UCF’s Tatianne DeAraujo won her third consecutive tournament Most Valuable Player award and was the defensive star of the women’s bracket. DeAraujo and teammate Megan O’Hara both took home All-Tournament Team honors. O’Hara threw for a 28-yard score to her sister Kaitlin and DeAraujo added a 16-yard touchdown in the championship game. UCF Men’s, Women’s and CoRec flag football teams have now won 14 national titles since the first tournament in 1979, the most flag football titles of any school.

Rainy and cold weather made pool play tougher than in years past. UCF, known for big plays in the passing game, instead used a heavy dose of the run and shorter passes to go undefeated throughout pool and championship play. Check on It head coach Brandon Baroody says the adjustments were the key to winning early in the tournament, “One of the games (in pool play against Texas State) it was really windy and rainy and our girls were noticeably shaking. We couldn’t throw or catch the ball, so we really had to fight to win that game in overtime.”

Baroody is a UCF alumnus and a member of the National Collegiate Flag Football Championships Hall of Fame. He has now won 11 national championships as a player or coach with UCF. He says the players deserve all the credit, “I started playing flag football for fun. I built relationship with friends and that transitioned me into coaching. If I didn’t have dedicated girls who want to compete, I probably wouldn’t still be coaching.”

DeAraujo, is the third UCF student to win multiple MVP awards and the first woman to accomplish that feat. She credits the UCF Intramural Sports experience with giving her the opportunity to compete. “My particular UCF intramural sports experience allowed me to learn key skills like working together in a group, executing under pressure, and being patient and not giving up no matter the circumstances,” she said. She is the 19th Knight to win the MVP award at the national tournament. Her all-tournament honors along with O’Hara’s means UCF has now had 47 All-Americans in the tournament’s history.

UCF Intramural Sports are part of șŁœÇֱȄ’s Recreation and Wellness Center, funded and supported by the Student Government Association.

In other flag football news, the National Collegiate Flag Football Championships Hall of Fame enshrined UCF alumna Leisha Cavallaro ‘11 into the Hall of Fame during a ceremony last month in Pensacola. She joins Nick Brigati, a former UCF IM Sports graduate assistant, as the only two UCF Knights in the Hall of Fame for officiating. Two other Knights, Brandon Baroody ‘12 and Drew Hill ’11, are in the NCFFC Hall of Fame as players.

Quick thinking, strategically based decision making and confidence and humility are all attributes Cavallaro said she learned while playing flag football and working at the Recreation and Wellness Center.

“I gained the ability to logically and strategically think through situations to respond in a more efficient manner especially in stressful situations. Everything I learned (as an UCF RWC staff member and official) has rolled over into my personal and professional life even now, six years after I graduated,” said Cavallaro.

Cavallaro was a successful flag football official and player during her time at UCF. Her accomplishments on the flag football field include:

Cavallaro, Steve Anderson (2002 and 2003) and Brandon Schwab (2012 and 2013) are the only UCF Knights to receive All-American Official honors in consecutive years in Flag Football. Anderson and Schwab are now enjoying success as basketball officials. Anderson is a fulltime NBA referee and Schwab is in the NBA Development league.

UCF’s team “Check On It” used a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat Florida A&M șŁœÇֱȄ 7-6 to successfully defend last year’s national championship.

UCF’s suffocating defense was the story of the tournament. The team started with back-to-back shutouts, combining for 80 points, in preliminary action with wins over Campbell șŁœÇֱȄ and Ferris State. In the tournament round, UCF continued the tough defense with shutout wins over North Carolina A&T in the quarterfinals and Howard șŁœÇֱȄ in the semifinals. 

UCF outscored opponents 119-6 during the three-day event, giving up its first and only score in the championship game when FAMU took a 6-0 lead late in the first half.

Senior center and corner, Dannica Mosher, said UCF’s defense set the tone for this year’s title.

“Giving up only 6 points is quite the accomplishment and I thank our incredible defense for that,” she said.

Late in the fourth quarter, tournament MVP Tatianne Dearaujo, reached the end zone to tie the game at 6-6. UCF quarterback Keimy Milanes then completed a pass to Amanda Hall for a successful point after touchdown and the lead.

FAMU did get the ball back with time on the clock, but Hall intercepted a pass to stop the Rattlers’ threat with less than 2 minutes to go.
Check On It was led by Milanes, who suffered a serious knee injury on the first day of last year’s tournament, Dearaujo and Charlene Thome. NIRSA honored all three women as part of the All-Tournament team. The team is coached by UCF graduate Brandon Baroody, a NIRSA Championship Series Flag Football Hall of Famer. 

UCF now has 42 All-Americans in the tournament’s history and Dearaujo is the 17th UCF student to be named tournament MVP.  

“What’s so special about this team is we’re much more than that, these girls and Brandon are family,” she said.

Shane Land, assistant director of Intramural Sports at the UCF Recreation and Wellness Center, credits the team’s hard work ethic for the sustained success.

“They practice and play in tournaments year round in preparation for the national tournament and that work ethic is what has led to their success,” he said.

UCF men’s, women’s and co-rec flag football teams have now won 12 national titles since the first tournament in 1979, the most flag football titles of any school in North America.

Baroody has been a part of nine of UCF’s 12 titles as a player or coach.

UCF’s Co-Rec Team also made the final four of the tournament which also features student officials, including three from UCF: Kelsey Jones, Randy Korn and Sammie Fitzell.

He was on UCF’s Memory Mall in 2007 when someone asked him to play a pickup game of football. Five years later, the National Flag Football Championships Hall of Fame has honored Baroody for an illustrious flag football career.

Baroody was  enshrined into the hall during a December ceremony in Pensacola. His co-recreational team was in the Panhandle during the New Year’s holiday to defend its 2011 national championship, but finished as runner-up.

He joins Drew Hill (2011) as the only two Knights to be inducted into the hall for their accomplishments while playing intramural sports at UCF. Nick Brigati, a former UCF Intramural Sports graduate assistant, is also in the hall for his officiating career while seeking his undergraduate degree at Ohio șŁœÇֱȄ.

Baroody is a four-time defensive All-American (2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011), making him only the fourth player to be named All-American four times in the history of the tournament. His on-field individual accomplishments include:

Baroody credits his teammates for his individual success. “If you’re team isn’t good, you don’t get recognized,” he said.

He also credits the competitive nature of the Recreation and Wellness Center’s Intramural Sports program. “UCF is a great place for competition,” he said. “You get a feel for what it’s like playing in a tournament. To be good here you have to be good and organized. Once you get a taste of victory you want to keep going for more.”

Baroody, a Miami native, is scheduled to graduate in May with a double major in marketing and finance, and a  minor in accounting. He said success on the field can translate to the real world. “Flag football is a thinking man’s game. Seeing things as they develop and adapting to it,” he said. “Adapting during the game is what leads you to success.”

Baroody’s co-recreational team also played in the NIRSA National Campus Championship Series title Jan. 4-6 on the UCF campus, and the team finished second. Baroody is a five-time NCCS  champion, including three straight titles in the co-recreational division:

UCF Intramural Sports and the RWC are funded by the Student Government Association. UCF flag football teams have won 10 national titles in the past 40 years