Frisbee

Hold on to your hats! Pool C is full of star players, deep rosters, and teams with a statement to make. For Iowa State, pool play is a chance to prove that they belong in the conversation about potential champions after faltering in a similar position last year. Ohio State eliminated Iowa State in prequarters last year, bested them in Centex pool play, and then fell 13-14 in the finals in a break-less game – Fever has to love the spot they’re in on Friday morning. For Virginia, Mary Kelly is healthy again and they can break through to the next level simply by making prequarters and start solidifying their position as a consistent top-10 team. For Central Florida and Whitman, programs making their first appearances at Nationals, an upset will prove that they belong. Every new team arrives at the fields with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove – and as last year’s exciting finishes showed, that makes for some great ultimate. Iowa State Woman Scorned (#3) Hailing from Ames, Iowa, Woman Scorned is a fun-loving team that’s risen to the top of the women’s college game in the last three years and is poised to finally make their breakthrough to the late games on Saturday. Electric, athletic, and well-coached by Kevin and Lana Seiler, Iowa State manages to eke every last bit of depth out of their roster, balancing four superstar U-23 players with some very capable role players and a large defensive line full of quick scrappers and heady players able to manufacture a D. Iowa State’s impressive offensive line gets most of the recognition – at Centex, in swirling winds, Iowa State’s offensive line was only broken twice in the semifinals against Tufts and never in the finals against Pool C second seed Ohio State. Led by their four studs on the USA U-23 teams, Iowa State forces opponents to make compromises in their matchups and their approach to defense – compromises which Iowa State readily exploits. Sarah Pesch is a left-handed star handler with deft breaks and smooth hucks on both sides, and her job is always made easier by the effortless ways her three main cutters always find the open space. Magon Liu, top-five Callahan finisher Becca Miller, and All-American Cami Nelson are the primary targets for Pesch – a troika that is unmatched by any team in the country. All three are incredibly strong deep receivers and can make a play on any disc hanging in the air or tailing away in the endzone, which defenders quickly figure out. So it’s inevitable that they’ll all find themselves backed by their marks, in which case they’re all equally capable of finding the open space underneath, turning around, and firing a huck or sitting a soft break throw out into space. It’s a joy to watch Woman Scorned toy with the defense, first opening them up with the deep game, then abusing tight defenders with break throws, and finally watching them move the disc against soft defenses trying to stop the huck by backing and stop the breaks by backing off the mark, and ultimately doing neither as the disc effortlessly flows down the field in a beautiful rhythm from Pesch to Liu to Nelson to Miller to Pesch to Liu for the goal. Pesch, Liu, Miller, and Nelson are typically joined on the offensive line by handler Cassie Sakai, a transfer student from UC-Davis and an experienced player capable of punishing teams that attempt to stop the four stars by poaching off other players. Freshman Brittnee Grimshaw was the fourth cutter at Centex, scoring goal after goal as defenders were caught star-gazing at the “Big Four.” Unfortunately, she’s not on the roster Iowa State has provided for Nationals – but hopefully another player will step up in her absence. On defense, Iowa State is comfortable playing lines of rookies and younger players in various man and clam defenses, trusting that their defense will snag some breaks while their offense carries on

This coverage is presented by Spin Ultimate Schedule/Scores: Open Women’s Live Updates: Tweets from @skydmagazine/d1-championships Open - Adam Lerman @AisSKYD Jimmy Leppert  @Skyd_JLeppert Jonas Cole @Skyd_JonasCole Coit Stevenson @CO1T919 Ian Toner @Skyd_IanToner Women’s - Kami Groom @Skyd_KamiGroom Ryan Thompson @ultimatepulse Previews: Open SAVAGE All-American Team (Open) Women’s Nationals: Women’s Pool A Preview Nationals: Women’s Pool B Preview Nationals: Women’s Pool D Preview Nationals: Women’s Expert Picks Savage 2013 Women’s All-American Feature photo by Jeff Albenberg – UltiPhotos.com

With Callahan voting complete Skyd Magazine with Discraft and Five Ultimate are pleased to announce the top 5 vote-getters in each division. The following is in alphabetical order. Winners will be announced at the College Championships this weekend. Open Clark, Jay (Georgia Tech) Degirolamo, Tyler (Pitt) Freechild, Dylan (University of Oregon) Hart, Brian (Wisconsin) Mickle, Jimmy (University of Colorado) Women’s Chastain, Claire (University of North Carolina Wilmington) Hoffmann, Liên (Northwestern) Miller, Rebecca (Iowa State University) Tajima, Claudia (Tufts University) Zahniser, Bailey (University of Oregon)

