One of the many sports clubs at UWM is adding to a successful year for the university. The UWM Paintball team is heading to Florida for the National Championship Tournament.
One of the many sports clubs at UWM is adding to a successful year for the university. The UWM Paintball team is heading to Florida for the National Championship Tournament.
The club was started in the fall of 2007 by a group of freshman, and since then the club has grown, establishing a strong veteran leadership group that is leading the team to the championship. Before the recent amendment to the funding of Sports Clubs, the team had to pay for all their expenses. The team plays in the Midwest North Conference, which boasts other powerhouses in college paintball such as UW-Whitewater, UW-Stout, and UW-Platteville.
The conference is so strong that those three schools, as well as UW-Milwaukee finished within the top eight in the entire nation at the national championship last year, with Platteville and Stout taking the first and second place standings.
This year, Milwaukee is one of 45 schools heading to Florida to compete for the title. It all begins this Saturday when the team will compete in four matches to be placed into the single elimination bracket on Sunday.
They will be competing in 5 on 5 matches on airball fields, where obstacles and structures are blown up shapes. Wins are determined by best two out of three rounds. Although the match time limit is five minutes, most matches are over within two or three minutes.
The team is sending two teams of six to the tournament. The A team group is their best of the best, stocked with experienced veteran leaders of the entire team. It is led by Martin Grasswick, a grad student who serves as captain. Grasswick spent five years at UW-Whitewater, going to the Paintball national championships as part of the Warhawks team. Joining him is Ryan Morgan, a fellow grad student and another transfer from the Whitewater championship squad. There is also Lenny Hoisington, another grad student who has been part of the UWM squad for four years; seniors Nick Durgette and Ben Kus; and freshman Cody Carlson.
Grasswick said this team is looking to make a splash and improve on their 7th place finish in last year’s championships.
“This is one our strongest rosters ever. We have high expectations for this trip, and if we don’t come home with a medal, it will be a major disappointment,” said Grasswick.