BattleFrog College Championship was a sports competition television series directed by Ron Luscinski and written by Luscinski, Tom Davis, and Danny Llewelyn.

Hosted by Ron Pitts, sportscaster and former NFL cornerback, and Evan Dollard, from American Ninja Warrior and American Gladiators, BattleFrog College Championship showcases 16 co-ed rival college teams competing for a national championship and academic scholarships on the ultimate sprint track obstacle course built by Navy Seals; this single-elimination competition was a 350-meter, four-person relay with over 20 obstacles testing the competitors' strength, speed, and endurance.BattleFrog College Championship to Air on ESPN Networks, June 5, 2015, Retrieved September 2015, Dan Curran

The competing colleges for season one included: Syracuse, Texas A&M, Penn State, the N.C. State Triathlon Club, Army, Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Miami (FL), Michigan, Ole Miss, USC, Virginia, Wisconsin and Virginia Tech.Ole Miss Finishes Second in BattleFrog College Championship, June 12, 2015, Retrieved September 2015, Callie DanielsUM Students to Compete in National BattleFrog Collegiate Championship, February 4, 2014, Retrieved September 2015, Michael PiacentinoWisconsin Students Compete in BattleFrog College Championship on ESPN2, June 8, 2015, Retrieved September 2015

The three-episode series premiered on June 9, 2015,Direct TV, June 2015, Retrieved September 2015 in the United States on ESPN2. Following its U.S. release, the series aired in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Latin America.

As of August 2016, BattleFrog announced that they were closing their business.

Production Casting for 64 athletes from 16 U.S. colleges began in September 2014. Competitors were selected based on their GPA and athletic performance. Filming commenced in Spring 2015 in Orlando, Florida, at Rock on Adventures Ranch alongside the BattleFrog obstacle race series Central Florida festival. Acclaimed sportscaster Ron Pitts and two-time American Ninja Warrior finalist Evan Dollard hosted the three-day single-elimination competition with sideline reporters, Emily Reppert from Fox Sports Southwest and Shawn Ramirez, two-time crossfit winner.

The series was produced by '51 Dons Film, LLC, and BattleFrog Obstacle Race series, and distributed by ESPN networks.BattleFrog on ESPN: Welcome to the Sport of Obstacle Racing, June 10, 2015, Retrieved September 2015, Margaret Schlachter

Season One Obstacles (2015)

Obstacle # Obstacle Name 1 16' Ladder 2 3' Hump Overs 3 18' Cargo Crawl 4 Rolling Log 5 6' Over/Under/Thru 6 6' Inverted Wall 7 Balance/Carry 8 Angled Wall 9 Dirty Name 10 12' Rope Climb 11 McMurdo Station 12 4 Step Beams 13 Delta Ladder 14 Lily Pads 15 12' Rope Wall 16 Log Crawl 17 Wedge Donovan 18 Monkey Bars 19 Tsunami 20 Normandy Jacks

Season One (2015)

+ Season One Competitors School Male Competitor 1 Male Competitor 2 Female Competitor 1 Female Competitor 2 Team Manager Army Daniel Camacho David Ochs Jr. Kayla Carpenter Nicole Heavirland Tyree Meadows Alabama John White Taylor Wood Shelby Akin Monica Vermillion Travis Taylor Florida Erik Petrick Jacob Tyer Katie Alt Reilly Sullivan Alfie Sharp Illinois David Alberts Seth Lankford Leya Allind Halie Kastl Kentucky Cameron Cristofoli Noah Gawthrop Morgan Collins Madison Smith Jordan Burgess Miami (FL) Steven De Nicola Adam O'Reilly Alison Scudds Leah Vertullo Michigan John Pavletic Eli Zucker Camden Burk Cassandra Gardner Ellen Dixon Ole Miss Joshua Brenc Jack Coffin Kim Duff Emily Lewis N.C. State Zachary Leonard Robert Maughan Julianna Falzon Danielle Smith Charlie Lambrecht Penn State Charles Ackerman Ryan Kalkbrenner Katharine Ferster Haley Schlechter Katherine Sparks USC Corey Norris Brian Zukotynski Marilyn Crowley Leora Mitzner Kayla Howard-Anderson Syracuse Frank Fuentes Jr. Elias Hubbard Danielle Gehman Katherine Roskoff Jordan Peters Texas A&M Calvin Fusilier David Tolstyka Rebecca Hetu Sarah Pledger Virginia Greg Coffin Michael Pender Katya Davydova Mira Korb Wisconsin Sterling Chapin Matthew Koester Kimberly Kirt Cassandra Visintainer Aaron Hobson Virginia Tech Blake Armstrong Shane Wescott Corinna Coffin Anna Taggart Kevin Righi

