Kathy Alven wins 2024 Scuttleball

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
Deservedly earning all the personal bragging rights and recognition we can offer, Kathy Alven is the clear winner of the 35th edition of Scuttleball, the annual college hoops pool for the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.

Her bracket had UConn and Purdue in the Finals, and just like in real life, she had the Huskies winning. Speaking for the 76 of us she humbled, we are in awe. If you send us the smuggest photo of you possible, we will show the world the best baller of all.

While we all now live in Kathy’s shadow, special recognition goes to Will Meyer in second place who nipped out 2023 champ, Buttons Padin, by one point. Nice try, boys!

Also by one point, Marly Isler snatched the DFL award from Jeff Gentzen. Marly was riding San Diego State to the finish line, giving love to her hometown school that miraculously made it to the 2023 Finals. Losing to UConn by 17 in 2023, their hopes of redemption ended again at the hands of UConn, this time by 25 points in the Sweet 16. So much for that Yale diploma.

UConn’s dominance in the tournament was mirrored in the Scuttleball results as the top 11 all had the Huskies. And while not an official award (okay, there are no official awards), we do recognize Whitney Gladstone as the top finisher in 12th who didn’t pick UConn. He had Purdue, and we’ll never know (because the math is hard) if a win by the Boilermakers could have changed his life.

It is notable that five of the top 11 Scuttleballers were women, with Kathy joined by Lauren Hepkin, Vicki Palmer, Morgan Everson, and Kate Hopkins. These ballers showed the same kind of talent that had turned heads toward the women’s championship.

The women’s final between Iowa and South Carolina drew nearly 19 million average viewers, eclipsing the men’s final by more than 4 million viewers, while also becoming the most-viewed basketball game of the past five years, outpacing any NBA contest during that period.

My 47th place finish was disappointing but reflective of how little I follow college hoops beyond my Gonzaga Bulldogs. The good news is that in the Way-Too-Early Top 25 for next season, the Zags are ranked second behind Duke. Always nice when both heart and head can fill out the bracket. See ya then!

Scuttleball results on the CBS Sports site.

From the first round on March 21 to the championship game on April 8, the 2024 Tournament delivered a healthy distraction as the winter and spring seasons provide their annual tug-of-war. The winner of the 35th edition of Scuttleball holds personal bragging rights and recognition in Scuttlebutt Sailing News, while the DFL finisher earned public humiliation and a free lifetime subscription to Scuttlebutt. You’re welcome!