North Carolina lifted a Tar Heel family to victory in the 14th annual Living Room Times men's NCAA pool Monday night.
Jason Strutz, who lives in the Chapel Hill area with his North Carolina grad student wife, clinched the pool when UNC crushed Michigan State, 89-72, in the national championship game.
Strutz, an illustrator and the designer of this year's pool logo, lives in Carrboro, North Carolina with his wife Kelly Strutz (née LaPlante), who is a Ph.D. student in Maternal & Child Health at UNC.
As the pool champion, Jason Strutz will receive a t-shirt (or similar CafePress prize) displaying the pool logo that he designed.
Meanwhile, MSU grad student Mike Wiser just can't seem to get across the finish line. For the second time, he came into the title game with a chance to win a Living Room Times pool -- and for the second time, a Big Ten team couldn't pull out the victory that he needed to secure the pool championship. (Wiser nearly won the 2001 women's pool, but finished second because Purdue blew a big early lead and lost to Notre Dame.)
With the Spartans' loss, Wiser dropped all the way to tenth place in the final standings. Finishing above him: Strutz, with 367 out of a possible 477 points, the third-highest winning total in Times men's pool history; Lauren Barkmeier, with 364 points; Jennifer Elam, with 357; Nick Genco, with 354; Matt Scarborough, with 352; Arash Markazi, with 351; Joe Hiegel, with 346; Derek McDonald, with 343; Kevin Curran, with 342; and, tied with Wiser at 341 points, Kevin Curran. The pool is scored on a 5-7-10-15-20-25 basis.
An amusing aside: Jason Strutz, the champion of the men's pool, will finish dead last in the women's pool. I believe that's the first time a winner of one LRT pool has finished last in the other.
Complete standings are here and after the jump.
1 Jason Strutz 367
2 Lauren Barkmeier 364
3 Jennifer Elam 357
4 Nick Genco 354
5 Matt Scarborough 352
6 Arash Markazi 351
7 Joe Hiegel 346
8 Derek McDonald 343
9 Kevin Curran 342
10 Mike Wiser 339
10 Mark Gardner 339
12 Esteban Coca 337
13 Dean Thor 335
14 Amir Sadaghiani 334
15 Peter Timbrell 333
15 Carol LaPlante 333
15 Kevin Hauschulz 333
18 Neil Waechter 332
19 Patrick Cullen 331
19 Ben Eng 331
21 Stacey Dubois 329
21 Jessica Osborne 329
23 Patrick Roach 328
23 Marlene Saviola 328
23 Ian Marenna 328
23 Don LaPlante 328
23 Tim Stevens 328
23 Joshua Krause 328
23 Sören Hammerschmidt 328
30 Geoff Brookes 324
31 Carolyn Blessing 323
32 Jeff Cultrera 321
32 Pat Caplin 321
34 Logan Pugh 320
34 Jon Caplin 320
34 Kate Moran 320
37 Paul Lucht 317
38 Jason Rogers 316
38 Travis Murtha 316
40 Marty West 315
41 Dave Whelan 314
41 Sean Sullivan 314
43 Karen Torgersen 311
43 Lisa Velte 311
45 Joe Resper 309
46 Michael Walsh 308
47 Shaun Sullivan 307
48 Weston Cross 306
48 Dave Roberts 306
50 Sandy Pilz 305
51 Dan Port 304
52 Alex Talcott 303
53 Greg Kagan 302
53 Ken Stern 302
53 Brian Kiolbasa 302
56 Diane Krause 301
57 Dan Dinunzio 300
58 Marcus Hill 299
58 Danielle Forko 299
