Best Male Beater: First Round Results

The first round of the male beater bracket is in the books. See below for results, a summary of key matchups and an updated bracket. Voting for next week will close on Feb. 16 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Results:

No 1. Asher King-Abramson def. No. 16 Matt Eveland 15*-0

No. 8 Trevor Campbell def. No. 9 Chad Brown 10*-4 (one abstention)

No. 4 Andy Abayan def. No. 13 Jacob Adlis 9*-6

No. 5 David Gilbert def. No. 12 Sean Pagoada 14*-0 (one abstention)

No. 2 Colin Capello def. No 15 Tad Walters 14*-0 (one abstention)

No. 7 Max Havlin def. No. 10 Alex Leitch 13*-2

No. 3 Peter Lee def. No. 14 Jackson Johnson 14*-1

No. 6 Chris Seto def. No. 11 Ryan Peavler 12*-3

* indicates fan vote

Summary: Chalk held in a not-particularly compelling first round of the male beater bracket with just two matches being decided in voter range. No. 1 seed Asher King-Abramson, No. 2 seed Colin Capello, and No. 5 seed David Gilbert each shutout their first round opponents Matt Eveland, Tad Walters, and Sean Pagoada with Gilbert holding off Pagoada in the fan-vote by a single vote, while Jackson Johnson managed just a single point off of No. 3 seed Peter Lee. No. 7 Max Havlin took home a 13*-2 win over former regional rival Alex Leitch, while No. 6 Chris Seto handled No. 11 Ryan Peavler 12*-3. Lee did the best in the fan vote taking home 85 percent of the vote. Gilbert and Campbell had the narrowest fan vote wins with 52 and 53 percent of the vote respectively

Matchup of the Day: No. 4 Andy Abayan def. No. 13 Jacob Adlis: 9*-6

“Andy Abayan and Jacob Adlis' World Cup VI finalist teams faced off twice during that season, but the two elite beaters never faced off because Adlis was injured at their WxSW match-up and Abayan was injured in their World Cup faceoff. Our judges struggled to compare the two because they had a very different style of beating at their peaks during that season. Adlis was known for his knowledge of beating fundamentals, and he grew to develop the skillset needed to help the University of Texas become one of the best teams in quidditch history - he kept control on defense, and tried taking opposing defensive beaters out of the equation so his quaffle players could dominate the game via their superior athleticism. Abayan's team was more about passing on offense than driving, and using tight coverage to make up for the fact that they weren't the best defensive tacklers in the league. Thus, Abayan's game became more about playing the entire field, freeing pass options on offense and making hard-earned, impressive beats on defense. It came down to preference: do you pick a student of the game who knew his role and played it extremely well, or a player with superior speed and aim, who didn't have a team filled with elite point defenders to help take the slack should he make a missed beat or poor decision? That difficult decision split the judges evenly, and left this match-up in the voters' hands.”

Upset Special: No. 8 Trevor Campbell def. No. 9 Chad Brown: 10*-4

While not an upset, Campbell was the lowest seed to advance. One judge summarized the decision: “Campbell is smarter than Brown on the pitch. Campbell just doesn't make mistakes. Brown is very talented and I honestly did struggle with the choice, but I feel Campbell's leadership coupled with his talent really pushed him over the edge for me.”

To vote in the quarterfinals, click here.

The first round of the non-male beater bracket closes this evening at 11:59 p.m. EST. To vote in those matchups, click here.