This week in Seven On, it’s time for a mailbag! I’ve been receiving questions for a good while now, and instead of summing up the weekend that was and providing other thoughts, I’m going to answer some questions from you, the readers. Have a question for a future mailbag? Email (jimmy@skydmagazine.com) or Twitter (Skyd_JLeppert) are best for that. 1. It may be a little early, but how do you see the MLU vs AUDL vs USAU thing shaking out? I would love to see a collaboration, taking the best teams from club and creating a pro league out of that. Sort of like the Nexgen League, but with the spectator friendly playing style of the pro leagues we have right now. Further, collaborating on resources and talent would make a big difference in putting together a great product for ESPN and their audience. – Chad from Columbus I agree that the leagues all working together for one unified product would probably be the best bet for the sport as a whole – spectators and potential investors included. The biggest issue I see with your suggestion is season length. If adopting the professional model into the club season, where is the capital for investing in the players costs (even if you’re just reducing it) going to come from? The MLU and the AUDL’s Toronto Rush have shown that national corporate sponsors can be attracted to the sport – but that is also for a season that spans just a few months. If that’s changed to a season that goes from late May to late October, I think some big investors may be scared off. As for how the whole thing is going to shake out, I like the chances of USAU with ESPN on their side co-existing with one of the pro-leagues. We’ve already seen that ESPN isn’t afraid to include any amazing plays from the sport in their programs and highlights. But with their talent and cameras now shooting the action, I think they’ll try and integrate it a bit more. Between the two pro-leagues, I think the MLU will come out on top. As mentioned, the Rush were able to attract top investors to their team. But what will happen in cities that house two teams in separate leagues – as will happen in the AUDL’s increasing expansion. Where the talent goes is also a strong indicator of which league will come out on top I think. The fact that the MLU has already secured some of the top West and East Coast talent instantly makes their success much more likely in my opinion. 2. Let’s talk scores for College Natties! What are your predictions for: Total points scored (for all teams); point diff. of the Champion; largest margin of victory; and score of the Championship game? – Charlie from Minneapolis, Minnesota Total points scored, including the consolation games, let’s go with 1382 points – I very roughly added up the past two tournaments, and added some points to the average I got. The point diff. of the Pittsburgh last year was +32, while 2nd place Wisconsin was +18 – and I think this year the champion will come out with a number more around Wisconsin than Pittsburgh. Pitt had a big win in pool play, and in their quarterfinal game against Minnesota, but I don’t think that’ll happen this year; the champion will have a point diff. of +21. Last year, nothing exceeded Michigan State’s 15-4 victory over Cornell in the consolation games, but getting close were the two big wins Pitt had (15-5, 15-6). Two years ago, there were 15-2 and 15-3 games, but I don’t think we’ll get that low; nothing lower than a 10 point victory, 15-5. This last one is the most exciting one, the score of the championship game – I’m going to assume you want to hear this in order to make some friendly wagers with friends. Aside from the 11-5 victory CUT had over the Hodags in 2011, the recent championship games have been very close. I’d set the over/under at 27, or a spread at 2.5 – take that for what you will. Following a lot of hockey writers, they’ve been coming around to what they call ‘fancy stats’ (Corsi, PDO, and others). These are stats that can, for the most part, show a

Dear every Nationals qualifying team that isn’t Wisconsin, here is your scouting report on the number two overall seed. Dear Hodags, since this is the only scouting report video out there, hope you have some serious tricks up your sleeves! Yesterday’s dumps included a sweet preview video for the Vancouver Nighthawks. So let’s go East Coast today! This time, the preview teaser for the Boston Whitecaps’ clash against the Philly Spinners on June 15th. UPDATE: Get the newest videos from the MLU being put up online, quite literally, as this Dumps post is being crafted. For those in a time crunch, you have highlights for games between the Spinners v. Whitecaps, Current v. Rumble, and Rainmakers v. Stags. Fort those fortunate enough to not be in a time crunch (leaving the rest wondering how you do it), there’s full game coverage of Current v. Rumble and Rainmakers v. Stags. In 2011, Sophie Herscu was a Callahan finalist. In 2013, she is part of Rabble Dance Collective’s new UPrise program attempting to emphasize the importance community. Check out the Kickstarter page, or at the Black Box Theatre in Boulder, CO. In an effort to continue to grace ESPN’s Top Ten list, today’s dumps conclude with this amazing, last-second, slip-n-slide grab from Seattle Rainmakers’ Phil Murray. Be sure to tweet #SCTop10 to vote:

