Women's ultimate frisbee team to face tough competition over break

The women's ultimate frisbee team (E-Wo) will be heading down to Georgia for Spring Break, where they will try to show their stuff in two of the spring season's most competitive ultimate tournaments. College Terminus, in Atlanta, will feature 2001 Women's College National Champions University of Georgia, as well as other highly touted teams such as Duke, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan. College Southerns, taking place in Statesboro over the second weekend of break, also will also boast some of the nation's top teams.

"We're just looking to maintain our flow and gain some experience," senior captain Annemarie Braun said.

The E-Wo enter this season having lost six starters to graduation last spring. Further, in the fall season, three of the team's four juniors were abroad. Becca Adler, Gabe Eklund, and Birgit Unfried have returned, but last year's stand-out Britton Goodale will not be returning to the States and the E-Wo until next year.

"We're really rebuilding this year," former captain Amanda Sommers said. "We have to feel out our new dynamic and see who's going to step it up."

The E-Wo will be looking for underclassmen to play new roles, especially the freshmen, who now have some playing experience.

"We have a lot of really excited freshmen who have a serious athletic attitude," Sommers said.

Players looking to break out are sophomores Bernie Diaz and Emily Kaplan, as well as freshmen Julia Hallman and Becky Firesheets.

"Bernie will be a solid handler for us," Braun said. "These tournaments will be a great opportunity for the [younger players] to gel as a team."

Another possible contributor this spring will be Eklund, who has been known to make some of the sickest cuts on the East Coast.

"Gabe will motivate everyone else because she's really really ridiculously hard-core," Kaplan said.

The E-Wo are looking to start this spring season on the right foot, getting their first chance to play outdoors at Terminus. While West Coast and Southern area teams have been practicing in the natural elements all year round, northeast teams, like the E-Wo, will require some time to adjust their throws to windy conditions and get used to playing on regulation outdoor fields.

Team cohesion will be a major goal for the women, who have had some trouble with attendance at practice during the winter term. Playing ultimate is certainly a large commitment, as the E-Wo practice three times a week and will travel to tournaments most weekends in the spring. Still, after a lot of hard work indoors, the E-Wo are ready to play.

"We can't wait to just get out there, get comfortable with our throws, and make some sweet plays," Kaplan said.

The E-Wo have already scrimmaged MIT and Wellesley this season, putting forth good defensive showings in both matches. Terminus and College Southerns will give the E-Wo a good chance to gauge where they stand in the Northeast and the nation.

"MIT looks like the team to beat," Braun said of the E-Wo's historical rival.

A big difference for the E-Wo this spring could also be the addition of two new coaches, Sangwha Hong and Alicia Kersten. Both hail from Boston area club teams and will bring lots of experience and guidance to the E-Wo.

"They've been awesome for us -- really helping us focus on the things we need to work on," Braun said.