The Annual Fellowship of Christian Athletes Badminton Tournament took place on Friday, March 15th. This year’s tournament consisted of 14 teams. The layout for the games started as a round-robin tournament style, which means each team was supposed to play every team; however, they ran out of time, so each team played ten games. After the round-robin, the teams with the top six best records would move on to a tournament-style play, with the top two teams having a first-round bye.
Team 1 was Coby Kephart and Dylan McGonigal; they had a record of 5-5 on the night. Team 2 was Sydney Sankey and Mackenzie Fetterolf, with a record of 1-9. Team 3 was Zach McGonigal and Lukas Colton; they had a record of 10-0. Team 4 consisted of Zane Woodling and Drake Witherite, with a 5-5 record. Team 5 was Owen Koleno and Gavin Rothrock, who also had a record of 5-5. Next is team 6, which consisted of Braeden Brown and Andrew Sedlak; they had a record of 3-7. Team 7 was Joel Evans and Austin Kerin, with a record of 6-4. Team 8, Luke and Logan Liptak, went 6-4. Team 9 was Addison Hubler and Mackenzie MacTavish, who went 0-10. Team 10 was Sage Carr and Tyler Wilson, with a 7-3 record. Team 11, Brody Rothrock and Isaac Tiracorda, had an 8-2 record. Team 12 was Tyler Biggans and Wyatt Schwiderske, who also went 8-2.
Next is team 13, consisting of Drake Taylor and Dorian Lannen, and lastly team 14, Jacob Alexander and Noah Emigh, with a 3-7 record. After the ten games were played, the bracket was made. Teams 3, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12 made it to the Finale. The quarter-finals were played, and teams 10 and 7, as well as teams 8 and 12, played. Teams 7 and 8 won and moved on to the semi-finals, where teams 3 and 11 had byes. Team 3 (Zach McGonigal and Lukas Colton) and Team 8 (Luke Liptak and Logan Liptak) won their games and moved on to the finals. After a long, hard-fought battle, Team 3 (Zach McGonigal and Lukas Colton) emerged victorious and won the 2024 FCA Badminton Tournament with an impressive undefeated record.
One of the victors, Zach McGonigal, reflected on what he believes contributed to his and Lukas’s triumph: “Me and Lukas have exceptional chemistry and a deep understanding of each other’s positioning on the court. With this being our third year in the tournament, our experience played a crucial role in securing the victory this year.” Gratitude is extended to all who took part in the FCA badminton tournament, and anticipation mounts for the excitement that the next tournament will bring.