Spin Ultimate MVP red jersey awards we presented to top players in each round at the 2013 DIII College Championships. Here is each recipient, along with a little bit about what they did to earn the award. Open Lock Whitney – #22 Amherst College - During their first round game against the North Park Lost Boys, Lock was all over the field commanding their zone defense, and showing a strong offensive prowess. Alan Henzy – #22 Puget Sound -  For the first game of the Postmen’s Satuday, and they played a tight game against Lehigh. During that game, Henzy had a sick layout Callahan – earning him the award, and helping his team earn the win. Stephen Lammers – #12 Middlebury - In their pool play game against Carleton College GOP, the Pranksters defense was key. The sophomore helped lead that defense both on and off the field, and Middlebury would win the game and Lammers the jersey. Jay Sehgal – #13 Wake Forest - During Wake’s beatdown of Claremont during their final pool play game, Sehgal was all over the field making plays both offensively and defensively to help Wake earn the win, and secure first in Pool D. (Ed. note: Twitter still will not accept this picture. Apologies.) Giaco Corsigila – #16 Amherst College - In quarterfinals, Amherst would play Claremont Colleges in a closely contested game. On double game point, Corsigilia made the game winning grab over his defender in what many on the sideline, including myself, thought was a sure-thing defensive stop. Eric Hopfenbeck – #23 Puget Sound - In one of the other quartefinal matchups, Puget Sound was playing Harding in another back and forth game for the Postmen. Down to double game point, and Hopfenbeck not only got the defensive stop for his team, but scored the winning goal as well. Bookends + DGP = MVP Jersey. (Ed Note: With two great plays in quarters, no jersey was awarded on the Open side during semifinals.) Davis Whitehead – #4 Middlebury - As was said in both the video and written recap, Whitehead had the upwind throws – especially his inside flick break throw – to help the Middlebury team battle the wind that showed up for the finals. He was also noticeable making plays defensively, all while taking very few points off. His play was crucial in Middlebury winning the championship. Women’s Pheobe Aron – #11 Bowdoin - She dominated against Sain Benadeict’s during the first round, with her great hucks and break throws. This play would go onto continue all tournament long. Erynn Schoeder – #52 Saint Benedicts – In the Saint Benedicts win over Oberline, she had 7 assists, 2 goals and a whopping 4 defensive plays. Julia Raney – #8 Claremont - With Carleton Eclipse threatening, Raney would help Claremont orchestrate a giant comeback over Eclipse to win Pool C and earn a bye into quarterfinals. Zoe Suche – #34 Carleton  - In their quarterfinal win against Saint Benedict’s, Suche was a monster cutting for the Eclipse offensive line. She was getting open at will, and doing a great job no matter the defender. Claire Baecher – #00 Williams - Her staunch defense, and consistent throws helped Williams to upset Valparaiso in semifinals. Hannah Young – #13 Bowdoin - During their game against Williams in the finals of D3 Nationals, Young scored 6 goals for Bowdoin. Her cutting was fantastic, especially in the endzone for her team – making her the perfect recipient for teammate Phoebe Aron’s throws.

