Unionville Wins 2007 Wendland Memorial

2007 Trophy shot
Unionville, winners of the 2007 Wendland Memorial: Eric Zandotti, Kevin Thompson, Crosby Wood, Norris Wright, Jr., and Robert Scott
.
    Unionville established itself as the best team in the United States with a dominant performance in the 2007 Jan E. Wendland Memorial Tournament, played November 17-18 in Aiken, South Carolina. Unionville had taken the silver medals at the 2006 World Championships in Richland, Washington, and finished a strong fourth in the 2007 North Atlantic Cup in Dublin, Ireland. The team they brought to the Wendland Memorial was even stronger than either of those lineups, as Kevin Thompson had started playing just three weeks before the Dublin event and had improved greatly over the summer. Norris Wright was the defensive player Crosby Wood had been looking for to give him the freedom to concentrate on attack, and Eric Zandotti proved much more effective at #1 than at #4.
    Play began on a chilly Saturday morning, with frost from an overnight low of 26 degrees Fahrenheit (-3 Celsius) covering the field. Unionville made their intentions clear from the outset, taking an 8-4 lead in the first half and widening it to 17-6 in the second against Baltimore. Wood led the way with 9 goals, while Thompson and Wright each added four. Mit Carothers had five and John Sharpe one for Baltimore.   The second game was similarly one-sided, as Aiken defeated Aiken Prep 14-1. David Kanches and Zak Smith each scored six for the winners, while Matt McGhee accounted for Aiken Prep's only goal. The third game saw Asheville, a new club started by Dan Timmerman only three months earlier, post a 10-4 win over Baltimore. Timmerman, who learned the game in Arizona and had subsequently founded a club in Ithaca, New York before moving to Asheville, led the way with seven goals. Aaron Meisner, founder of the Baltimore club, led them in scoring with two.
Aiken
Second-place: Aiken's Steve Smith, Zak Smith, Seth Kopald, and Bill Matheson
    Unionville continued their dominance in their second match, routing Aiken Prep 19-4. Wood again led the way with seven, while Thompson added six, Zandotti four, and Wright two. Taylor Freeman led Aiken Prep with three. Aiken kept pace with Unionville by downing Asheville 14-4, as Seth Kopald tallied five and Zak Smith and Bill Matheson each added four. Timmerman and Hugh Moran tallied two apiece for Asheville. In the sixth and final game of the day, Baltimore got into the win column with an 8-6 victory over Aiken Prep, as Steve Smith led the way with six goals.
    Sunday's conditions were a good bit milder, with the temperature a balmy 52 degrees Fahrenheit (11 Celsius). Unionville got things started with another resounding victory, 15-2 over Asheville. Wood tallied eight, Thompson six, and Zandotti one for the winners, while Timmerman scored both goals for Asheville. Timmerman actually scored the first goal of the game, giving Asheville a brief lead before Unionville scored the next ten. Aiken followed up with another impressive win, 11-2 over Baltimore, with Zak Smith leading the way with nine goals. Aiken Prep then recorded their first win, 8-6 over Asheville, with McGhee scoring four, Andy O'Byrne three, and Freeman one.
    The stage was set for the big showdown between Aiken and Unionville, and Aiken grabbed the early lead when a back shot by Wood ricocheted off Steve Smith's bike into the goal. Aiken held that lead most of the way through the first half, but Wood finally tied the score by picking up a loose ball near the Aiken end line and carrying it to goal. The second half was all Unionville, as Thompson tallied four goals to lead them to an impressive 8-3 victory.
Asheville
Third place: Asheville's Dan Timmerman, Hugh Moran, and Randy Roland; (absent: Drew Heedy and Joey Coddington)
     The five teams were a new high for the event, and more than half the players came in from out of state. With new clubs forming throughout the country, and especially along the East Coast, the organizers are hoping for at least eight teams next year (if Unionville's awesome performance doesn't scare everyone off). 

Past Winners of the Wendland Memorial:

1995: Aiken

Chris Griffin
John Weatherford
Bill Matheson
George Handy

1996: Palm Beach

Jim Tolbert
Tiger Kneece
Adam Snow

2000: Aiken Prep

Bobby Buckley
Kit Buckley
Zak Smith
Justin Pimsner

2001: Aiken Prep

Jon Ellis
Taylor Freeman
Henri DuToit
Seth Kopald

2002: Boxwood

Mathew R. Lopez
Louis J. Lopez, Jr.
William L. Matheson, Jr.
Louis J. Lopez III
Gaither Limehouse

2003: Unionville

Nancy Davidson
Eric Zandotti
Crosby Wood
K.C. Kulp

2004: Charlottesville

Louis J. Lopez, Jr.
Louis J. Lopez III
B. Scott Gray
Timothy A. Gray

2005: Aiken Seniors

Eric Schmidt
Steven Smith
William L. Matheson, Jr.
Milton Carothers
Edward Caycedo

2006: Aiken Prep

Charles S. Bostwick, Jr.
Wesley Bryan
Sergio Muris
William L. Matheson, Jr.
Andrew F. O'Byrne, Jr.

Back to BPAA Tournament Page

Rules of Bicycle Polo

Bicycle Polo Equipment

Bike Polo Players

Top Ten Lists

Contact the BPAA

Back to BPAA Home Page