The ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ womenβs 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.
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs team βCheck On Itβ used a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat Florida A&M University 7-6 to successfully defend last yearβs national championship.
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs 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, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ continued the tough defense with shutout wins over North Carolina A&T in the quarterfinals and Howard University in the semifinals.Β
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ 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 ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs defense set the tone for this yearβs title.
βGiving up only 6 points is quite the accomplishment and I thank our incredible defense for that,β she said.
Late in the fourth quarter, tournament MVP Tatianne Dearaujo, reachedΒ the end zone to tie the game at 6-6. ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ quarterbackΒ 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 Rattlersβ 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 yearβs tournament, Dearaujo and Charlene Thome. NIRSA honored all three women as part of the All-Tournament team. The team is coached by ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ graduate Brandon Baroody, a NIRSA Championship Series Flag Football Hall of Famer.Β
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ now has 42 All-Americans in the tournamentβs history and Dearaujo is the 17th ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ student to be named tournament MVP. Β
βWhatβs so special about this team is weβre much more than that, these girls and Brandon are family,β she said.
Shane Land, assistant director of Intramural Sports at the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Recreation and Wellness Center, credits the teamβs hard work ethic for the sustained success.
βThey practice and play in tournaments year round in preparation for the national tournament and that work ethic is what has led to their success,β he said.
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ menβs, womenβs 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 ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs 12 titles as a player or coach.
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs Co-Rec Team also made the final four of the tournament which also features student officials, including three from ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½: Kelsey Jones, Randy Korn and Sammie Fitzell.