We all know the feeling of an on again, off again relationship to which we bid farewell, only to have the other party unexpectedly show up back in our lives months later. That’s kind of the case with Pool A, a pool that is full of familiarity.  Not only did we see the opening round Pool A matchup of Wisconsin and Oregon one year ago in Boulder (Oregon won 15-7), but these two teams have already tangled once this season in the finals of Stanford Invite, where Oregon eked out the 17-15 win.  And Oregon isn’t the only team with which Wisconsin has recent “history.”  They’ve rendezvoused with both Stanford and Minnesota twice this season, and each series is split at one game apiece. Stanford and Minnesota, too, had a tryst at Centex, where Stanford won 15-5.  Northeastern is the only team who remains unknown to any of the teams in Pool A.  If we assume that the #2, #3, and #4 seeds in the pool will be the ones battling it out for spots in the championship bracket, the rematches of Wisconsin, Stanford, Minnesota become particularly relevant.  Previous interactions matter.  If we know what a person (or opponent) might do, we behave differently.  It will be interesting to see who wins the breakup in what are sure to be competitive rematches filled with adjustments. Oregon Fugue (#1) Last year, Fugue fell only one game short of another National Championship, losing in the finals to Regional rival Washington by a lopsided score of 15-7.  Now Fugue is back and just as good as ever.  Having only lost one game this season—to UBC at Pres Day, a loss they immediately redeemed in the finals of that same tournament—they will be looking to defend their #1 seed, get back into the finals, and win it all.  Pool play is where the quest starts. Honestly, it’s difficult to say anything fresh about Fugue. They are athletic. They utilize the special strengths of their players. They have great hands, phenomenal throws, and a keen sense of how to use space. They are a team that buys into an effective system.  They are coached by one of the game’s greatest minds. Obviously. Their key players, too, are no secret.  Skyd 5 Callahan nominee Bailey Zahniser is pretty much a household name in the women’s ultimate community.  This girl simply oozes athleticism. As the leader of the D-line, she dictates. Her bids for discs will be sure to elicit shrieks and drops from her opponents—if the disc even gets to them—and ooh’s and ah’s from the crowd.  And whenever there is a turn generated by her D-line, watch as Zahniser initiates a transition that will happen faster than you can yell “up!” Zahniser is joined by fellow superstar Sophie Darch, another pure athlete with throws to supplement her explosiveness.   From her usual position as Oregon’s primary handler, her quickness allows her to get open with ease.  Once the disc is in her hands, she can put up beautiful hucks, punishing breaks, or flawless hammers. Zahniser and Darch are certainly the biggest names on Fugue, but they are certainly not alone. Fugue is, by far, the deepest team at the tournament, and that should be a terrifying truth for their opponents. Kimber Coles is a fast cutter that knows how to find the endzone.  Just count the number of times Darch hits Coles for the score because it will happen frequently for Oregon’s O line. And look no further than Stanford Invite to see the impact that Bethany Kaylor can have upon a game. Against Wisconsin, Kaylor was a maniac in the middle, hitting all the holes with her cuts, and then sending the disc around the field to her teammates. Overall, look for Oregon’s offense to play wild and free.  They are never afraid to push the pace when they have possession, pinging the disc around the field and hucking frequently.  As for defense, they play their famous junk zone almost exclusively.  However, it’s not invincible, as Wisconsin was able to demonstrate at Stanford Invite.  By staying out of the middle of the field, Wisconsin forced Zahniser to choose a side or

The 2013 College National Championships are this weekend! Since April, 700+ college teams have been competing in the USA Ultimate College Championship Series. There are now 20 teams from each division - Open (Men )& Women. When: May 24 - May 27, 2013 Where: Madison, Wisconsin Top Seeds: Open: Oregon, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Pittsburgh (2012 champion) & Texas. Women: Oregon, Carleton

We asked our staff and correspondents what they thought would happen at this year’s College Championships in Madison, Wisconsin. Each person was asked to pick their pool play upsets, pool winners, quarterfinal winners, semifinal winners, and overall champion. Here’s what they had to say! Women’s D-1 Championships (Score Reporter) Ryan Thompson, Women’s Coverage Director 1. Pool Play Upsets: Stanford over Wisconsin, UBC over Carleton, UCSB and Northwestern over Georgia, Washington over Iowa, Ohio State over Iowa State 2. Pool Winners: Oregon, UBC, Ohio State, Tufts 3. Quarterfinals: Oregon over Carleton, Tufts over Iowa State, Ohio State over Washington, UBC over Iowa 4. Semifinals: Tufts over Oregon, UBC over Ohio State 5. Finals: Tufts over UBC Adam Lerman, Coverage Director 1. Pool Play Upsets: Northwestern over Georgia, Washington over Iowa 2. Pool Winners: Oregon, UBC, Ohio State, Tufts 3. Quarterfinals: Oregon over Carleton, Iowa State over Tufts, Ohio State over Washington, UBC over Iowa 4. Semifinals: Oregon over Iowa State, Ohio State over UBC 5. Finals: Ohio State over Oregon Elliot Trotter, Editor-in-Chief 1. Pool Play Upsets: Washington over Iowa, Tufts over Iowa, UBC over Carleton 2. Pool Winners: Oregon, UBC, Iowa State, Tufts 3. Quarterfinals: Oregon, Tufts, Washington, Wisconsin 4. Semifinals: Oregon, Washington 5. Finals: Oregon over Washington Robyn Fennig, Women’s Correspondent 1. Pool Play Upsets: UCSB over Georgia, Central Florida over Virginia, Stanford over Wisconsin, Whitman over Central Florida 2. Pool Winners: Oregon, Carleton, Iowa State, Tufts 3. Quarterfinals: Oregon over UBC, Ohio State over Tufts, Iowa over Iowa State, Carleton over Wisconsin 4. Semifinals: Oregon over Ohio State, Carleton over Iowa 5. Finals: Oregon over Carleton Kami Groom, Women’s Correspondent 1. Pool Play Upsets: Washington over Iowa, Northwestern over Georgia, UBC over Carleton, Stanford over Wisconsin 2. Pool Winners: Oregon, UBC, Iowa State, Tufts 3. Quarterfinals: Oregon over Carleton, Tufts over Ohio State, Iowa State over Washington, Iowa over UBC 4. Semifinals: Oregon over Tufts, Iowa State over Iowa 5. Finals: Oregon over Iowa State Charlie Enders, Correspondent 1. Pool Play Upsets: Tufts over Iowa, Minnesota over Stanford, Santa Barbara/Northwestern over Georgia 2. Pool Winners: Oregon, Carleton, Iowa State, Tufts 3. Quarterfinals: UBC over Oregon, Tufts over Ohio State, Iowa over Iowa State, Wisconsin over Carleton 4. Semifinals: Tufts over UBC, Wisconsin over Iowa 5. Finals: Wisconsin over Tufts

