Texas Domination Sees Two Championship Victories at the US Quidditch Cup
In a triumphant return, the US Quidditch Cup took place on April 13–14 as the ultimate test of excellence in US national quidditch. 83 teams, 59 collegiate and 24 community, traveled to Round Rock, Texas, in a bid to prove themselves and play against the best teams in the country.
In an assertive final, Texas Quidditch, from the University of Texas at Austin, took home the trophy for the collegiate championship for the fourth time, winning 150*–50! The seemingly unbeatable team was undefeated throughout the tournament, firmly claiming its victory throughout the weekend.
First-time finalists Cal Quidditch, the team from the University of California, Berkeley, lost once in their group play but brought it back to battle hard for the right to play in the final. While University of Texas Quidditch Club may have dominated the scoreboard and the gameplay, Cal Quidditch performed admirably against their opponent with some stunning goals that you can check out here!
Cal Quidditch also lost out in a final earlier in the season, with Utah State Quidditch Club beating them to win the collegiate division title of the 2019 West Regional Championship.
The community division, however, was an all-Texas final, with Texas Cavalry coming back from behind to beat Texas Hill Country Heat and win the crown 120*–100. Both teams made it to the final after undefeated runs and played in an intense, nail-biting game, which you can watch here!
This will be a particularly sweet victory for Texas Cavalry, who lost the title of Southwest Regional Champion to Texas Hill Country Heat earlier this season, and allows them to continue their defense of the title from the previous two US Cups.
As with previous tournaments, a Swiss-style structure was used with group play, known as flights, giving teams the chance to play everyone within their group with an aim to filter who would have the chance to move on to the knock-out bracket, which would decide the finalists.
The tournament itself was marred by inclement weather as high winds and thunderstorms forced match officials to change the schedule throughout the weekend in order to avoid unplayable conditions causing matches to be outright canceled.
Youth quidditch also took a spotlight throughout the weekend, with volunteers giving children a crash course in how to play the sport. Youth quidditch is a particular focus for US Quidditch with the recent announcement of workshops to help inspire the next generation of quidditch players.
The winners may already be decided, but you can watch these thrilling matches here! Which match do you think was the most exciting throughout the weekend?
