On Sunday, Penn State Basketball held its 5th annual Dodgeball Tournament benefiting THON at the Multi-Sport Facility. The tournament was separated into 4 brackets: Courage, Wisdom, Honesty, and Strength. With close to 700 participants split between 115 teams, those who showed up were in for a show, and the players prepared for some fierce competition.

The first round was best 2 out of 3, and sorted out the true competitors from the amateurs. With 6 courts of play and 6 balls per court, dodgeballs were flying like bullets and those who were not paying attention were either eliminated or hit by stray balls. Some hits were more impressive than others, but even a fraction of an inch made all the difference. Some players learned that the hard way.

After the first round, it came down to single elimination. This was where we found out who was really talented, and who was just really lucky. With intense dodging, quick ducking, graceful dipping and swan-like diving, those who made plays won games.

Through blood, sweat and the breaking competitors’ dreams, the Final Four were decided. ‘The 100 Level Charizards’, ‘Atlas’, ‘Can’t Touch This’ and ‘7th Floor Pinchot’ made their presence known. However, it would be ‘Can’t Touch This’ vs ‘7th Floor Pinchot’ for the championship of all championships. Decided by a close and tough game, ‘7th Floor Pinchot’ came out on top and won bragging rights, championship trophies, and t-shirts.

Overall, it was a great day filled with fun and laughs, and it raised a lot of money for THON. To all those that competed, good job and see ya out there next year. FTK!