Skyd is proud to present our SAVAGE All-American Team for the 2013 season. The Savage All-American Team program awards the top players in each division for their excellence on the field as players and leaders. The recipients will be awarded a special Savage jersey and will be inducted at the 2013 College Championships in Madison. Congratulations to this year’s selected players. Dylan Freechild, Oregon – He’s the highlight machine, and should be no surprise to anyone that he’s on this list. Freechild is one of the quickest in the game, deadly near the endzone, and a nose for the big play. A big reason why Oregon is once again in the title hunt. Brian Hart, Wisconsin – Oh Mr.Lionheart, one of the fearless Hodags. Another big play machine who’s at the center of another possible deep run for Wisconsin.  His offensive skill has grown, but he’s still known for his defensive ability and clutch blocks when the time comes. Will Driscoll, Texas – Driscoll has had quite a run in the last year, NexGen tour, winning the club championships with Doublewide. Another repeat winner, Driscoll, helped lead Texas to the regional title, ending Colorado’s seemingly endless streak of winning their region. Tyler Degirolamo, Pittsburgh – He may be the best receiver available on the board, Tyler has been a dominant force this year. His disc skills have also improved, making him into a lethal multidimensional player. Simon Montague, Carleton – Despite being injured with an elbow injury earlier this season, Montague is one of the most exciting players to watch in the game with the disc in his hands. At Stanford, he helped keep Carleton in contention with big throws in big moments. Jay Clark, Georgia Tech – Despite Georgia Tech unable to make to nationals, Clark was certainly among the biggest play makers this season.  His athleticism has made him a top receiver not only in college, but in club for Chain Lightning. Jimmy Mickle, Colorado – A big defender, with throws, jumping ability, and speed,  Mickle has helped carry Colorado through the season. He gives his team a shot to win in any game. Mike Ogren, UCF – Ogren was a big part of UCF’s initial run to nationals last year, but didn’t get much attention. It was clear this year he had turned into a dominant defender, added throws to his arsenal and was key to big wins for UCF at Easterns. Nick Stuart, Carleton – Stuart not only looks the part of the big receiver, he plays it. His size and speed make him deadly as a deep threat, while he’s become an integral part of the Carleton offense. Eli Kerns, UC Davis – Kerns is the big reason Davis is back at Nationals again. The break-side and deep space become immediate threats when he has the disc, which allows cutters to get open everywhere. Honorable Mentions – Alex Thorne (Hamstring), Josh Klane, Mischa Freystaetter, Greg Arenson, Jacob Janin, Christian Johnson, Mitch Cihon Freshman of the Year: Khalif El-salaam, Washington - Known for his athleticism and big bids, as a freshman Khalif is already approaching the college game like an experienced veteran that can contend with some of the top players in the college scene. We’re excited to see where El-salaam goes as he continues to develop his team. Coach of the Year: Mike DeNardis, UNC - DeNardis led UNC back to nationals last year, and this year has put them in the national title hunt as the three seed. After two years straight of failing to qualify for Regionals, this talented Darkside team has grown in huge proportions.