Redskins Crowned Winner in 2020 Cossa Challenge Championship!

The unprecedented cancellation of this year’s NCAA March Madness provided a stage for our alumni to step up in a unique way to make sure our annual fundraiser could continue and raise $1300 to support the colonization efforts at Miami. 

Twenty-nine Theta-Upsilon Alumni were joined by four members of the Nu-Psi Chapter at the University of Cincinnati and one colony member to establish a field of 32 teams enabling a four round tournament leading to a Championship game on April 27, 2020 between the #1 seed of the South Region Luke Meissner IC ’11 and the #5 seed from the West, Rob Robinson IC ’89. 

The championship game played simultaneously in two locations was a full 2 minutes long instead of the 60 seconds of the previous rounds adding some extra drama and intrigue to the outcome.  Robinson had a great first 60 seconds shooting 8 for 9 and lead Meissner, but he went cold and Luke won making 14 baskets to Rob’s 11.  

The pre-game and post-game interviews as well as the two brothers playing side-by-side is visible on the KSTUAA YouTubeChannel as well as the other sixty games. The tournament was full of surprises and upsets had three ties, which by rules were settled with a coin flip and these ties impacted who made it to the finals.  The two Championship Game contestants have received gift certificates for Miami merchandise. 

Several classes of alumni used the games as an opportunity to schedule virtual happy hour watch parties bringing alumni together during a time when in person gatherings were impossible.  Participants and viewers alike expressed gratitude for the opportunity to engage with other alumni and suggested KSTUAA do this again in the future.

In total more than 120 game videos as well as  selection show and tournament updates hosted by  Wes Bren IC ’85 who serves as the tournament commissioner were posted to the site documenting the entire tournament and its entertaining results! These videos will remain on the YouTube channel for all to enjoy indefinitely.

KSTUAA would like to thank the following for participating in the tournament (Links to their First Round games are included):

• Alan Higgins IC ’67 Founder
• Craig Stichtenoth IC ‘72
• Don Welsh IC ‘72
• Jim Lewis IC ‘74
• Erik Kozman IC ‘79
• Brad Mikes IC ‘82
• Mark Rowland IC ‘83
• Wes Bren IC ‘85
• John "Slug" Henry IC ‘85
• Rick Sippola  IC ‘85
• Brad “Velvet Buzz Saw” Flinders IC ‘86
• Larry Rosinski IC ‘86
• Michael McNally IC ‘86
• Matthew Smith IC ‘87
• David Buckley IC ‘87
• Chris Seiple IC ‘88
• Craig Izzo IC ‘88
• Brian Liederbach  IC ‘88
• Patrick Reedy IC ‘89
• Bradley Storts IC ‘89
• Bill Beringer IC ‘89
• Rob Robinson  IC ‘89
• Clay Hunt IC ‘90
• Greg Lex IC ‘92
• Chad D Gibson IC ‘92
• Evan Hogenkamp IC’ 11
• Luke Meissner IC’ 11
• Andrew Bren  IC’ 17 Nu-Psi Chapter
• Tyler Dill  IC’ 17 Nu-Psi Chapter
• Garett Reinhart  IC’ 17 Nu-Psi Chapter
• Mason DeLuca  IC’ 18 Nu-Psi Chapter
• Quinn Sippola – of the Star & Crescent Society at Miami

These participants made it possible for KSTUAA to hold its annual Beat Cossa Challenge which this year supports the re-colonization recruitment effort. Over $1,300 was raised from the bracket pool and additional alumni donations. Alumni that haven’t given yet are encouraged to donate before our fiscal year end May 31 via PayPal or by check sent to the KSTUAA Treasurer. (Please note that while KSTUAA is a not-for-profit organization we not classified as a 501-c-3 charity and gifts are not tax-deductible.)  Alumni that donated money this year are listed on our donor page. 

The winner of Beat Cossa Challenge bracket split-the-pot was Brad Storts IC ’89 whose 96 points beat Brothers Mike Schoedinger IC ’86 and Doug Baker IC ’86 by 6 points each and beating Cossa’s score of 54 points.  The tournament’s early rounds featured many upsets and only 9 Brothers were able to beat Cossa’s score this year.  Brother Chris Elder IC ’85, KSTUAA Board Member won the consolation prize matching Eddie Fricker’s score of 24 points exactly!  Brother Elder donated his prize money back to KSTUAA to support the Colony recruitment effort.

2020 Cossa Challenge Continues Despite COVID-19

Thirty-one Kappa Sigmas and one prospective member from all over the US have made the cut for the 2020 Cossa Challenge, our annual alumni split-the-pot fundraiser based on the March NCAA Basketball Tournament Bracket Game.

Alumni should download the Tournament Program with team briefs here.

