The Dartmouth men's Frisbee team, which goes by the name Pain Train, defeated some of the top teams in the nation to win the 25th annual Presidents' Day Classic hosted by the University of California, San Diego last weekend.
Several of the top teams from across the nation attended the tournament, including the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Washington and the University of Colorado-Boulder.
"Winning the tournament was huge," Ian Adelstein, a PhD student at the College, said. "It's the biggest win for the team since winning regionals in 2008. We've been working hard, so it was sweet to see everything come together in some big wins over legit West Coast teams."
The tournament win vaulted the team to No. 9 in the nation, bringing the team closer to Frisbee powerhouses Carleton College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which finished first and second in the nation last year, respectively.
While Dartmouth went undefeated in the tournament, determined play from its opponents challenged the team in every game.
"Our win in San Diego came from our unity as a team, the experience and leadership of the older players, a commitment to winter conditioning and great coaching from Brook Martin," captain Ian Engler '12 said. "We won a lot of close games, demonstrating our mental toughness, and we were confident that we were going to win every game in which we played."
After pampering their sun-starved skin at the beach, the team's quest began with decisive wins against Arizona State University, the University of California, Santa Cruz, Chico State University and a stubborn University of California, Santa Barbara on the first day of disc-tossing.
The second day proved more challenging, beginning with a back-and-forth victory over California Polytechnic State University in the quarterfinals.
Dartmouth ultimately prevailed, 15-14, over the University of California, Berkeley in the semifinals thanks to the team's lightning-quick offense.
"Caleb [Ladue 14] had a ridiculous lay-out stop in the end zone late in the game," Adelstein said. "It was massive because every point was so important. Our offense was just real smooth all weekend. We didn't have to make the big plays because the easy ones were just flowing."
Dartmouth wrapped up the title with a surprisingly anticlimactic victory against the highly-touted University of Washington team by a score of 15-11.
Dartmouth coach Brook Martin previously coached at Washington, making it an especially rewarding victory for the team, Engler said.
"[Martin] has implemented a very fast-paced and wide-open offense, which means that defenses have a lot of space to cover and can't keep up with us," Engler said. "We had the fastest games of any team at the tournament. Other teams had a tough time slowing us down. It's pretty cool to beat [Martin]'s former team."
Lee Farnsworth '12 recieved the Skyd Magazine MVP award and Spin Ultimate Red Jersey for his outstanding play over the weekend.
With its thrilling tournament victory, Dartmouth showed it belongs among the list of elite collegiate Frisbee programs.
"We graduated seven '11s last year, so it's very exciting we're doing so well," Engler said. "We still have our core from last year intact, and we've added a ridiculously strong class of '15s to the mix. They'll be some of the top players in the region in a couple years."
The stunning victory has Pain Train and the rest of the Frisbee team excited for the future of the sport at Dartmouth and the nation at large.
"The Ultimate community on campus is a close one," Engler said. "We're all very proud of the progress that Ultimate has made here, and we know it's only getting stronger. It's only a matter of time before we see a professional Ultimate league, something that would be truly special."
Although winter is not typically a season for Ultimate, the team has still been hard at work.
"We're working out a bunch this term," Adelstein said, "Everyone is lifting twice a week, track workout once a week and then disc drills whenever we get time in Leverone [Field House] or on Memorial [Field]. Winter is the big training season, while the spring is about playing as much Frisbee as we can."
