 Colorado Mamabirds did not fall into that trap. Bird had an impressive performance at the Presidents Day Invitational, getting a lot of buzz after Friday night’s strong win over #19 BYU CHI to start the day against the #16 Oregon State team. After both sides went up 2-1, Colorado’s defense completely shifted gears, rattling off 12 consecutive breaks to make it 14-1 before conceding the final hold and ending the game at 15-2. Ta. After defeating UCLA 15-9, they put together another defensive masterclass, this time in a coveted crossover with Pool 1 seed and #9 Carlton Cut.

After an 8-4 lead in the first half, Calvin Stoughton, Zeke Soisson, and Tucker Calmus stepped up again to pull within 12-4, but they conceded the final two holds to make it 15-6. finished. With Nathan Buchholz, Eilen Larned, and Atkin Arnstein all playing together, this team is an improvement over its already impressive showings at the Presidents Day Invitational and Smoky Mountain Invitational. It looks like it has been. If they can continue with such intensity and execution on Sunday, they will be a very real threat to take top honors. If they can play like this in Madison, they could make it to the semifinals, where they can win.