A Basketball Tournament Unlike Any Before It

With unprecedented NCAA tournament cancellation because of the spread of COVID-19 this year's Cossa Challenge features the "safe-distance" virtual competition of our own Theta-Upsilon Chapter Alumni, Kappa Sigma's from the Nu-Psi Chapter of Cincinnati and one member of the Star & Crescent Society, the new interest group seeking to become a colony of Kappa Sigma at Miami University. 

Our tournament will be visible on YouTube at the KSTUAA Channel 

The Cossa 60 Second Basketball Challenge schedule: 

First Round (32 teams): Saturday April 11 and Sunday April 12. 

Sweet 16: Thursday, April 16 & Friday, April 17

Elite 8: Thursday, April 23 & Friday, April 24

Final Four: Saturday, April 25   

National Championship Game: will be played Sunday, April 26*

Results will be posted here.

Making the Most of this Year's Tournament

Alumni are encouraged to use this event as an excuse to connect by holding virtual watch parties and enjoy the games together using Zoom or other technologies.  Order some take-out from Buffalo Wild Wings maybe some Wiedemann and enjoy some fellowship knowing you are supporting your fellow Kappa Sigma brothers.

 

We NEED YOU, our alumni to show your support by either playing the Cossa Challenge ($25 per bracket  up to six) or making a donation to KSTUAA to help us fund our efforts to connect our alumni and help the interest group grow. (See list of donors at right.)

Download the bracket spreadsheet to make your picks.

Email it to Bracket Grand Master, Brother Mikes by Thursday, April 9.  If you are unable to open the spreadsheet email us requesting an alternative.


To make make a donation or pay for brackets via PayPal: 

Or send a check to the KSTUAA Treasurer:

*The championship game may be played as a simulcast on Sunday, otherwise it will appear on YouTube like the other games on Monday April 27.

NCAA cancels the Tourney but KSTUAA presses on to bring Madness Fun back for its Alumni!

Sunday March 15 was to be a holy day… “Selection Sunday,” but in an unprecedented move the NCAA cancelled the men’s and women’s Basketball tournament for 2020 to help slow the spread of COVID-19. The decision ends the dreams of 100’s of teams and hundreds of thousands of fans who have looked forward to this tournament all season. It also ends all the fun social interactions in thousands of office pools where even the people that have no idea what state Gonzaga University is from or what is a Billiken attempt to overcome the 1 in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 odds to make a perfect bracket!

It also meant that KSTUAA’s annual Cossa Challenge event and fundraiser was cancelled.

KSTUAA Steps up to revive the fun

The KSTUAA Communication and Events Committee went to the drawing board to create something to replace this annual tradition for our alumni.

“This is a big deal! March is a huge month for sports, probably the biggest of the year and it’s all gone. Our alumni love March Madness and the Cossa Challenge. We had to do something!” said Brother Brad Mikes, Chairman of the committee and the annual “Grand Master of Brackets.”

The committee is organizing a new virtual tournament they are calling the “Cossa 60 Second Challenge” with all the best features of the annual tournament but with considerations made for “Social Distancing” guidelines.  The tournament will feature 64 contestants, seeding, brackets and a three-week basketball tournament with contests available for watching for free on YouTube.

“It’s got it all!  Great competition and surprising upsets! Basketballs! Alumni can watch the competition on your mobile device, computer or TV at home working or relaxing with beer! We even have instant reply to determine if the ball was released before the buzzer!” said committee member, Brother Wes Bren.

“There is a big demand and a huge void for sports right now with everything else cancelled!  In fact, when I was filming the instructional video, one of my neighbors ruined the take because she yelled out ‘Can I watch?’” Bren said.

The new sports programming is also important for KSTUAA.  The brackets enable Alumni to participate in the annual “split-the-pot” type fundraiser to fund KSTUAA mailings, events, communications and this year’s special project to help the “Star and Crescent Society” a student group at Miami University interested in bringing Kappa Sigma back to campus.

Moving Fast to fill the void

“Once we have our field collected, we will seed the brackets as quickly as we can,” said Mikes. “KSTUAA will publish team bios and send out brackets for Alumni to fill out return. Then the competition will begin.”

The committee hopes to be running just one week behind the original NCAA schedule. Said Bren, “We hope to have the Brackets seeded and ready for our version of “Selection Sunday” on March 22 and start the competition on March 27.”

“Only our Dynamic Duo of Mikes and Bren could have come up with something as wild as this and pull it off so quickly!” said KSTUAA President Clay Hunt. “I am looking forward to being one of the competitors myself. I’m probably a 12 seed.  But I can’t wait to see 64 alumni on video in this competition, putting their reputations on the line, in fun competition with other alumni, helping a new generation of Kappa Sigs. This will be great fun. This why I am a Kappa Sigma!”

The committee is accepting registrations starting now. Register here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RTBV5CF

The instructional video is be available on the KSTUAA YouTube Channel where the tournament will be available: https://youtu.be/266UtEd_OTE

This site will contain bracket updates throughout the challenge.