2021 NCAA Fall Championships
A look back at top images from the 2021 NCAA fall championship season taken by Director of NCAA Photos Jamie Schwaberow, and staff photographers Justin Tafoya and C. Morgan Engel.
Jamie Schwaberow / Director of NCAA Photos
6’9’’ freshman Anna Smrek of the Wisconsin Badgers elevates high above the net for one of her 14 kills against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship. I’ve photographed 11 of these championships in my career and this was easily the most dramatic, competitive and enjoyable. It’s gotta be in my top 10 events I’ve ever covered. These teams gave their all. The championship went to 5 sets and ultimately one of them had to win, but along with the rest of the record breaking crowd, I could have just kept watching this action even longer.
C. Morgan Engel / NCAA Photos Staff Photographer
Toward the end of every field sport championship game or big upset, I start tracking the winning head coach in anticipation of the Powerade bath. So when I saw a player reach for his coach’s headset, I knew to lock on and keep shooting. So with some awareness and a little bit of dumb luck, I was able to capture the whole sequence…
1. Head coach Tony Annese of the Ferris State Bulldogs headset being removed.
2. Powerade right to the face, as seen here.
3. Annese’s reaction with his players.
Justin Tafoya / NCAA Photos Staff Photographer
Water polo photographs are some of my favorite to make, even though the elements that make them interesting have nothing to do with anything I do with my camera. Well, maybe the shutter speed I choose! I love the shapes and patterns water takes on as players come out of the water to shoot or pass. Water polo is a challenge to shoot because with all the points of focus the camera locks on to but the challenge is part of my attraction to the sport!
Jamie Schwaberow / Director of NCAA Photos
Clemson was too intense and just flat out brought it all day with their aggressive style of play during the 2021 NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship. Clemson defeated Washington 2-0 for their first national championship since 1987.
C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos
For team intros at the FCS Football championship, each team’s head coach leads their players down a long tunnel toward the field. Which creates the opportunity for an excellent shot, full of game ready faces when captured straight on. But when it’s time to take the field some dense, theatrical “smoke” is released. And like, a lot of smoke. Enough to not see where those football players you were just photographing are before getting pancaked bu one because you are right in their path. With that in mind, and not wanting to enter concussion protocols, I choose in the moment to move behind the scene. I placed my Canon R5 close to the ground to make these Montana State players seem like giants in the clouds.
Justin Tafoya / NCAA Photos Staff Photographer
The Division II and Division III football championships rarely make headlines for their star players or storylines, but they are two championships I really enjoy covering. This particular game was full of big plays and scores. This photo represents the struggle North Central had in stopping the Mary Hardin-Baylors offense. Being in the right position to capture scores is something that all photographers struggle with, but knowing who is most likely to get the ball in certain situations helps me position myself around the field.
Jamie Schwaberow / Director of NCAA Photos
Jaelin Howell #6 of the Florida State Seminoles celebrates after defeating the BYU Cougars 4-3 in penalty kicks. The BYU crowd probably outnumbered the Florida State crowd 10-1 and Howell took the brunt of their jeering after some physical play. She had the last laugh though, as Florida State won their third national title.
Justin Tafoya / NCAA Photos Staff Photographer
At the end of a football championship there’s always a race to get the coaches handshake or to find the star player. Luckily we had another staff photographer who focused on that shot, which allowed me to focus more on the celebrating players. The part of the job I love the most is capturing student-athletes' excitement after winning a national championship. The pure joy, or “jub” as photographers call it, makes for some of my favorite photos to capture. It doesn't always happen, but in these moments sometimes athletes realize you’re photographing them and they give you a little extra excitement to photograph.
C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos
Water Polo can be difficult to photograph. It is a sport that moves at a quick pace, splashes can obstruct faces while messing with autofocus points and good angles are difficult to find. So, mounting a camera on the tallest diving platform at the Spieker Aquatics Center at UCLA was an obvious solution. This angle captures the offensive formations well and I was lucky to have some beautiful southern California light illuminate the point position.