After an exciting bead gathering night in the Big Easy the Hodags opened their season at the Mardi Gras Tournament in Baton Rouge on March 4th and 5th. Seven victories and a tournament title later, the Hodags were amidst the top ten in the college rankings.

After an easy 13-2 UW victory in the opening game against Kansas, the Hodags faced Georgia Tech, the team that forced them out of the tournament the previous year. This game featured some intense sidelines and some great individual efforts. Zach Morrison completed the first "World's Greatest" (jumping from inbounds for a disc out-of-bounds, and then throwing a pass to a teammate while in the air) of the season, and captain Matt Bruss shut down GT's top man, Jason Grove. The Hodags cruised to a 13-6 win. What a difference a year makes.

The third game of the day was the Hodags' first game against Iowa since being knocked out of Regionals by the Iowans last spring. Wisconsin came out with high intensity and finished the half without a single turnover, a feat they would not accomplish for the remainder of the season. With a substantial lead at the half, Noah Kunin-Goldsmith came in with defensive block after defensive in the second half as the Hodags destroyed Iowa 15-3.

In the semifinals the Hodags faced the defending National Champions, North Carolina State. The game was full of intensity shared by both the players on the field and the fans off the field. North Carolina State jumped out to an early 2-0 start, but the Hodags fought back after some emotional, in-your-face play by Hodag rookie Bryan Paradise. The Hodags later took advantage of State with their athletic big men, Pete Rank and Tyler Spindler, cruising to a 15-7 win and the biggest win of the young season.

The championship game was played against fellow Central Region competitor Winona State. In the sweltering Louisiana heat, the depth of the Hodags was the difference. Spirited defense by Robert Wagner and Lee Swingen gave the Hodags enough offensive possessions to outlast Winona State 15-11 for the Mardi Gras title.

Mardi Gras Photos | Past Tournaments