This is the time of year that every intramural athlete strives for– making it to the state tournament. The tournament, which kicks off this weekend in Monroe, will give four Nicholls intramural teams the chance to compete for a state crown in basketball and softball.
The squads representing Nicholls in men’s basketball will be Dynasty and The All-Stars.
In men’s softball, Gorilla Warfare will serve as the school’s lone representative, while on the co-rec side, the Maco Sharks and Ghost Riders will take the field for the university.
A professional organization known as the Louisiana Campus Recreational Intramural Association (LCRIA) helps to put on the event, and the winners at state have the option of going to nationals.
“Mostly every school in the state competes,” director of campus recreation Michael Matherne said. “Schools like ULL, LSU, Southern University and McNeese all have the option to bring teams to state every year.”
In order to receive the opportunity to represent the university at state, both sports (basketball and softball) are played in a round-robin tournament during the regular season before squaring off in a final tournament, which ultimately decides what teams go to state and what teams stay home.
This spring, a total of 605 student’s participated in basketball and softball intramural’s. Of that number, 75 will travel to Monroe. Matherne said the intramural department pays for most of the expenses, which includes a $250 dollar entry fee to play and one night’s hotel fare for being champions.
Ghost Riders team member Bryan Beach said he and the rest of his squad are ready for the tournament. Beach said he has been to several state tournaments.
“It’s something you take through life because you get to meet new people,” Beach said. “The regular season was a struggle, and it took a group effort to finally win the tournament. We gelled together as a team for the tournament.”
Gorilla Warfare team captain Justin “Zotch” Zeringue said his team which went undefeated during the regular season, is ready for state.
“I want the rest of the state to know that we are a force to be reckoned with,” Zeringue said.
In preparation for the tournament, Zeringue and several of his teammates dyed their hair blonde.
“It (dyeing hair) helps show team unity,” Zeringue said. “We are Gorillas in war.”
On the basketball side, the All-Stars team captain Trone Boutte said he likes the looks of his team heading into state.
“We are real small, but we have a quick lineup,” Boutte said. “We feel like if we use our quickness, we can come out well. We are really excited about going.”
Of all the team’s competing, only one will be missing. The women’s basketball team known as Got Game qualified for state, but will not participate for unspecified reasons.
