2022 WNXL season
The 2022 WNXL season was the inaugural competitive season of the Women's National Xball League. The United States championship comprised three tournaments held alongside National Xball League events in Florida and Pennsylvania.[1]
The Heroines won the inaugural season championship with 393 points, ahead of Destiny on 384 and Dallas Vibe on 373. Dallas Vibe won the opening tournament, while The Heroines won the Mid-Atlantic Major and World Cup.[1]
Background
[edit]The WNXL was introduced through an exhibition at the 2021 NXL World Cup, ahead of its first competitive season in 2022. The exhibition featured the specially assembled Fire and Ice teams.[2]
Calendar
[edit]| Round | Dates | Event | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11–13 March 2022 | 2022 WNXL Sunshine State Major | NXL World Cup site, 6000 West Osceola Parkway, Kissimmee, Florida |
| 2 | 17–19 June 2022 | 2022 WNXL Mid-Atlantic Major | 547 Royersford Road, Royersford, Pennsylvania |
| 3 | 10–13 November 2022 | 2022 WNXL World Cup | NXL World Cup site, 6000 West Osceola Parkway, Kissimmee, Florida |
Dates are those listed for the parent NXL tournaments in the official event records.[3][4][5]
Teams
[edit]Six teams competed at all three rounds:[1]
- Cheetahs
- Dallas Vibe
- Destiny
- Femmes Fatale
- Sacramento Diamonds
- The Heroines
The World Cup field expanded to eight teams with the addition of Shieldmaidens from Spain and Suricatos from Colombia.[1][8]
Competition format
[edit]The professional women's division used Xball. The official registration records specified 15-minute matches with a six-point mercy rule at the Sunshine State and Mid-Atlantic Majors. World Cup retained the 15-minute match length but listed a five-point mercy rule.[3][4][5]
The season standings combined points from all three rounds. World Cup awarded twice the winner's points available at either earlier tournament: 200 points for first place, compared with 100.[1]
Event results
[edit]| Event | Winner | Final score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunshine State Major | Dallas Vibe | 5–3 | Destiny |
| Mid-Atlantic Major | The Heroines | 5–2 | Destiny |
| World Cup | The Heroines | 2–1 | Destiny |
Sources: official Sunshine State scores and contemporary NXL reports.[6][7][8]
Sunshine State Major
[edit]Dallas Vibe won the inaugural tournament after completing the preliminary round undefeated. They defeated Femmes Fatale 5–4 in the semi-final and Destiny 5–3 in the final.[6]
Destiny reached the final by defeating The Heroines 5–4 in the other semi-final.[6]
Mid-Atlantic Major
[edit]The Heroines won all six of their matches at Royersford. In the final, Destiny scored first before The Heroines established a 5–1 lead and completed a 5–2 victory.[7]
The result left The Heroines and Dallas Vibe level on 193 season points, with Destiny one point behind on 192.[1][7]
World Cup
[edit]Shieldmaidens and Suricatos joined the six returning teams for the season finale. The Heroines and Destiny reached the final, which also decided the season championship.[8]
The Heroines established a 2–0 lead. Destiny reduced the deficit to 2–1, but The Heroines preserved their advantage to win both the World Cup and the inaugural season title.[8]
Destiny finished runner-up at every tournament.[1][8]
Final season standings
[edit]Numbers in parentheses indicate finishing positions. A dash indicates that the team did not enter that round.[1]
| Position | Team | Sunshine State | Mid-Atlantic | World Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Heroines | 93 (3rd) | 100 (1st) | 200 (1st) | 393 |
| 2 | Destiny | 96 (2nd) | 96 (2nd) | 192 (2nd) | 384 |
| 3 | Dallas Vibe | 100 (1st) | 93 (3rd) | 180 (4th) | 373 |
| 4 | Femmes Fatale | 90 (4th) | 90 (4th) | 186 (3rd) | 366 |
| 5 | Sacramento Diamonds | 86 (5th) | 84 (6th) | 172 (5th) | 342 |
| 6 | Cheetahs | 84 (6th) | 86 (5th) | 164 (7th) | 334 |
| 7 | Shieldmaidens | — | — | 168 (6th) | 168 |
| 8 | Suricatos | — | — | 160 (8th) | 160 |
Source: official WNXL season rankings.[1]
See also
[edit]- Women's National Xball League
- 2021 WNXL exhibition at NXL World Cup
- 2022 NXL season
- 2023 WNXL season
References
[edit]- PBLeagues – National Xball League 2022 season rankings: Female – WNXL X-Ball.
- National Xball League – Fire vs. Ice: The Debut of a Female Professional Paintball League, the WNXL!, Quinn Nadu, 18 November 2021, updated 19 November 2021.
- PBLeagues – Sunshine State Major 2022: dates, venue and formats.
- PBLeagues – Mid-Atlantic Major 2022: dates, Royersford venue and formats.
- PBLeagues – World Cup 2022: dates, venue and formats.
- PBLeagues – NXL Sunshine State Major 2022: professional WNXL match results.
- National Xball League – WNXL Mid-Atlantic Major Recap, Heroines Shine, 25 June 2022.
- National Xball League and Iconic Paintball – The NXL World Cup Event Recap, Dynasty Wins! Season Title Races Decided, Quinn Nadu, 25 November 2022.