40 teams compete for badminton title, 10 battle for dodgeball championship.

As week five came to a close, the weekend brought a double header of action-packed intramural tournaments.

On the night of Feb. 9, students made their way to the basketball courts at McAlexander to showcase their skills in the badminton doubles tournament.

The tournament started in pool play, with the winners of each pool moving on to the playoff bracket. The matches were first to 15 points and completely self-officiated, relying on honesty and integrity from the athletes.

McAlexander was filled with people this year, as nearly 40 teams showed to compete. To put it in perspective, there were less than half as many teams last year.

“It’s like trying to keep 40 different balloons from floating away,” Isaac Kulonis, senior sport program associate, said. “But it’s all fun while doing it.”

The first championship of the night was CoRec, in which Jensen Alianto and Emi Kawamura finished victorious. The match started back and forth, but Alianto and Kawamura pulled away and ended the game 15-6.

The women’s division ended with a rousing championship game, coming down to the last point. With the game tied 14-14, and the victory in reach, both teams brought their best play. Justine Deisher and Anna Mikami walked away victorious, claiming the championship title.

“It was our first time playing together,” Deisher said. “I think we are better roommates for it now.”

After a grueling slate of games, the last pairs had to muster enough energy for one last match. It was a back and forth affair, but Kaixiang Yong and Xianghao Chen came out on top. The 23-21 victory was the last game of the night, capping off the tournament.

“It was so much fun playing together. I like to play doubles,” Chen said. “It’s a great time to play different people. You learn a lot.”

For the second half of the back-to-back tournaments, Rec Sports hosted a dodgeball tournament in the upper courts at Dixon.

Students were tasked with dodging, dipping, ducking and diving across the court in hopes of securing the championship title. However, these students weren’t just any Average Joes.

Like most intramural events, the tournament started with pool play. The teams were divided into two pools, with the top two teams of each group advancing to playoffs. This year only had ten teams turn out, but the competition was fierce.

“We had less numbers this year than last year, but the crowds were really cheering and getting into it,” Jessica Nastarin, senior sports programs associate, said. “I thought everybody had a lot of fun.”

The games were played with six people on each team. The games were best two out of three, and each round only lasted five minutes. For a team to win the round, they could either eliminate all opponents or finish the five minutes with more players than the other team.

In the case of a tie at the end of regulation, players moved closer together and played a sudden death match.

At the end of pool play and playoffs, Team Perkett and Lambda Chi were the two teams left standing. Lambda Chi was at an early disadvantage, playing with only five players instead of six.

Team Perkett came out strong in the first round, quickly whittling Lambda Chi to two players. Lambda Chi held on for as long as they could, but eventually lost the round.

Up 1-0 and with the title in reach, Team Perkett came out even stronger in the second round. Within two minutes, Lambda Chi was down to one player while Team Perkett had five. The final player from Lambda Chi made one final push, taking out two players, but ultimately fell short of the victory.

“I got my meningococcal shot yesterday, so we were definitely fighting through some adversity,” Esau Ibarra, Team Perkett, said.

After making it through five different opponents, Team Perkett finished the tournament victorious. They did not lose a single round in the playoffs.

“We may have taken it way too seriously, but that’s probably why we won,” Aaron Perkett, Team Perkett player, said.

Next up, Rec Sports is offering a soccer tournament for students to participate. The tournament starts Feb. 15 and runs through the weekend. Teams must be registered by 6 p.m. on Feb. 13. For more information on the event, visit the Rec Sports page on OSU’s website or pick up a pamphlet from Dixon.