The Midwest is poised for an exciting season as teams vie for a trip to Nationals at the Barefoot Resort.

The Ohio State University and the University of Michigan have dominated this region for the past several seasons. Last year, the Buckeyes captured all four regional tournaments with the Wolverines finishing second in three of those and with both teams returning many core players; this year should be no different. However, there are many teams looking to prove something coming into the season. The teams from Dayton, Miami of Ohio, Cincinnati and Michigan State have been knocking on the door in several tournaments and each are looking to break through into the winners circle this fall season.

In last year’s spring season, the Midwest had four teams ranked in the NCCGA’s top 25, but only the Wolverines and Buckeyes made the trip to Nationals while the Spartans and Flyers sent individual participants. Given the dynamic of the Midwest, we should see some great tournaments with a lot of high-caliber teams in the mix.

There are also several teams in the region that have been improving each semester and could be potential dark horses. Western Michigan, Ohio, and Michigan-Flint have all shown promise over the last few seasons as their club programs continue to grow on campus. After taking last semester off, the Broncos of WMU have recruited some good, young talent that should help them compete with the upper echelon teams. Ohio and Michigan-Flint came close last spring at breaking into the top 5 in both events and this year they are looking to improve after seeing how fierce the competition is at the top.

New to the region this year is the team from Hillsdale College. After taking a few semesters to get organized on campus, the Colts are excited to start playing in the most competitive region in the NCCGA. These teams are all looking to make a name for themselves by earning a position at the top of the Midwest for a chance to go to Nationals at Myrtle Beach.