Did You Know?
Did You Know? Iowa’s Gleason’s Army…
Mar 16th
In most ways, the University of Iowa’s IHUC (Iowa Hawkeye Ultimate Club) jerseys are incredibly standard: the team’s chosen color, they have a logo on the front and a unique number on the back to identify the individual player who is wearing it.
But if you see IHUC on the fields this weekend at Easterns, you will notice something about their jerseys that make them different from most: on every IHUC player’s sleeve, encircled in black or gold, is the number 16. Ask any member of Iowa’s roster, and he will tell you that the digits are a symbol of his place in Gleason’s Army, a term used by the team to remember a fallen leader and teammate.
2008 Iowa captain Brian Gleason
Did you know? Ohio’s Road to Easterns…
Mar 15th
In 2009, Ohio University travelled to the College Championships in nearby Columbus, Ohio. Current captain Andy Ball and his teammates were in search of the best competition in the land, knowing that being around such a high level of play would push their team to improve.
The only problem was that Ohio was watching and not playing. At Sectionals just a month before, Ohio had lost three consecutive games to go to Regionals. A particularly painful loss because the team had been the longest-running Regional qualifier out of the East Plains Section, many Ohio upperclassmen checked out.
Ohio captain Nick Wetzel goes up in a crowd at 2010 Great Lakes Regionals.
Did You Know? Virginia’s Matt King…
Mar 14th
You know that kid that comes into your program without much to offer aside from being friendly and running pretty hard? No throws, not much field sense, unsure of what ultimate even is?
In the fall of 2006, that was the University of Virginia Night Train’s Matt King.
Now, you know the guy that generates his team’s offense with his throws, leads it with his work ethic, and is generally considered one of the top players in his region? The kind that UNC-Wilmington coach and all-time great Tully Beatty describes as “an old school type of player that I’d have enjoyed playing with?”
Same guy.
Matt with his lefty flick against Stanford at Nationals in 2009.
Did You Know? Pittsburgh at Easterns…
Mar 14th
In 2004, Pittsburgh En Sabah Nur finished fifth at West Plains Sectionals, failing to qualify for Regionals. At that point, Pitt had only one Regionals appearance to its name, a 2003 showing where it failed to win a game.
Fast forward to 2010, and Pittsburgh finishes in the National Semifinals. The time in between has been filled with steady improvement that includes six straight Nationals appearances with increasingly higher placements nearly every year.
But beyond its Nationals qualifications, Pitt’s rise has been marked with signature wins and tournament victories at pre-Series events, none bigger than 2006′s 17-14 victory over perennial Nationals qualifier Harvard in the finals of College Easterns.
Pittsburgh: College Easterns champions in 2006
Did You Know? Florida’s Grad Students…
Mar 14th
For most players, college ultimate means playing as an undergraduate. Many of us that played in college associate learning a vert stack with living in dorms, glimpses of greek life, and the inevitable senior year job search.
But for many members of the University of Florida’s Gators, academic life is a bit more focused.
“Something a lot of people don’t know about us is that we’re very grad student heavy,” says captain Alton Gaines. “A lot of our guys really have to juggle a heavy school load with the demands of our practices.
Cole Sullivan (right center) throws to Nathan Sage
