Pro-Elite Challenge West 2024: Tournament Recap (Women’s Division)

Early season tournament? Missing some stars? No matter, two powerhouses in Molly Brown and Fury put on a show in a down-to-the-wire PEC W final

July 18, 2024 by Graham Gerhart in Recap with 0 comments

Ultiworld’s coverage of the 2024 club ultimate season is presented by Spin Ultimate; all opinions are those of the author(s). Find out how Spin can get you, and your team, looking your best this season.

Molly Brown Best in Town

From the moment the Pro-Elite Challenge West tournament schedule was set, this was the game circled in ink on everyone’s calendar. #3 San Francisco Fury and #1 Denver Molly Brown came to Corvallis ranked as the two best teams on paper and proved it wasn’t just reputation that earned them elite status. The two juggernauts were set on a collision course set smashed through the competition to get their chance at leaving the tournament with a perfect record. It was clearly an early-season tournament for both teams, but both sides delivered on the promise of an exciting final. The game could have gone either way, and while Molly Brown emerged as the eventual champion, it’s still hard to call whether either team has any advantage for the next time they meet.

The game started out in favor of Fury as San Francisco earned an early break thanks to an uncharacteristic drop from Manu Cardenas. Fury used the post-mistake surprise to run a fast break that saw McKinley McQuaide wide open in the end zone for a Carolyn Finney huck. Molly Brown quickly cleaned up their act but it put them on the back foot for the early part of the game.