2017 AYF NATs RECAP

February 26, 2017

The 2017 rebranding of the AYF-YOARF National Athletic Tournament (NATs) was hosted by the Philadelphia Sebouh chapter to much excitement and fanfare as AYF members from across the Nation traveled to the City of Brotherly Love for the intense basketball and volleyball competition that the NATs are known for. The tournament typically held in March was moved to February with competition extended to two days and three nights of dancing and music.

Men’s Basketball

Arriving early at the Competitive Edge Sports Facility, Washington DC’s squad faced back to back games against North Andover and New York. Both games ended in defeat for the DC team, however they were still upholding their positive spirit for the volleyball games that were to come.

Meanwhile, New Jersey put up an unexpectedly strong fight against the Philadelphia host chapter but was unable to overcome the home court advantage provided by Philly’s fans. New Jersey bounced back on their next match against North Andover and Providence defeated New York, while Boston, Detroit, and the California guest team made easy strides over their first round opponents.

The usually strong Boston team was handed a nail-biting 45-43 upset by Detroit and later New Jersey inserted the final dagger to send the shell-shocked Bostonians home. Providence took an early lead in their close matchup against California but the traveling guests surged ahead and pulled off the win with no signs of jetlag.

In fact, the Californians continued their winning streak against New Jersey and Philadelphia, the hosts putting up an impressive fight in a 42-41 score that sent California through to meet an undefeated Detroit in the final championship match.

Raffi Chalian playing point guard for California put up a dazzling show of teamwork but the squad appeared shallow and outmatched by an experienced and athletic Detroit team that took home the trophy with a 54-34 annihilation of the sunny Californians.

Women’s Basketball

The women’s tournament, always full of surprises, though not without its favorites, Detroit and Boston, started off with a matchup between Philly and the mixed “Lime & Salt” team; consisting of Ungeroohis from Worcester, North Andover, D.C. and California. Although the mix team started out with a tough loss in the first round they used their fraternal strength to move forward and win against Boston, New Jersey, and Detroit. For the first time, the mixed team went on to the finals facing the undefeated Philadelphia team. After playing four previous games, the mixed team was definitely fatigued, however they did not let that get in the way of the hard fight they put up against the five person Philly team. The lack of the bench was not a problem with the athletic prowess and MVP, Victoria Selverian.

Co-ed Volleyball

The Volleyball tournament commenced early Sunday morning, with the mix team facing the well represented North Andover Sasoun chapter. Although North Andover did not walk away with any wins this weekend, their overall presences on and off the court was one that we hope to see in the years to come. The inexperienced mix team, comprised of members from Worcester, Chicago, and New York went on to face and defeat the four time volleyball champions, the New Jersey Arsen Chapter. The Washington D.C chapter kept their reputation of being volleyball fanatics with their undefeated record bringing them to the finals against the underdog mixed team, who called themselves “Libnan.” Although the Libnan team put up a great fight, with a mix team making it to the finals for the first time, the D.C Ani’s spikes stuck Libnan’s eyes and ended up with a championship trophy for the first time in years.

The newly formatted weekend was deemed a great success, which was apparent from all the represented chapters and spectators. The hotel’s happy hour was the perfect atmosphere for the post game show highlights and socialization, especially on Saturday at the ARF/AYF mixer that was scheduled by the Eastern Region Central Committee and Central Executive. The full dance floor proved that Kevork Artinian & Friends served as the perfect entertainment for Sunday night. A big thank you to all the members, alumni, and most importantly the Philadelphia Sebouh chapter and the Central Athletic Committee for smoothly running such an impressive weekend.

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