"Where the rubber meets your face!"

With that simple motto, the Western Dodgeball team was founded in the fall of 2007 by president and captain Josh Raymer. The Hilltoppers made their debut in the Kentucky Classic tournament in November and realized just how much they had to learn about college dodgeball, dropping three games to Marshall, GVSU and SVSU. Despite adding several talented recruits, such as standouts Zach Byrne and Matt Parsons, the team lost the next three games to UK and its season finale against Ohio State.

The bad taste of an 0-7 season was all the motivation Raymer needed to kick his recruitment into high gear for the following year. After a serious roster upgrade added a slew of incredibly talented and dedicated freshman, including future team leader Felix Perrone, the team has finally established itself this season, picking up wins over in-state rivals UofL and UK. The team will host its first-ever home game against Miami of Ohio on March 21 and attend the NCDA National tournament at GVSU from April 3-5.

Some goals for the program moving forward include:

• Hosting an annual charity tournament in Bowling Green, KY that would feature competition from local schools
• Recruiting more schools from KY and TN into the National College Dodgeball Association
• Picking up wins over out-of-state competition
• Securing a jersey sponsorship from Russell for next season
• Raising money for testicular cancer through a spring dodgeball tournament for WKU students

For those who are interested, the team practices every Sunday night from 6:30-8 at the Preston Center. To see what other schools Western plays against in the NCDA, please visit ncdadodgeball.com.