Season One Championship (2015) The Army team captured the coveted Trident Cup and earned academic scholarships.

+ Season One Championship Seed Team Time 1 Army 02:13.9 2 Ole Miss 02:20.4

Season One Stats (2015) + Round of 16 Seed Team Time 1 Penn State 02:48.6 2 Miami (FL) 02:56.5 3 Ole Miss 02:58.2 4 Virginia 02:59.2 5 Virginia Tech 03:04.4 6 Army 03:06.6 7 Alabama 03:09.3 8 Wisconsin 03:38.2 9 Syracuse 03:42.5 10 Florida 04:11.8 11 N.C. State 05:11.2 12 Kentucky 05:28.1 13 Illinois 05:37.4 14 Texas A&M 05:47.1 15 USC 05:52.7 16 Michigan 10:10.0

+ Quarterfinals Seed Team Time 1 Army 02:25.2 2 Ole Miss 02:30.3 3 Virginia Tech 02:43.8 5 Virginia 02:59.1 7 Alabama 02:59.9 6 Miami (FL) 03:09.6 4 Wisconsin 04:24.8 8 Penn State 07:04.7

+ Semifinals Seed Team Time 1 Army 02:19.0 2 Ole Miss 02:36.5 3 Virginia Tech 02:44.1 5 Virginia 02:45.2

+ Finals # Team Time 1st Army 02:13.9 2nd Ole Miss 02:20.4 3rd Virginia Tech 02:42.4

+ Top 10 Fastest Times # Team Time Race 1 Army 02:13.9 Final 2 Army 02:19.0 Semifinals 3 Ole Miss 02:20.4 Final 4 Army 02:25.2 Quarterfinals 5 Ole Miss 02:30.3 Quarterfinals 6 Ole Miss 02:36.5 Semifinals 7 Army 02:40.6 Qualifying 8 Ole Miss 02:42.0 Qualifying 9 Virginia Tech 02:42.4 Third Place 10 Virginia Tech 02:43.8 Quarterfinals

Reception

BattleFrog College Championship premiered episode one, First Round on ESPN2, Tuesday, June 9, 2015,TV Palace, June 7, 2015, Retrieved September 2015 in primetime to a critically receptive audience.Obstacle Racing Media, June 10, 2015, Retrieved September 2015, Matt B. Davis Episodes two Obstacle Racing Media, June 11, 2015, Retrieved September 2015, Matt B. Davis and three subsequently aired in primetime on June 10 and 11, 2015. Following its premiere, season one aired 9 times nationally in the U.S. on ESPN Networks Obstacle Course Race Championship, June 2015, Retrieved September 2015 and internationally in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Latin America. BattleFrog College Championship season one drew over two million viewers in the first week and garnered a strong fan-base making season two a highly anticipated program for 2016.BattleFrog® Announces U.S. West Coast & Canadian Expansion, August 21, 2015, Retrieved September 2015BattleFrog on TV...Here We Go Again, June 10, 2015, Retrieved September 2015, John Wall

On December 4, 2015, BattleFrog Obstacle Race Series was announced as the new title sponsor of college football's Fiesta Bowl, beginning with the January 2016 game.

References

External links

BattleFrog College Championship Trailer BattleFrog College Championship Season 2 BattleFrog Obstacle Race Series BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl