Previewing the opening elite foray for (most of) the best of the West.
July 12, 2024 by Jenna Weiner and Keith Raynor in Preview with 0 comments
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For a second consecutive season, the 2024 Triple Crown Tour will open with a double-header of Pro-Elite Challenges, with the western iteration once again taking place in Corvallis, Oregon. As the first tournament of the season for many of the top-level teams making their way to the Beaver State this weekend, PEC-West will be the opening salvo of what promises to be another outstanding cub season.
Tournament Profile
- Date: July 13-14
- Location: Corvallis, OR
- Weather: Sunny with highs in the low-90s with 45% humidity and lows in the mid-50s; around 10 mph winds
- Top 25 teams: 8 women’s div. / 11 mixed div. / 7 men’s div.
- Schedules & Results
- Event Page
Streaming Schedule
All Ultiworld Standard and All-Access subscribers will have access to watch the live broadcasts from this year’s Pro-Elite Challenge West, where we will have three games in each broadcasting round.
The broadcast schedule can be found below:
All times are PT.
Saturday, July 13
8:30 AM: Fury vs. Kelp [W] | Lawless vs. Sunshine [X] | Furious George vs. Oak Grove Boys [M]
10:15 AM: Flipside vs. Schwa [W] | Drag’n Thrust vs. Mischief [X] | Sockeye vs. Condors [M]
1:45 PM: Prequarter 2B vs. 3D [W] | Prequarter 2D vs. 3B [X] | Prequarter 2B vs. 3D [M]
3:30 PM: Prequarter 2A vs. 3C [W] | Prequarter 2A vs. 3C [X] | Prequarter 2A vs. 3C [M]
Sunday, July 14
8:00 AM: Quarterfinal TBD [W] | Quarterfinal TBD [X] | Quarterfinal TBD [M]
9:45 AM: Semifinal TBD [W] | Semifinal TBD [X] | Quarterfinal TBD [M]
11:30 AM: Final TBD [W] | Semifinal TBD [M]
1:15 PM: Final TBD [X] | Final TBD [M]
Women’s Division
San Francisco Steps Back, Denver Ascension
It’s the record that stands untouched across the entire club division: #4 San Francisco Fury have been semifinalists at every club Nationals for the last two decades.1 Could an early-season wobble at PEC portend that streak finally coming to an end in October? With the departures of Opi Payne, Amel Awadelkarim, and Lisa Couper (among others), it’s certainly possible, even as recent collegiate stars including Esther Filipek, Olivia Goss, and Sarah VonDoepp add their names to the “Team Huh” annals. Fury’s record of reloading instead of rebuilding remains unmatched, but that’s not a guarantee it will work this time around as the Bay Area giants begin their transition from their decade-plus core of superstars.
Looking to step up into the void left behind by Fury are #2 Denver Molly Brown, who followed up a program-first title in 2022 with yet another semifinal showing in 2023. While there are a smattering of losses from last season’s squad — Rena Kawabata, Stacy Gaskill, Kristen Reed, Jordan Stockdale, and Megan Ives — Molly Brown pulled several capable replacements out of the college ranks. Perennial All-American Kennedy McCarthy is perhaps the biggest name among them, though Blaise Sevier is coming off an outstanding season with the WUL’s Colorado Alpenglow, and Emma Williamson has emerged as one of Colorado Quandary’s best players in the D-I Women’s division. Molly Brown are the top seeds coming into the weekend, and that feels right — though a potential final matchup with Fury looms large as a true early-season proving ground.
Other Notes from Around the Division
- While the top two squads draw the eye, #8 San Diego Flipside and #5 Vancouver Traffic are credible contenders with plenty of continuity from their 2023 quarterfinal runs. If the bracket goes to seed, we could see a first-tournament preview of the eventual Southwest final between Fury and Flipside, and the Southern Californians could throw the gauntlet down with a statement win against their northern rivals.
- As has become the norm in recent seasons, the Northwest region will be hotly contested and #10 Seattle Riot and #11 Oregon Schwa follow Traffic in the seedings. Either could pull an upset in pool play and knock one of the top seeds off their perch to reestablish themselves as real threats to make a push into the division’s upper echelon.
- Perennial Nationals attendees #15 San Francisco Nightlock and #14 Minneapolis Pop round out the second seeds, though with matchups in pool play against Fury and Molly Brown, their odds of topping their pools look longer than those of their fellow second liners.
- Despite being seeded last, Colorado Kelp have the roster upside to surprise in their first-ever tournament. Rena Kawabata’s name jumps out as a decorated veteran alongside several of Quandary’s recent standouts including Abbie Gillach, Ali Brzostowicz, and Kenny.
Mixed Division
Parity Aplenty Comes To Corvallis
The mixed division is known for its surprises, and this weekend’s PEC-W is likely to be no exception. #4 Seattle BFG are the only reigning semifinalists in contention in Corvallis, though while they’ve picked up Sadie Jezierski, Lukas Ambrose, and get Mario O’Brien back, they’re not a sure bet against a deep field. Arguably it’s perhaps a rejuvenated #5 Minneapolis Drag’n Thrust squad that should be the tournament favorites after bringing back Sarah Meckstroth and adding James Pollard and Clare Frantz, among others. Or are we perhaps overlooking #6 Vancouver Red Flag and #10 Arizona Lawless, who lead Pools B and D respectively, both 2023 quarterfinalists who could reassert themselves as bracket contenders with a solid showing this weekend? Top talents Mika Kurahashi and Travis Dunn might have a thing or two to say before BFG or Drag’n potentially take down the title.
With a twelve-team field and every team guaranteed a Saturday mid-afternoon matchup — whether in prequarters or a top-line crossover — there will be chances for even teams on the rebound to restake their claims in this TCT opener. After their prequarters exit last year, it feels like #8 Seattle Mixtape might be taking a step back; then again, they took down the title just two years ago. In 2023, #14 San Francisco Mischief won the Southwest region only to bow out on day one of Nationals. Now, after continuing to consolidate some of the top talent out of the Bay Area, can they hold off the chasing pack as they try to recapture the magic that led them to the national final in 2019? Or how about their longtime local rivals, San Francisco Polar Bears, who aren’t even ranked to start the season after being upset at regionals by #20 Sacramento Tower, but come into the weekend seeded seventh? Now could be their chance to roar back after taking that humbling loss last season. As ever, the intrigue never fails to catch the eye in the mixed division.
Other Notes from Around the Division
- Before the East/West split, PEC (formerly Colorado Cup) was a playground for the likes of #21 Denver Love Tractor. While they don’t retain the same altitude advantage, Love Tractor will once again aim for an outstanding start to their TCT campaign with the South Central region shaping up to be as competitive as ever.
- Speaking of classically competitive regions, the Southwest makes up nearly half of the PEC-W field as the aforementioned Tower and #16 Bay Area Sunshine join Lawless, Mischief, and Polar Bears. Both of these more recent additions to the Southwest scene will hope for a deep run through the PEC-W bracket to get their seasons off to a strong start as they aim for program-first Nationals appearances.
- Oregon Scorch and #24 Montana MOONDOG round out the mixed dozen, with both teams in contention the last few years for one of the Northwest’s three bids. An upset or few this weekend from either team could easily shake up the region’s pecking order in the opening weeks of the season.
Men’s Division
The (Second) Best of the West
Four of the top five ranked western elite club men’s teams top the field at PEC-West, making for a strong opening to the primary season. #5 San Francisco Revolver, #6 Portland Rhino Slam!, #10 Vancouver Furious George, and #11 Seattle Sockeye form the top line of the groups, setting us up for potentially telling semifinals and beyond.
Revolver and Rhino have both been building a nice combination of talent from their rich recruiting grounds and imports after seasons that have tantalized with their ability to break into the division’s highest echelon. Revolver add two D-I college champions from Brown, Mac Hecht and Leo Gordon, who have both proven their elite credentials. Rhino bring in up-and-comer Henry Ing and already-done-it-all Matt Rehder. While the winner of this tournament will still sit behind #3 Denver Johnny Bravo, they could earn a prime challenger spot in the rankings.
The Beginning of the Bid Scramble
Speaking of rankings, the battle for bids begins in earnest this weekend. The Northwest trio of Sockeye, Furious, and #18 Eugene Dark Star would love to have more bids this time around after Sockeye were left without a chair when the music stopped at Regionals last year. With fellow Northwestern club Seattle Switchback also in the field, that group will find their goals aligned at PEC-West.
Some intriguing travelers from further east are bid-hopefuls who’d love to up their odds – or remove the need for – playing regional spoiler. #20 Minneapolis Mallard’s preseason buzz is mostly owed to a rumor Ryan Osgar will be cleating up for them this year, but their Minnesota Grey Duck-powered roster looks capable of regional contention even without him. Arlington Oakgrove Boys are looking to follow in the Mid-Atlantic footsteps of clubs like Vault to emerge as a threat to make Nationals. And Chicago Trident have been a steady presence out of Illinois, but would love to shake things up.
Other Notes from Around the Division
- SoCal Condors are the #6 seed and add veteran journeyman Brett Matzuka to a well-rounded if unspectacular roster. They have shown the ability to punch above their weight in years past and are a credible bid-earner and worthy test for teams both above and below them on tier lists. Star KJ Koo could be a game-changer for them, along with the likes of Milan Ravenell and Matt Miller.
- San Diego Skipjack appear to have inherited the old Streetgang mantle2 and could surprise as a Southwest challenger, especially with some of the region’s teams stepping back. PEC-West would be a good place to flash that upside.
- The pools-of-three format means a drawn-out bracket with prequarters, raising the chances for some real reversals of fortune late on Saturday and early Sunday. Especially with pool strength unclear, don’t rule out a team for a rough start.
