"[Regionals was] our big tournament that we've been building up to for nine months," men's co-captain Alex Kell '10 said. "In terms of outcomes at the tournament, it didn't go as we were hoping."
The men's team finished the tournament tied for seventh with Bentley College. Other Ivy League teams fared better, with Harvard University finishing in first place and Brown University coming in fifth place.
"On the men's side, we came off a poor result last year, so the expectations were really high," men's co-captain Robin Meyers '10 said.
The Dartmouth men opened the tournament with a 15-8 win over Massachusetts Institute of Technology, before being dealt with a tough loss at the hands of the University of Massachusetts falling 15-14. After fighting back from a 10-4 deficit, the Big Green made a comeback to tie the game at 14-14, but lost the final point.
"We played really well," Kell said. "UMass that was one of the best games I've ever been a part of."
The men's captains both said that one of the team's major obstacles was a lack of games in the Fall to help prepare the team for its Spring season.
"I was very happy with our Spring because our Fall and Winter, we had a lot of things get cancelled," co-captain Graham Baecher '10 said.
Despite the lack of playing time earlier in the year, the team was satisfied with the progress it was able to achieve this season, Meyers added.
"We made huge progress from last season," he said. "The end result was a little disappointing, but the program is back to being one of the top in New England."
The women's Ultimate team experienced more setbacks than the men's side over the course of their Spring play.
"This season was about setting up for next season," captain Katie Porter '10 said.
The women's squad graduated nine seniors last year, all of whom had been members of the A-team.
This year's team also experienced several sidelining injuries that proved difficult to overcome.
"As a season, it was a bit disappointing," Porter said. "We had a really good weekend, I don't think we were necessarily expecting a bid [to nationals]."
The women finished the New England College Women's Regional tournament tied for fifth place with Northeastern University. Middlebury College won the tournament, followed by Harvard, who took second.
Regardless of the outcome of the regional tournament, the senior captains said they are satisfied with their frisbee careers.
"You ultimately remember playing a sport you really enjoy with people you really care about," Kell said.
Baecher agreed, adding that a highlight of playing on Dartmouth's Ultimate Frisbee squad was getting to know all of his teammates.
"[With] all the dedication that people put in, working hard with your teammates all year, you really become close with your team," he said.
A particularly fond memory for all of the seniors was playing the best of the best at Nationals in Boulder, Colo., in 2008, Meyers said.
During the offseason, the men's and women's A-teams often train together doing track workouts and lifting weights with the ultimate goal always being making it to nationals, Meyers said. Over sophomore Summer, the teams also continue to hone their skills by playing in co-ed and club co-ed matches.
"The sophomore class goes out and plays a couple of times a week," Meyers said. "It's very low key."
The captains encourage anyone interested in the sport to try out in the Fall for the A or B teams.
"We probably had 60 kids try out for 22 slots," Kell said. "None of the three men's captains had ever played Ultimate competitively before college."
The 2010 Ultimate Players Association College Ultimate Championships will be held in Madison, Wis., May 28-31.
