Team Ninja Warrior is one of those shows you can’t turn off once you turn it on, so we’re pretty excited to sit down to watch Team Ninja Warrior: College Madness which starts tonight. Like the regular TNW, College Madness pits teams of three (two males and one female) against each other. The total of the three runs are tallied and the winning team advances to Finals.
The difference is that instead of drawing random teams to compete, College Madness puts some of the oldest college rivalries against each other. We’re talking Florida vs. Georgia, UCLA vs. USC, Michigan vs. Ohio State, etc.
Team Ninja Warrior: College Madness is just a short, five episode stint on the Esquire Network, but it’s the start of something awesome. Some of you might remember the BattleFrog College Championship that aired on ESPN last year. It was an obstacle course that was somewhat similar to College Madness but without the Ninja Warrior twist. The move to get college students and athletes involved in these obstacle courses is a no-brainer. These are physically gifted students who enjoy pushing themselves beyond what the NCAA can offer. Giving them and their school a platform to have fun and show what they’re capable of both on and off the course is a great idea. Oh, and it’s also fun to watch and have someone to cheer for (or against).
See below for the episode list and the rosters.
College Madness Episode List / Matchups
Episode #1
Round 1:
TCU vs Houston
Florida vs Georgia
Episode #2
Round 1:
Oklahoma vs Texas A&M
UConn vs MIT
Episode #3
Round 1:
UCLA vs USC
Stanford vs Colorado
Episode #4
Round 1:
Michigan vs Ohio State
Wisconsin vs Maryland
Episode #5 – COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIP
University of Florida
Melissa Hill
Training: Sponsored rock climbing competitor
Degree: Bachelor’s in Natural Resource Conservation and Political Science – entering graduate program studying Interdisciplinary Ecology
Dane Brooks
Training: Head coach of the UF Rock Climbing Club
Degree: BS in Psychology, Minor in Disabilities in Society – entering graduate school for Marriage and Family Counseling
Garrison Kalvin
Training: President of the University of Florida Rock Climbing Club and climbed at the 2016 USA Climbing Collegiate National Championship in San Diego.
Degree: Majoring in Mechanical Engineering
University of Georgia
Doug Legg
Training: NCAA Cheerleader and rugby player
Degree: Marketing/ International Business & Organizational Leadership
Victoria Case
Training: Competitive Club Cheerleader
Degree: Fashion Merchandising
Bradley Schleicher
Training: 4-year varsity wrestling letterman in high school
Degree: Health Promotion (Pre-Med)
Texas Christian University
Nolan Smith
Training: Member of the TCU Ultimate Frisbee Club team
Degree: Film, Television & Digital Media (planning career as a movie stuntman)
Alexander Parris
Training: Rock climber and previously competitive gymnast for 11 years
Degree: Computer Science, Minor in Painting Emma Beserra
Emma Beserra
Training: National championship cheerleading team who works as a personal trainer
Degree: Sports Psychology and Nutrition
University of Houston
Mathis Owhadi
Training: 6 years of training for “American Ninja Warrior”
Degree: Planning to study Kinesiology
Haley Houston
Training: NCAA pole vaulter, cheerleader for 12 years and trains in Muay Thai
Degree: Planning to study Kinesiology
Zach Tamayo
Training: Member of University of Houston’s club climbing team “UH Wall Crawlers,” works at Ninja Gym Iron Sports and is planning to commission in to the US Air Force Degree: Mechanical Engineering Technology & Kinesiology.
