Minneapolis Monarchs Season Preview: Caterpillars or Butterflies?
Author: Nathan Podolsky
Last Season
In their first MLQ season in 2019, the Minneapolis Monarchs finished 7-5, placing second in the North Division. It was a quick climb from there, finishing 8-1 in 2021 to claim their first division crown, followed by an undefeated 9-0 season in 2022 to defend that title.
However, in the past two seasons, the franchise has taken a step backwards.
Their 5-3 record in 2023 dropped them to third place during the regular season, forcing them into the play-in bracket. Despite this, they had an impressive run, defeating the Charlotte Aviators, Kansas City Stampede and Boston Forge before falling to the New York Titans in the quarterfinals.
In 2024, Minneapolis finished at 6-6 during the regular season for another third place North Division finish, losing to the Detroit Innovators for the first time since 2019. They failed to advance to the quarterfinals at MLQ Championships, losing twice to the Kansas City Stampede.
So here we are in 2025. The Minneapolis roster has received a refresh—how can these new athletes improve upon their past results?
Returners
Matt Bessard (Twin Cities)
Terry Carlson (Twin Cities)
Brady Charles (Chicago United)
Mike Devine (Twin Cities)
Joe Goulet (Twin Cities)
Zeke Majeske (Brew Cities)
Meredith McDowell (Minnesota Quadball)
Max Meier (Twin Cities)
Cody Narveson (Twin Cities)
Nicole Nelson (Twin Cities)
Alexander-Paul “OB” Ogbeide (Twin Cities)
Nathan Podolsky (Twin Cities)
Ben Schleuter (Twin Cities)
Sam Schwartz (Twin Cities)
Peyton Schwiebert (Emerson Quadball)
Maya Shrestha (Brew Cities)
Addie Sobczak (Twin Cities)
Seth Swenson (Twin Cities)
Phoebe Thomas (Macalester Quadball)
Cecelia Voth
Ben Zimet (Twin Cities)
Rookies
Talitha Anderson (Minnesota Quadball)
Jake Bradach (Minnesota Quadball)
Matilda Chowen (Minnesota Quadball)
Aidan Curley (Minnesota Quadball)
Denay Hering (Twin Cities)
Craig Tarnowski (Minnesota Quadball)
Transfers
Bitzy Archibold (Twin Cities)
Ryan Mehio (Twin Cities)
Ryan Cleary (Creighton Quadball)
Player Breakdown
Club: 20
Twin Cities: 17
Brew Cities: 2
Chicago United: 1
College: 10
Minnesota: 6
Macalester: 1
Creighton: 1
Emerson: 1
Unaffiliated: 1
Losses
Bryn Gustafson
Nadja Melby
Anna Nelson
Emma Persons
Jackson Sellner
Emily Storm
Rory Uskavitch
Roster Notes
Cody Narveson returns as Head Coach of the Monarchs for his sixth season at the helm, supported by myself, Nathan Podolsky, as an assistant coach for the second year and Addie Sobczak in her first year.
21 players return to the Monarchs for another season. Twin Cities (TCQC) is a rare club team that funnels almost entirely into a single MLQ program, and this year they continue to build the roster foundation. Notable Frost players include Max Meier and Sam Schwartz in the quadball game, with Ben Schleuter and Nicole Nelson at beater. Beyond TCQC, two excellent college beaters return for another year: Meredith McDowell of Minnesota Quadball (MNQ) and Peyton Schwiebert from Emerson, fresh off of successful D2 runs in Richmond. At chaser, Brady Charles and Cecelia Voth – who scored four goals apiece in their 2024 Super Series debuts – return to the roster.
Six rookies will spread their wings this year, including beaters Talitha Anderson and Aidan Curley of MNQ, who have received the call-up from practice squad after being a part of the 2024 Next Gen showcase. Jake Bradach, Matilda Chowen, and Craig Tarnowski also join from MNQ, while Denay Hering will make their summer debut after a rookie season with TCQC.
