Team Black Wins 2010 Omaha Challenge; Tingle Takes Individual Title
November 22, 2010 | Baseball
Nov. 22, 2010
Video from Day Five of the Omaha Challenge
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A win in the final event of the competition was enough to clinch the individual title in the University of Louisville baseball team's 2010 Omaha Challenge for junior right-handed pitcher Travis Tingle and lead Team Black to the team title last Friday afternoon.
Team Red, led by captain Zak Wasserman, won Friday's 300-yard medley event as well as the tug-of-war bonus event in an attempt to overcome an 87-point deficit, but it was not enough as Team Black earned a two-point win overall. Team Black and captain Matt Koch scored 5,977 points to win the five-day competition, while Team Red finished with 5,975 points.
Individually, Tingle scored 471 points for a narrow two-point margin over second-place finisher freshman Adam Engel. Tingle, who entered the day tied for the lead with freshman Cody Ege, won the 300-yard medley event with a time of 1 minute, 19.57 seconds on Friday to secure the overall win. It marked the second straight year a graduate of Louisville's Butler High School has won the Omaha Challenge as former U of L infielder Adam Duvall earned the individual honors last year.
Engel finished second in the medley with a time of 1:20.48 and was second overall with his 469 points, while Ege finished third in the five-day event with 463 points. Wasserman finished fourth overall with 462 points and was followed by freshman Cole Sturgeon in fifth with 451 points.
The Cardinals will open the 2011 season at the BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Feb. 18-20. Louisville's home schedule will begin with a three-game series against Toledo on Feb. 25-27 at Jim Patterson Stadium.
About the Omaha Challenge
Two captains are selected and teams are drafted to compete against one another in a five-day series of events that tests the athleticism of the teams and the individuals, with a team crown and an individual champion to be named at the end of the competition. Sports performance coach Eric Hammer oversees the competition, while also motivating his charges to extend themselves to their limits.
The 10 events for 2010 include the 2100-yard shuttle run, pull-ups, towel hang, bike race, 100-meter swim, sandpit relay race, tire flip, "move the mountain", tug-of-war and 300-yard medley.
Team Red
Zak Wasserman (captain), Justin Amlung, Ryan Wright, Kyle Grieshaber, Drew Haynes, Gabriel Shaw, Cole Sturgeon, Jeff Gardner, Kyle Gibson, Alex Chittenden, Joe Stilphen, Chad Green, Jeff Thompson, Cade Stallings, Brandon Alphin, Mike Nastold.
Team Black
Matt Koch (captain), Adam Engel, Cody Ege, Jarred Clarkson, J.J. Ethel, Stewart Ijames, Travis Tingle, Dace Kime, Ty Young, Ryan Seiz, Curtis McCombs, Derek Self, Andy Flett, Tony Zych, Keith Landers, Brad Hedden.
