Club sports began early this year, as flag football teams opened play this week. The early start is one of several changes to club sports this year due to the upcoming renovations of the Ganus Athletic Center (GAC).
According to Jim Gowen, Director of Club Sports, the renovations will render the GAC unavailable for the spring semester. With basketball typically being played in the GAC during the spring, Gowen decided to rearrange the schedule, as basketball is the most popular club sport, with 105 total teams competing last year.
This semester, football, volleyball and basketball comprise the schedule for club sports. Basketball is replacing fall softball to ensure that both basketball and volleyball can be played in the GAC before the renovations begin. According to Gowen, the basketball championship is scheduled for the Tuesday before Thanksgiving break.
In the spring, clubs will compete in soccer and softball, with the swim meet taking place in February and the track meet in April. According to Head Intramural Assistant senior Andrew Mauldin, soccer and softball will be played interchangeably throughout the semester to accommodate for weather and field conditions.
As club sports begin, TNT looks to win men’s large club A team for the third consecutive year. The roles reversed in B team competition, as Sub T-16 finished two points ahead of TNT for first place overall.
In women’s sports, last year’s large club A team championship ended in a tie between Ju Go Ju and Delta Gamma Rho.
In the men’s small club division, Omega Phi defends first place finishes in both A and B team.
Consistency was key for Sigma Phi Mu last year, who finished first in women’s small club A by one point over Iota Chi.
See pictures from the first week of flag football at TheLink.com
