MSU Club Dodgeball is one of the fastest growing and most successful organizations on campus. Two national championships in the last three seasons, four consecutive Michigan Dodgeball Cup Championships and a trip to Barstool Sports in Chicago are some of the club’s accomplishments. It has grown into one of the best club dodgeball programs in the country.
Coach and President
Currently ranked as the number two team in the country, the club has become accustomed to hard work and high expectations. Adam Arnold has been with the club since his freshman year and rose to the rank of club president. Arnold points to a culture of togetherness as a linchpin of the club’s success in recent seasons.
“We are, as a group, very tight knit,” Arnold says. “We’re all friends with each other. We all know each other outside of dodgeball. And I think having that connection with the other people you’re on the court with really strengthens the teamwork we have.”
Through practices, tournaments and hangouts at Peanut Barrel and Buffalo Wild Wings, the team has grown to become one of the best club dodgeball teams in the country.
“Even at practice, it’s not only about dodgeball. We’re talking about Thursday Night Football, we’re talking about the Lions, we’re goofing off, we’re all fun-loving guys,” Arnold says. “I’m in a class with a teammate, and we’re always chatting up strategy when we have a moment.”
The culture around the club supports welcoming everyone regardless of their dodgeball experience level. Being willing to teach anyone with the will to learn about the sport is key to the club’s ability to grow and advance.
“I kind of just showed up,” says Arnold. “A whole bunch of people introduced me to other people and the leadership and coaches. And we kind of jumped right into practice and how to throw a dodgeball and [you realize] ‘Oh, this is just like middle school dodgeball except it’s bigger, stronger, faster and more competitive.’ I found it to be a really nice community.”
This sense of community is another pillar of the club’s success. As Arnold shares, that community grows through “seeing someone who’s been missing from practice for a while and you catch up with them, and you’re like: ‘Hey, how’s it going? Everything all right?’ Being tight knit, having that group feeling is good for everyone.”
Head Coach Rebecca Shappell has her fingerprints all over the club. Shappell was the first woman to captain a club dodgeball team nationally. As a coach, she initiated and developed the women’s division of the club. Shappell and her husband Kevin have guided the club through its most successful period.
“A lot of the credit goes towards Kevin and Becca,” Arnold says. “They put in so much time [despite having outside jobs and lives], and they’ve chosen to remain involved and keep coming back. They help the club grow and help us mature as young adults.”
This tight knit culture between coaches and players has led to victory after victory for MSU dodgeball. The club won the National Collegiate Dodgeball Association (NCDA) National Championship in 2023 and 2024 and made the final four in last year’s bracket.
“It was something I had chased so long in my career and tried to build for so long that watching them finally get over the hump and get there is indescribable,” Shappell says. “It was, like, one of the best feelings ever.”
It’s a feeling the team is chasing yet again this season.
Spartan Strong Roots
The current trajectory of MSU dodgeball has roots in the Spartan Strong movement following the tragic on-campus events of Feb. 13, 2023. The 2023 Michigan Dodgeball cup — an annual tournament between MSU, Western Michigan, Central Michigan and Grand Valley State — was set for Saturday, Feb. 18. However, following the events of the week, there was hesitancy to go through with the tournament.
After some reflection, the cup was played at the request of the team captains. What followed was an immense outpour of support for the club and the MSU community. Families, friends and other teams flooded the club asking how they could best support the team.
“We put together a link for Spartan Strong T-shirts ... hundreds [were sold] in a day,” Shappell says. “Other teams were coming in with green ribbons pinned to their jerseys and playing with them on or playing with the Spartan Strong shirts under their jerseys.”
The result, Shappell says, was one of the enthusiastic crowds ever at the Michigan Dodgeball Cup. Supporters packed IM West and made for an incredible audience for the event.
“Everybody was so bought in, screaming their heads off over everything,” Shappell says. “I remember a big play and all the fans roaring behind me. I couldn’t even hear myself yelling at [the players].”
Shappell feels the support the club received after the tragedy was incredibly uplifting and cites it as a key moment in the successes of MSU Dodgeball.
Growing the Club
The club has seen immense growth in the last few years. In 2023, Shappell founded the women’s division of the club to pair alongside the co-ed team. The women’s team is now the second largest in the country and still growing.
“It just became like a word-of-mouth thing – you know, posting on social media, girls telling their friends to come out,” Shappell says. “And we quickly grew. Now there's more opportunities for women who want to stay athletic and competitive to be able to come in and not have as big of a quote-unquote ‘hurdle’ to jump over.”
The connection between the two divisions of the club plays a crucial part in maintaining a positive culture throughout the club. The two teams attend each other’s games and hold gatherings off the court.
“I think the first thing is just awareness of each other's team and the buy-in that even though you're on separate teams, you're all there for the same reason,” Shappell says. “You're playing the same sport. There’s a support network throughout both.”
Additionally, this past November the club was invited to Barstool Sports Studios in Chicago to film content and promote college dodgeball. Barstool Sports is a popular sports and pop culture blog that covers news and viral highlights. With two hours’ notice, Shappell got on a call with Barstool’s producers and began work to get the necessary approvals. Within 48 hours, the team was on the way to Chicago.
This coming February, the club will hold the annual Michigan Dodgeball Cup. Not only will MSU be looking to win the tournament for the fifth year in a row, but the inaugural class of the MSU Club Dodgeball Hall of Fame will be inducted into the newly established hall of fame.
Cheer on MSU Club Dodgeball Feb. 21 to see the induction, senior day activities and the Michigan Dodgeball Cup.
Follow MSU Dodgeball on Facebook and Instagram @msudodgeball.
Author: Zachary Phelps