The "Ultimate" Spring Break
3/28/2013 3:09:00 PM | Recreation
Over spring break, Lehigh Ultimate traveled to coastal Jekyll Island, Georgia for the High Tide Ultimate tournament. An annual tradition, each of the tournament's four weeklong sessions brings college Ultimate teams from around the country for a week of sunny, warm weather and friendly yet intense competition. This year, with nearly sixty members in tow, the Lehigh Ultimate program fielded all three of its competitive teams: Men's A, Men's B, and Women's. Following the Hat Tournament on Monday, where participants are randomly assigned to teams composed of all players in attendance, the three-day competition kicked off in full.
Though typically simply content to enjoy a break from dreary Pennsylvania March snow and rain, this year the Men's A Team skyrocketed to the top of the pack. Fresh off second and third place finishes at tournaments in Williamburg, VA and Lorton, VA, respectively, the A Team made a commanding presence over the three days of competition, with an 8-0 record and a first place finish in the Elite Open Division.
Tuesday brought victories over Marquette (13-7), Vassar (13-5), and regional opponent Dickinson (12-10), while on Wednesday Lehigh battled back from a 2-6 deficit to win against Yale 10-8, before handedly winning over Bowdoin (13-2) and another regional opponent, Ohio Wesleyan (13-5). In bracket play on Thursday, Lehigh A battled with meticulous precision and focus, earning wins over Kentucky (10-9) in the semi-finals before winning 11-7 over New Hampshire to take home the championship. Notably, after being down 4-7 at half against Yale, Lehigh went on 54-24 point run for the next four and half games. Though everyone had standout moments, key players throughout the week included senior Christian 'Chaz' Stephan, as well as sophomores Justin 'Chalky' Carter and Shane 'Chipper' McDevitt.
Not to be outshone, the Women's team tied for an impressive third place in the Women's Division. The team split into thirds on Tuesday and Wednesday, with each team member playing for two of the three games in order to try out new roles and positions on the field. Despite a shaky start, with losses against Yale (4-8) and Marquette (6-7) the team handedly beat Temple (11-3) on Tuesday. Wednesday, Lehigh Women's Ultimate lost to Texas-Arlington (6-11), before beating New Hampshire (7-6) and Vassar (8-4). In bracket play on Thursday, they proceeded to beat Syracuse (11-2) and the University of Maine (8-7), before falling in the semi-finals to Bowdoin (1-10). The highlights of the week were the one-point victories over New Hampshire and Maine, the first of such narrow victories all season.
Though they did not take home a trophy, the roughly twenty-five members of the B Team, the vast majority of whom are rookies, got experience on the field in their first tournament of the spring season, gaining both technical skills and confidence behind the disc. Both the Men's A and B Team will travel to Toughkenamon, PA for the Steakfest tournament this weekend, while the Women's Team will battle it out at Awaken in Princeton, NJ. All three teams hope to build up the bottom of their respective rosters both in preparation for the Championship Series in April, with hopes of qualifying for Division III Nationals in May, and the transition to next year's season.
Though typically simply content to enjoy a break from dreary Pennsylvania March snow and rain, this year the Men's A Team skyrocketed to the top of the pack. Fresh off second and third place finishes at tournaments in Williamburg, VA and Lorton, VA, respectively, the A Team made a commanding presence over the three days of competition, with an 8-0 record and a first place finish in the Elite Open Division.
Tuesday brought victories over Marquette (13-7), Vassar (13-5), and regional opponent Dickinson (12-10), while on Wednesday Lehigh battled back from a 2-6 deficit to win against Yale 10-8, before handedly winning over Bowdoin (13-2) and another regional opponent, Ohio Wesleyan (13-5). In bracket play on Thursday, Lehigh A battled with meticulous precision and focus, earning wins over Kentucky (10-9) in the semi-finals before winning 11-7 over New Hampshire to take home the championship. Notably, after being down 4-7 at half against Yale, Lehigh went on 54-24 point run for the next four and half games. Though everyone had standout moments, key players throughout the week included senior Christian 'Chaz' Stephan, as well as sophomores Justin 'Chalky' Carter and Shane 'Chipper' McDevitt.
Not to be outshone, the Women's team tied for an impressive third place in the Women's Division. The team split into thirds on Tuesday and Wednesday, with each team member playing for two of the three games in order to try out new roles and positions on the field. Despite a shaky start, with losses against Yale (4-8) and Marquette (6-7) the team handedly beat Temple (11-3) on Tuesday. Wednesday, Lehigh Women's Ultimate lost to Texas-Arlington (6-11), before beating New Hampshire (7-6) and Vassar (8-4). In bracket play on Thursday, they proceeded to beat Syracuse (11-2) and the University of Maine (8-7), before falling in the semi-finals to Bowdoin (1-10). The highlights of the week were the one-point victories over New Hampshire and Maine, the first of such narrow victories all season.
Though they did not take home a trophy, the roughly twenty-five members of the B Team, the vast majority of whom are rookies, got experience on the field in their first tournament of the spring season, gaining both technical skills and confidence behind the disc. Both the Men's A and B Team will travel to Toughkenamon, PA for the Steakfest tournament this weekend, while the Women's Team will battle it out at Awaken in Princeton, NJ. All three teams hope to build up the bottom of their respective rosters both in preparation for the Championship Series in April, with hopes of qualifying for Division III Nationals in May, and the transition to next year's season.
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