Additionally, three players from Kansas City — the team responsible for Minneapolis’ elimination from MLQ Championships in 2024 — join the North Division. This group is highlighted by Bitzy “Buckets” Archibold; the inexplicable and inexcusable omission from MLQs Top 24 of 24 poured in 24 goals last summer, including 17 during the season’s final weekend (third among all scorers). Ryan Mehio and Ryan Cleary will also don the paisley, adding a dynamic USNT keeper and a championship pedigree at beater, respectively.
Only seven players make their departure from the Monarchs this season, but the short list includes several notable losses. Emma Persons takes their coaching and chasing skills to the Boston Forge, while Nadja Melby’s move to the Chicago Prowl costs the Monarchs valuable FROP beating experience. Also departing is Bryn Gustafson, who was almost always the best quadball player on the field during MNQ games this past USQ season.
Minneapolis’s Schedule
In 2024, the Monarch flight plan did them no favors. Over the course of only 26 days, their schedule demanded 5,400 miles of round trip travel; Detroit in late July, Toronto two weeks later, and Baltimore another two weeks thereafter. This had a clear impact on their ability to field a full roster: the team did not bring 21 players to any of the aforementioned games.
The universe tends to balance itself out, though. Their 2025 regular season docket provides a favorable road schedule, with the Monarchs playing twice in Minnesota for the first time in franchise history and traveling no further than Chicago.
To kick things off, they host Detroit in Rochester (home of the Mayo Clinic, not the defunct Whiteout) on June 14. This early season test will be a critical benchmark for the team. How this year’s series compares to last year’s disappointing sweep at the hands of the Innovators may very well set the tone for the rest of the season. On top of that, it will likely determine which of the two teams the North sends straight to the quarterfinals in August.
Over the July 4th holiday weekend, they host the Cleveland Riff for the first time. And while every game is important, this series is arguably as close to a “must-win” as possible for Minneapolis. Defending their home turf against a reloaded Riff and entering the Super Series with wins under their belt will be crucial, and should also provide valuable experience up and down the roster.
From August 2nd to 3rd, Minneapolis will participate in this year’s North Super Series with Chicago and Toronto. In three regular season games decided by a flag catch difference last year, the Monarchs narrowly swept the Raiders but comfortably cruised during a MLQ Championship play-in rematch. Meanwhile, the matchup with Chicago is surely circled on every Monarch fan’s calendar. For two years in a row, Chicago has run Minneapolis off the field, catching five of six flags and outscoring the Monarchs by an average of 7.8 quadball goals. This stands in stark contrast to Minneapolis’ 6-0 record against the Indianapolis Intensity in 2021 and 2022. By August, it will have been 1,113 days since the Minnesota franchise beat their Midwest counterparts. Any path to a third division title will almost certainly demand at least five wins in six games during the Super Series.
Top Questions:
How will Minneapolis score in the half-court during seeker floor?
In 2024, the Monarchs opened the season against Chicago with a sluggish performance on offense. In three games, they only managed a combined 11 goals across 60 minutes of seeker floor. Similarly, in their three losses to Detroit, they scored only 15 goals across 60 minutes.
Take a look at Minneapolis’s scoring rate when they played an offensive set with two dodgeballs last year, compared to the three teams they lost to:
Chicago - 68%
Detroit - 57%
Kansas City - 54%
Minneapolis - 51%
Their stats where the defense had zero or two dodgeballs showed similar gaps.
On top of this, Minneapolis will lose one of the league’s top offensive facilitators with Persons moving to the East Division. So, what are they going to do to score more efficiently this year?
First, the additions of Mehio and Archibold will add a new dimension to the Minneapolis offense. During the regular season, Minneapolis only had 47 total assists. Mehio accounted for more than 25% of that total in his regular season with the Stampede, adding 13 more in Howard County. Many of those passed fed Archibold at the hoops. In order for Minneapolis to see success, they’ll need to find a way to transfer those skills across the lineup. Whether that means pairing Mehio with alternative wing chasers like Hering or Sobczak, or using Archibold as a complement to veteran Monarch ball carriers like Meier or Goulet, their offense needs to prioritize crisp ball movement and surefire dish-and-dunk goals rather than the isolation shots which seemed to end so many of their possessions last year.
