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The Dartmouth
March 28, 2024 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Dartmouth ultimate frisbee teams compete nationwide

4.3.13.sports.ultimate
4.3.13.sports.ultimate

Over the weekend, the men's team won the Division I championship at the New England Open in Hamilton, Mass., finishing the season undefeated against New England teams. The team's biggest competitors included Harvard University, currently ranked 12th nationally, and 13th-ranked Tufts University. The Big Green is currently in 20th, but their wins from this past weekend could bump them up to 18th, securing them a spot in the national college championship with Tufts and Harvard.

"Otherwise, Harvard and Tufts will have to compete with us for only two spots in New England that send us to nationals," men's tri-captain Cecil Qiu '13 explained. "Dartmouth has lost in the game-to-go both times in the past two years, so we're hungry for a trip to nationals."

"We're really excited for them they pulled out three really close games in a row on Sunday," women's co-captain Hazel Shapiro '13 said of the men's performance. "And they were working without a couple of injured players, which is always hard."

Co-captain Katie De La Rosa '13 added that the success and visibility of the men's team might attract more high school players to the College's program.

As the women's team wraps up their regular season and prepares for regionals in May, the two senior captains reflected on their experience over the past four years.

De La Rosa had never played ultimate frisbee before coming to Dartmouth. In high school, she ran cross-country and occasionally played a "weird, non-real" form of frisbee with her cross-country teammates, she said.

"By the time I got to college, I was done with cross-country and wanted a new sport to play," she said. "Ultimate seemed like a lot of fun, and right after the first practice with the team I was totally hooked."

Most of the players began playing ultimate frisbee at the College; only five members played competitively in high school.

Shapiro picked up ultimate for the first time here. She had played soccer but was also looking for a new sport and a community. Like De La Rosa, she immediately fell in love with the ultimate team and found the group very welcoming.

"I felt like I had a place on the team from the beginning," Shapiro said. "And then by virtue of being a competitive person, I kept working to make myself better."

As a club sport, the ultimate program is primarily student-run with a set of administrators for each team. On the women's side there are two captains, a treasurer and a president, and on the men's there are three captains, a treasurer and a president. Like other club sports, the teams receive some funding from the College, but much of their budget comes from their own fundraising efforts. The teams hire their own coaches and schedule games and tournaments.

Although the women's regular season is complete, their post-season is scheduled to kick off in two weeks. De La Rosa said the season begins in January, as the fall is an introduction for new players and a chance for the returning team to make final cuts.

During the regular season, the women's team played the Williams Turf Tourney in January and the President's Day Invitational in February. The captains said they were pleased with their performance in both meets. Over spring break, the Big Green competed in Austin, Texas, placing fourth overall in the Division II bracket. While there have been less tournaments to attend this season, team members said they are eagerly anticipating regionals, hosted at the College next month.

During the winter, the teams typically practice in Leverone Field House twice a week and lift three days a week in small groups. As they step into their spring postseason, the team continues lifting while also adopting a schedule more similar to the fall, including afternoon practices at Sachem Field.

"I think that, for people that really don't know anything about our team, people are generally surprised with how seriously we take it, and how hard we push ourselves even when no one outside of our little bubble notices," Shapiro said.

Shapiro and De La Rosa said their favorite part of playing ultimate is bonding with their teammates.

"Looking back, what I remember most isn't necessarily our more important tournaments, but games that I felt really connected to the other 21 women on the team," De La Rosa said. "I don't remember plays that happened, or scores, or even really where we were, but the half-time performance given by the men to boost our team, or making signs for the women's B-team to support them."