60 Jay Johnson 298
60 Lauren (Moy) Kim 298
62 Chris Bossman 297
62 Pat McGriff 297
62 Michael Holtsberg 297
62 Sarah Wake 297
66 Brian Newbold 296
67 Joel Thrift 295
67 Charles Franz 295
69 Justin Vale 294
69 Melanie Peralta 294
69 Andrew Hunter 294
72 Becky Loy 293
73 Charles Fenwick 292
73 Larry Caplin 292
75 Kelly Strutz 291
75 Rick Port 291
75 Colleen Duggan 291
75 Monique Wiard 291
75 Scott Schmidt 291
75 Jeff Morrison 291
81 Christian Harris 290
81 Tom Haire 290
83 Chris Aemisegger 289
83 Jason Cowans 289
85 Benjamin Rumery 287
85 Kristy LaPlante 287
85 Kevin Pilz 287
88 Tom Greca 286
89 Michael Russo 285
90 Gary Kirby 284
90 Jeremy Gist 284
90 Jamie Schultz 284
90 Kyle Cologne 284
94 Steve Vivier 283
95 Brian Nicholson 282
95 Amy Booth 282
95 Cam McLachlan 282
95 James Devine 282
99 Greg Shtraks 281
99 Leanna Loomer 281
99 Michelle Vivier 281
99 Stephanie Slater 281
103 Helen Seliverstov 280
104 Christopher Knowlen 279
104 Nate Evangelista 279
106 Bonnie Stone 278
106 Russell Caplin 278
106 Doug Mataconis 278
109 Andrew Leyden 276
109 Mark Saviola 276
109 Nick Surmacz 276
109 Robert Dokes 276
113 Ryan Dalidowitz 275
113 Rick Boeckler 275
115 Abby Smagula 274
115 Jonathan Schuman 274
117 Jeff Sklar 273
118 Bridget Saviola 272
118 Randy Styles 272
118 Tyler Condon 272
121 Michael Watkins 271
122 Liz Janelle 270
123 Mark Jordon 269
123 David Kreutz 269
123 Conor Sullivan 269
126 Josh Rubin 268
127 Rick Garnett 267
127 Michael Tran 267
129 Trisha Neudorff 266
129 Neil Rampal 266
129 Michael Rosenkrantz 266
129 David Downes 266
129 Gerry deSimas 266
134 Brian Putorak 264
134 Peter Kiley 264
134 Tyson Rothermich 264
134 Crystal Dalangin 264
134 Joslee Torres & Suhey Nevarez 264
139 Mike Heffner 262
139 Laurel Van Buskirk 262
141 Matt Thomsen 260
141 Kyle Okita 260
143 Cath Doo 259
143 Rachel Wetherill 259
143 Brian Neudorff 259
146 Allyson Teel 257
146 Matt Kagan 257
148 Ken Wagner 256
148 Ian Auzenne 256
150 Bob Lutts 255
150 Jeff Vaca 255
150 Matt Wiser 255
153 Joey Perucki 254
153 Jessica Fortuna 254
153 Kristy McCray 254
153 Barbara Cross 254
153 Chris Bravo 254
158 Kim Daly 253
159 Travis Auty 251
159 Steve & Nancy Hartranft 251
159 Roger Snyder 251
162 Scott Robertson 249
163 Janice Colvin 248
163 Joe Loy 248
165 Colleen Gagne 247
165 Chris Evans 247
167 Bill Huffman 245
167 Alicia Saviola 245
169 Todd Stigliano 244
169 Scott Loomer 244
171 Mike Dagen 243
172 Jeremy Kwock 242
172 Maria T 242
174 Jason Knights 239
175 Vinny Jankowski 234
176 Jason Gilman 233
176 Lauren Taylor 233
178 Mike Quinn 232
179 Jeff Freeze 231
180 Vlada Shelkova 226
181 Eddie Regan 225
181 Michael Escoto 225
183 Brian Schmidt 223
184 Daniel Pilz 218
185 Toni Namnath 217
186 Andrew Long 215
187 Brendan Loy 213
188 Ginny Zak 212
189 Jessica Cowans 211
190 Steve Shim 210
191 Yvette Webster 209
191 Christopher Barb 209
193 Julia Honeyman 199
194 Brandon Minich 193
195 Greg Plank 189
196 Sasha Zak Loy 174
197 Butter Zak Loy 170
198 Toby Zak Loy 162
199 Todd Newton 115