Brandeis Quadball Must Vacate Wins at Howard County National Qualifier

US Quadball has determined that Brandeis Quadball was in violation of the USQ Gender Maximum Policy across multiple games at the 2026 USQ Howard County National Qualifier.

As a result, Brandeis will vacate multiple wins at the qualifier and must return the runner-up trophy and all second-place medals awarded at the event. The team’s US Quadball Cup Collegiate Division 1 bid will also be revoked.

In accordance with the USQ Gameplay Appeal Policy, Brandeis’s qualifier games against CWRUcio Quadball, Harvard Horntails, the University of Vermont Quadball, and Rutgers University Quadball will be struck from the official event standings. Brandeis’s final loss against Virginia Quadball Club will remain in the standings and is unchanged given removal of the match would negatively affect Virginia. No games will be recorded as forfeits in relation to this incident.

The qualifying bid originally awarded to Brandeis from the Howard County National Qualifier will be allocated through the USQ at-large bid process. Brandeis is still eligible to receive an at-large bid to participate in Collegiate Division 1 at USQ Cup.

USQ Gameplay will update the official standings and bid allocation records to reflect these changes. Aforementioned teams who had games against Brandeis struck from USQ standings will retain these games in counting towards their at-large requirements.

At the request of the Brandeis coaches, Fiona Wisehart, Alex Wicken, Swathi Mannem, and Eli Fighter, we have included a statement from the team:

On behalf of Brandeis Quadball, our coaching staff would like to apologize to the teams we played at Howard County qualifiers, the USQ staff and volunteers that made the tournament possible, our athletes who have poured their heart and soul into this team, and the USQ community at large. During flag runner on pitch, we misunderstood the gender-rule requirements for a legal set of players, and were not in compliance with 4-max during our games. Due to this our D1 bid is being rightfully rescinded. USQ has made an official announcement, but we wanted to personally apologize to the community. 

Thank you to USQ for bringing this to our attention. It is extremely important that all players are given the opportunity to play equitably and to feel valued in their gender identity. Brandeis is a team that cares deeply for our female and nonbinary athletes and strives to empower them on and off the field. We thought we were in accordance with the rules and we were incorrect and are heartbroken to disappoint our athletes and the community at large. 

Thank you to our opponents Case Western, Rutgers, UVM, Harvard, and UVA with whom we played fantastic games in pool and bracket play and we are grateful that we had the opportunity to compete with them.Thank you to the selfless volunteers that ran an incredible tournament. We sincerely value your time, effort, and expertise in running such a high level and enjoyable tournament. 

We always strive to conduct ourselves with respect and honesty. This was a genuine mistake and is not representative of the type of team we strive to be. To our athletes, thank you for continuing to uplift each other and for putting your trust in us. To the community, please know that this was not done with malice or intent. Please be upset with the coaches and not our athletes. 

Thank you and we will certainly not make the same mistake moving forward.