Texas A&M
Kaiti Haymaker
Training: High school track star
Degree: Mechanical Engineering
Will Smithee
Training: Trains at Sam Sann’s Iron Sports; coaches soccer
Degree: Biomedical Science (Pre-Med)
Collin Hummel
Training: Former competitive swimmer and diver
Degree: Animal Science
UCONN
Luke Adams
Training: World Freerunning & Parkour Federation (WFPF) sponsored athlete
Degree: Business & Marketing, Minoring in Psychology
Perry Madison
Training: High school athlete who broke his school’s pole vaulting record his senior year, Parkour instructor at USA Ninja Challenge
Degree: Acting
Jade Sharkany
Training: Powerlifter, rock climber; in HS: pole vaulter, varsity volleyball, track & field (pole vault, shot put, discus, sprints), and field hockey
Degree: Communications
MIT
Amelia Becker
Training: Avid rock climber and Ultimate Frisbee competitor
Degree: Electrical Engineering
Tomas Cabrera
Training: Serious rock climber who competes in monthly Obstacle Course Racing competitions
Degree: Physics and Astronomy
Charlie Andrews
Training: US National Team for Speed Climbing and Sport Climbing
Degree: Math/Computer Science & Data Science
UCLA
Carter Allen
Training: Active climber who worked as a blacksmith apprentice the summer before college to increase his arm strength
Degree: BioPhysics and Theater
Amanda Adams
Training: Dancer and ANW course tester
Degree: Dance and Psychology
James Vaughan
Training: Highlining, slacklining, outdoor rock climbing and bouldering
Degree: Computer Science
USC
Antonio Ayala
Training: School’s climbing team, USC Marching Band
Degree: Mechanical Engineering
Julian Olea
Training: Rock climber who competed on the track and field team in high school
Degree: Biological Sciences
Noelle Crowley
Training: Rock climber who ran cross country and broke the pole vault record in high school
Degree: Environmental Studies, Minoring in Spatial Studies
Stanford University
Roshena MacPherson
Training: President of the Stanford Rec Climbing Team & Stanford Alpine Club, outdoor bouldering
Degree: PhD in Mechanical Engineering
Nam Cuong
Training: Member of the Recreational Climbing Team and previous Parkour coach at a Ninja gym
Degree: Graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering
Will Roderick
Training: Regional, National and International speed climbing competitions, co-founder of the Stanford Climbing Club Team
Degree: Graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering
University of Colorado
Alexandra Regenold
Training: Rock climbing, pole dancing and yoga – cross country in high school
Degree: English
Bobby Reedy
Training: Climber with certification to teach kids how to climb trees with ropes and harnesses
Degree: Political Science
Matt Normile
Training: Rock climber, hiker, high school athlete (wrestling and cross country)
Degree: Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mathematics
University of Michigan
Karl Berkemeier
Training: ROTC member/basic combat training, college boxing team, All State high school athlete in cross country and track
Degree: Nursing
Joseph Craig
Training: ROTC member/basic combat training, half-marathon runner with ANW obstacles in his garage
Degree: Aerospace Engineering
Liv Lang
Training: ROTC member/basic combat training; marathon runner
Degree: Nursing
The Ohio State University
C.J. Raterman
Training: Free running and rock climbing, high school football and track
Degree: Criminology, Minoring in Security and Intelligence
Clay Raterman
Training: Crossit and calisthenics, high school football, lacrosse and track
Degree: Finance, Minoring in Entrepreneurship
Brynn Schlemitz
Training: High school and NCAA soccer
Degree: Business Finance
University of Wisconsin
Taylor Amann
Training: Division 1 NCAA pole vaulter and club gymnastics
Degree: Retailing and Consumer Behavior with certificate in Graphic Design
Andrew Philibeck
Training: Rock climbing, 2nd in high school State Wrestling Tournament
Degree: Business Administration/Marking
Zack Kemmerer
Training: Climber and four time Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling Champion in high school
Degree: PhD in Biochemistry with BA in Chemistry and Philosophy and MS in Chemistry
University of Maryland
Marcos Colon-Pappaterra
Training: College cheerleader, Parkour, trains at Ninja Warrior gyms
Degree: Mechanical Engineering
Kevin Merrick
Training: College cheerleader
Degree: Computer Engineering and Mathematics
Delaney Jordan
Training: Acrobat and high school cross country/track and field athlete
Degree: Materials Science and Engineering
University of Oklahoma
Candace Caldwell
Training: Crossfit, member of OU Club Power Lifting team, high school cheerleader, basketball and all district softball player
Degree: Language Arts Education
Reese Tomberlin
Training: Competitive volleyball and beach volleyball, high school golf, baseball, track and football player
Degree: Energy Management
Taylor Neitsch
Training: Crossfit, NCAA division 1 baseball, high school football and All District baseball
Degree: Petroleum Engineering