Second, Minneapolis will need to lean on the abilities of their younger college and club players. Brady Charles played a season with Chicago United, where he contributed heavily to their Open Division runner-up finish. Chasers Maya Shrestha and Phoebe Thomas not only shined at chaser for their USQ teams playing behind the hoops, but both caught flag runners during the season as well. In a walking advertisement for A-B team partnerships, Ben Zimet also starred in a new role as a ball carrier for Brew Cities (BCQC) at West Regionals, adding a new dimension to their game to bring to the summer pitch. Relieving some of the burden from MLQ veterans like Terry Carlson, OB, and Sam Schwartz should unlock a new look for the Monarch offense.
Finally, as counterintuitive as it may sound, their struggles last year could portend success in 2025. The Monarchs played 16 games last year, compared to schedules of 10-12 games over the previous four seasons. Access to a new set of data which demonstrates exactly what works for the Monarchs should enable the coaching staff to more aggressively pursue the strategies that help them thrive. In a sport where possessions are extremely limited, choices that add even three to five percentage points to their two-dodgeball-on-offense scoring rate will make the difference between wins and losses for the Monarchs.
Who will play the beater drives for Minneapolis?
The Monarch beating corps of the previous four seasons may have been known for talent, but never earned accolades for its depth. Since the 2021 season, the team has rarely rostered more than the bare minimum number of beaters to sustain a team:
2021 - 6 beaters
2022 - 7 beaters
2023 - 6 beaters
2024 - 8 beaters
This season, the double-digit threshold has finally been eclipsed: there are 12 players whose listed position(s) include “beater”, including four rookies and one transfer.
Historically, Minneapolis plays two to three beater pairs per game. During the 2024 season, they never played more than six beaters in any one game, leaning most heavily on their head coach. Expanding the depth chart has two clear advantages:
Rest for veteran legs: The cycle of never-ending quadball seasons takes its toll, and four of the seven returning beaters played over 100 drives for the team during the 2024 regular season alone. All seven played during the USQ season, too. Adding five more beaters to the potential rotation (who, by years of quadball involvement, are younger than all seven returners) should help to keep the beating game explosive for the Monarchs at all times, without falling into the trap of wearing their stars down.
Diversity of style: Six of the seven returnees have played for the Monarchs since at least 2022. Their play-styles are well known specifically to their divisional rivals, as well as to the wider league. While that’s not inherently a negative, it limits the new strategies that the coaching staff can attempt. Rostering six total college beaters from three programs in two regions ought to provide new avenues of attack for the Monarchs. For example, Cleary already tops the chart of Minneapolis beaters when it comes to playing with aggression. Bradach is probably already the fastest beater the Monarchs can put on pitch.
What will Minneapolis do to reap those rewards? All it takes are two steps, starting with rostering their new beaters. They should prioritize including some of their rookies and transfers at every series. The next step is playing those beaters during games. Returning talents like Schleuter, Nelson, and McDowell can anchor a beater pair when partnered with a less experienced teammate. Whether or not Minneapolis can find the mix of beater pairs who have chemistry and then actually commit to those new partners seeing the turf may have the largest impact on their teamwide achievements.
Predictions
It’s difficult to call a .500 regular season a success, and I don’t believe anyone in Minneapolis was satisfied with bowing out before the quarterfinals of Championships last summer. In my opinion, their biggest shortcoming in 2024 was their inability to field a consistent and full roster, often leading to what looked like a sense of uncertainty on the field, no matter what combination of chasers and beaters were thrown at the problem. With the one item out of their control suddenly working to their benefit this season, I believe spectators will see a much more cohesive team take the field.
A competitive opener against a strong Detroit team ought to provide exactly what the Monarchs need to hit the ground running for the season. A loss to the Cleveland Riff or Toronto Raiders seems unlikely. If this team can fit all the pieces of the puzzle together, they’re primed to metamorphosize into their strongest form during the late summer, rising to the occasion against Chicago.
Without making any specific record predictions, my hot take is that the team will not be swept again this year, winning games against both Detroit and Chicago. Come August, be sure to look out for a Monarch migration to Buffalo.
