Thursday, April 26, 2012

SMU hosts Ultimate Frisbee tournament


By Brandon Matis
Guest Writer

Ten collegiate Ultimate Frisbee teams from across the MIAC and parts of Canada and South Dakota gathered at Saint Mary’s University to compete with hopes of going to regionals and nationals in Appleton, Wis.

With three teams ranked in the top ten in nationals (St. John’s, St. Olaf and Carleton-GOP) and only four spots available for regionals, the pressure and nerves were high.  The games were played on April 14 and 15, with pool play on Saturday and bracket play on Sunday.

Due to the powerhouse teams in the top three seeds, the other seven teams fought hard and long to get the all-important fourth spot to advance to regionals.  This made for incredible competition.  All but one of SMU’s own MUTs’ games were within five points, which was a testament to how long and competitive the weekend was.

As expected, number three ranked St. John’s won the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record.  St. Olaf and Carleton-GOP took second and third respectively, each with one loss to each other.  Augustana finished in fourth, allowing them to join the top three finalists at regionals during the weekend of April 28 and 29.

The MUTs finished in a slightly disappointing seventh, but overall played very well. This was yet another reminder of how close their games were throughout the whole year.

The MUTs will lose five players this year: Captain Nick Bravos, Mitchell May, Mike “Sunshine” Ostman, Jeff “JT” Thomas and Tim Sheedy.  However, they look to continue to rebuild into next year and make the regional and national tournament.

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