December 22, 2011
Team advances to national flag football tourney
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A team of Southern Illinois University Carbondale students will compete at a national flag football tournament in early January after winning a recent regional competition.
“Team Hoolia” won the co-rec division at the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association’s National Campus Championship Series National Flag Football Tournament regional hosted by SIU Carbondale. The win gives the team the opportunity to compete Jan. 4-6 at the sixth annual national tournament at Texas A & M University in College Station, Texas. The team will receive a $750 stipend from the national association to participate in the competition.
Team Hoolia members earning co-rec MVP honors were Joshua Snead of Nashville and Emily Berglin of Lincoln. Snead, the son of Doug and Geri Snead, and Berglin, the daughter of Jay and Kalyn Berglin, are both employees of the University’s Recreational Sports and Services.
“Team Hoolia played great and we’re proud and happy that they’ve advanced to the national competition,” Shane M. Bennett, assistant director of Intramural Sports and Sport Clubs for Recreational Sports and Services at SIU Carbondale and chair of the National Campus Championship Series committee, said.
Julia Fromme, of New Berlin, is the team captain.
The complete Team Hoolia roster, listed by hometown with year and major, includes:
Atwood
• Tyler Wilson, senior, mechanical engineering
Glen Ellyn
• Natalie Squillo, sophomore, exercise science
Lincoln
• Emily Berglin, junior, administration of justice
Nashville
• Dayton Dalman, junior, sports administration
• Jenna Harre, junior, physical therapist assistant
• Joshua Snead, master’s graduate student, mechanical engineering
• Michael Wilson, senior, biological sciences
New Berlin
• Julia Fromme, senior, journalism and art
Plainfield
• Stephanie Murray, junior, biological sciences
Waterloo
• Joshua Frank, senior, civil engineering
“A & T’s Finest” from North Carolina A & T University won the men’s division at the SIU Carbondale regional. The men’s MVP was Olajdie Pullen from the winning men’s team.
In addition, for the first time, there was a Special Olympics division in the tournament this year, with SIU Carbondale hosting the inaugural competition. The Indiana Bombers took top honors and Craig Pippert, senior manager of sports development at Special Olympics, offered high praises for the University and those involved with the tournament for their hospitality, enthusiasm and for providing athletes the opportunity to participate and play on the University’s football field.
“Southern Illinois University Carbondale was honored to be the host of this pilot program for Special Olympics. The weekend was extremely successful. Teams came from several states and each was able to play a minimum of four games and receive a highlight reel of plays,” Bennett said.
Phillip Bickart, a senior management major from Plainfield, also got a bid to officiate at the National Flag Football Tournament in Texas based on his officiating at the regional contest in Springfield, Mass. The son of Linda Lockhart and Arthur Lockhart, this is his first trip to the nationals but he’s been officiating flag football for four years and has refereed five regional tourneys. He also works for RSS on campus.