Board Details

Mission:

To help create the optimal environment and opportunity for all generations of Hodags to succeed on and off the field. To preserve and maintain the rich history of the faceless army. To spread Hodag Love to past, current, and future Hodags and to community members.

Expectations:

Hodag Alumni Board meetings occur virtually on the first Monday of every month at 9PM EST. These positions are all voluntary and unpaid, but they are absolutely essential for engaging the Hodag alumni and improving the current and future generations of Hodags. Reach out to [email protected] if you are interested!​

Meet the Board

Jonathan "Opie" O'Connell - President

Term ends October 1, 2026

​Jonathan "Opie" O'Connell was elected president of the Hodag Alumni Board in October 2025. He played on the Hodags from 1997-2001, serving as captain his final three years. In 2014 he founded the Kevin Crowley Spirit Award, which annually honors a current player who best embodies the courage, effort and spirit of the late Hodag for which the award is named. In 2024 he was elected to the Hodag Hall of Fame. Jonathan is a professional journalist who lives in Washington D.C. with his wife and three children. ​

Jeff Maskalunas - Secretary 

Term ends October 1, 2026

Jeff has been on the Hodag Alumni Board since catalyzing its re-creation and organization in 2017, first as a liaison from the team to the board before eventually becoming president. During his time at UW-Madison, he played for the former Pimpdags (now Fauxdags) his first year followed by the Hodags the next four years until 2019, where he was an officer and then a captain in his last two years. When not spending time with the ultimate team, Jeff completed his BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering at UW-Madison in the Solar Energy Lab. Jeff currently lives in Schenectady, NY where he works as a thermal engineer at GE Vernova Research, coaches ultimate at Niskayuna High School and Iroquois Middle School, and volunteers with his local disc organization Albany Ultimate Disc Association (AUDA).

Bryan Paradise - Hall of Fame Liaison and Alumni Event Coordinator

Term ends July 1, 2025

Bryan Paradise attended the University of Wisconsin from the fall of 1996 through the spring of 2004 graduating with a BS in Chemistry in 2001 and a JD in 2004.   His ultimate career started at UW on the first ever Wisconsin "B-Team" in the fall of 1998 and culminated as a Captain of the team that won the program's first National Championship in 2003.   In addition, to his time with the Hodags, Bryan played for Madison Club from 2001-2004 (Captaining in 2003 and 2004).   In 2007, he founded and captained Paul Bunyan's Revenge, a club team with multiple generations of Hodags represented.    Bryan has also played for various Surly Masters level teams, winning two Masters Nationals Titles (2011, 2013) and a Grand Masters World Title (2022).   Bryan informally joined the Alumni Board for most of 2022-2023 to help formalize the Hodag Hall of Fame induction process and organize the summer alumni weekend in 2023 as part of a 20-year celebration of the 2003 Championship.   His role on the Board as liaison to the Hall of Fame Voting Committee and Alumni Weekend Coordinator has now been formalized.   Bryan currently lives in De Pere, WI and works as an Attorney for Hennessy & Roach, PC.

Kelsen Alexander - Chief Financial Officer

Term ends ​December 1, 2026

Kelsen graduated from UW-Madison in 2013 majoring in Mathematics, Economics, and Philosophy. During his tenure with the Hodags, he is a two-time College Nationals finalist and U23 World Champion with Team USA. He lives in Monona, WI and has been a regular in the Madison community for over a decade. Throughout his ultimate career, he has played with the Madison Radicals, Madison Club, MadMen, and NOISE. He has also coached Heist and enjoys meeting new players through the active goaltimate and MUFA scenes in Madison. Kelsen joined the Hodag Alumni Board in 2024 and brings his experience as a data analyst and data scientist to the CFO position. ​

John Bergen - Chief Strategy Officer

Term ends ​December 1, 2025

Growing up in the Madison Ultimate community, John knew he wanted to be a part of the hodag program. After playing one year on the Pimpdags (now Fauxdags), John made the team in 2007 and won a national title. He later captained the team in 2011 to a regional championship and the national finals. After leaving Wisconsin, John has coached at Missouri, Winona State, and San Jose State. John got his degree in Mechanical Engineering and currently works at Apple in Cupertino California.

Tom Annen - Chief Operating Officer

Term ends ​December 1, 2025

​Tom Annen, a Madison native, attended UW-Madison from 2005-2009, graduating with a BS in economics with math emphasis. During this time at the university, he played for the Wisconsin Hodags for 5 years, winning two college national championships (2007 & 2008). Since then, he has added a club championship with Boston Ironside (2016), a professional ultimate championship with the Madison Radicals (2018), and a master's championship with Minnesota Surly (2018). He has coached the Wisconsin B team, Brown University, Madison Madmen, and the Wisconsin Hodags. After years of training and battling injuries, Tom decided to return to grad school (2015-2018) receiving his doctorate of Physical Therapy from Northeastern University. He currently works as an acute care physical therapist in Marshfield, WI while also playing for Madison's competitive mixed team, NOISE. Tom joined the Hodag Alumni Board in 2023 as the COO looking to build and expand recruitment efforts for the Wisconsin Hodags.

Yiran Li - Chief Marketing Officer​

Term ends July 1, 2027

​Yiran recently graduated from UW-Madison in 2025 with a BS in Electrical Engineering. He started playing ultimate in the fall of 2021 with the Fauxdags. He was the logistical officer for Faux during the 2022-2023 season and made the team in 2023. Yiran is currently a Graduate Student Research Assistant at the University of Michigan, working on wurtzite ferroelectric nitrides characterization and device applications.

Saul Diaz - Alumni Liaison/Current Hodag Captain

Term ends July 1, 2025

Saul is a 4th year student Majoring in Psychology & Legal Studies with a certificate in Criminal Justice, as well as a current Hodag captain. Saul joined the Hodags in the fall of 2021, and has most recently began his second season as a captain. Saul is originally from Madison WI, and enjoys keeping active in the Madison ultimate community. Aside from playing for the Hodags, Saul has played for a number of Madison club teams, most recently NOISE. Saul is also a coach with the MufaBots U20 boys team, Madison's YCC boys team. Saul is currently serving on the Alumni Board as Hodag liaison. 

Previous Board Members

Second Iteration
Dean Bolton ‘03
Jon Gaynor ‘09
Cullen Geppert ‘11
Alex Simmons ‘12
Colin Camp ‘14
Craig Cash ‘16
Ian Hahn ‘18
Thomas Gallagher ‘18
Jacob “JRM” Rubin-Miller ‘21
Matt Grinde ‘22
Nico Ranabhat '24
Pieran Robert '24

First Iteration
Bert Kang '03
Dean Bolton '03
Tom Burkly '06
Jim Foster '09
Jon Gaynor '09
Ben Feldman '11
Chris Scotto DiVetta '11