2011 Preview – San Diego State University Federalis

[stextbox id=”alert” color=”050505″ bcolor=”6cc3f8″ bgcolor=”ffffff” big=”true” image=”null”] School Name: San Diego State University
Team Name: Federalis
Captains: Tim Gilligan, Dominic Leggio
Coaches: Clif Smith, Steven Prodan, Will Griffin
Year Founded: 2003
Jersey Colors: Red, Black
Website: arc.sdsu.edu/mens_frisbee/index.php
2010 Record: 24-22
Score Reporter
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Tell us a little about yourself. How did you get involved with ultimate at SDSU?

Gilligan: I started playing in March of my Freshman year. I had a guy in one of my classes who was on my team. He told me to come out to practice and I was hooked since. After 2 club seasons and this being my 4th year with SDSU I can’t imagine going to college without Ultimate.

Leggio: I was bored and hating life in the dorms so I decided to email the captain. I came out and have been addicted ever since.

How did SDSU do last year? What was the highlight of your season?

Gilligan: We got 5th in the Southwest Region. 2 wins away from Nationals. The highlight of our season was going to Wilmington, North Carolina for College Easterns. We beat UNCW in a showcase game under the lights.

Leggio: We had multiple highlights throughout the year but by far it was going to Easterns and playing well. We competed with every team and proved to ourselves how good we were. Beating UNCW after flying and traveling all day was the most legit moment of our season.

Who is your favorite team to play against? Tell us about a memorable game.

Gilligan: Black Tide. Everyone hates them. I love it. The best part is they embrace it. I don’t blame them though. They are competitors. They always require you to give them your best ability to beat them. We beat them for the first time at PresDay 2010. That was awesome.

Leggio: I love playing teams from our section, especially long beach. Beating them at regionals was sweet revenge after we lost to them in the sectional final. We had observers at regionals and that really made all the difference between us losing a close game and then blowing them out at regionals. Ending there season was nothing short of sweet.

Tell us about your coaches/captains. What do they bring to your team?

Gilligan: Our coaches each add something. Steve is always pumping the team up and works really well with players one on one to help them get better individually. Will is a defensive machine. He is really good at helping us with positioning, baiting D’s and explaining the particulars that you don’t normally think about during a game. Clif is a total big picture coach. He’s good at setting goals for us to achieve and giving us the tools required to meet them. As far as captains go, Dom’s a real “lead by example” type of guy. He goes out there and never gives less than 100%. He’s also very consistent on O but will still be one of the team leaders on D. I’m more of an outspoken captain. Sometimes maybe I talk too much haha. I think Dom and I compliment each other well though

Leggio: Tim brings big play ability on the defensive side of the disc. Having been playing with him for the past 2 years I take his layout D’s for granted. They’re just expected out of him.

Are there players on SDSU who deserve consideration for Callahan, All-Region, or Freshman of the Year? Tell us about them.

Gilligan: There’s a number of guys that I think are eligable for All-Region. Jackson Stearns is a 6’4″ lefty with great hucks and he’ll be among the team leaders in thrown and caught goals. Dom’s the same way. We also picked up All-Region ex-UCSD Squid Justin “Bobble” Elliot this year. He could very well return to All-Region status this year. We’ve got this one freshman who has high school experience, Lucas Dillow. He’s super athletic and gonna get a lot of playing time for us this year. If we get some recognition he’ll deserve a FOTY.

Leggio: All-Region is somewhat of a popularity contest. Last year, Jackson outplayed guys in head to head matchups that were on the all region team and was left off the list. He is the most unguardable guy on our team and shows it in every game. Kids a beast.

What player is most likely to make a huge play as a thrower? As a receiver? On D?

Gilligan: As a thrower, definitely Richy Prodan. He’s gonna anchor our D line as a handler and make some big throws to get us breaks. James Moe will also through hammers all over any zone. Our receiver, Jackson. He’s 6’4″. Shoot, we got too many guys that are gonna get a lot of D’s. I don’t even know where to start.

Leggio: As a thrower, Richy Prodan. He has every throw in the book. Once our D gets the turn we’re looking downfield and more often than not he’s letting it rip. As a receiver Branden Murray has been the fastest guy on the team since he showed up. In one game last year I think he had 6 of our 8 goals or something like that. On Defense Tyler Crothers (last years captain) is such a great person to have on your team because he can do it all on defense. He might have the best hops on the team and continually D’s guys much taller than him.

It’s easy to see when someone throws a huge huck or gets a layout D. Who’s a player you have to watch more carefully to see how valuable they are to your team?

Gilligan: Dave Ritchie. He’s solid. Get’s a few D’s here and there and throws some sick throws here and there, but overall he’s just a dependable guy that does all the little things right.

How does SDSU bring new players up to speed on Ultimate?

Gilligan: Fall semester all we do is focus on three things: dumps, defense, and throws. It gets a little redundant, but we feel that those are three fundamental things that if a Freshman new to Ultimate can get good at then they have a legitimate shot at making A team.

Without giving too much away, what does SDSU like to do on offense and on defense?

Gilligan: Offense we love the spread. We have a tight rotation of guys that have great chemistry that work downfield together. Defensively we like to give different looks. Man, zone, zone transition…we do it all.

Has your team set any goals for this season? What are they?

Gilligan: Qualify for Nationals.

What tournaments do you plan to attend in the spring? Which one are you most looking forward to?

Gilligan: We’re planning on Santa Barbara Invite, President’s Day Classic, Stanford Open, and hopefully an out of state tournament. Our success at SB Invite will determine which out of state tournament we go to so we’re really pumped for that one.

What does your team do to get pumped up for a big game?

Gilligan: We have like a billion cheers. Any one of those usually works.

Leggio: Bombs over Baghdad.

What do you think about the USA Ultimate College restructuring?

Gilligan: It’s pretty cool. Definitely makes California stronger. I would go as far to say that the new Southwest is the strongest region in the country right now.

Leggio: The Southwest is going to be a bloodbath with Cal, Santa Cruz, Stanford, Tide, Davis, and UCSD. Throw us in the mix at regionals and who knows what is going to happen.

Which team has the best shot at winning the 2011 USA Ultimate College Championships?

Gilligan: Dang, I don’t know. I hear Santa Cruz is super strong this year with two Revolver players. I also hear Cal added one too. Oregon should be good again. Then again you can never count out Cut, Wisconsin, Florida. If I had to guess though, I’d say Cal.

Leggio: SDSU no doubt.

Presidents Day  2010 Federalis Highlights: