Though they are graduating today, nine senior members of Tufts Ultimate Frisbee team will be drawing out their careers for just a little bit longer, as the E-Men prepare for the upcoming national championships, to be held May 28 to 30 in Seattle.
The trip to Seattle will represent the squad's fourth national berth in the last five years. A disappointing failure to qualify last spring broke the three-year streak, but provided added motivation to this year's team, especially the senior class.
"A lot of us made it sophomore year and we didn't want that to be our big thing," senior co-captain Andy Valen said. "It provided extra motivation for this year, plus we wanted to do it for a lot of the guys who had never been. We wanted to give them a chance."
Tufts secured its berth two weeks ago at the New England Regional tournament in Newport, R.I.. The E-Men swept their first three games, defeating University of New Hampshire, 15-3, Wesleyan, 15-5, and Harvard, 15-9.
"Especially for the seniors, we really went in looking to prove something to other teams in the New England region, but more to ourselves - that we belong with the top teams, going to Nationals," senior co-captain Matt Abbrecht said. "We talked about the fact that this is our team and we had to step it up and lead the way and show the younger guys what it means to be a winner and what it means to be a part of this program."
Tufts put forth its best against archrival Harvard in the semi-finals. The score remained close through much of the first half, but Tufts pulled ahead, 8-5, to close out the period.
The Crimson burst out of halftime with an agenda, though, closing in on Tufts to make it 10-8.
"Once they took off and went on a run, our coach [Jeff Brown] called a time-out and said 'we're still in control of the game and we just have to go out there and put it away,' and we did," Valen said. "It was him calling that time-out and bringing everyone together and helping us get our focus."
Tufts went on a giant run to win the game, shutting the Crimson out completely following the timeout. Big hucks to Tufts' sophomore Michael Chirlin, junior John Korber, and senior Zach Geller demoralized the Harvard squad, and sophomore Rob Spies stepped up with skilled catches and tight defense.
On Day 2, the E-Men found themselves on the short end of a 15-4 game against Brown University, in a match whose winner automatically advanced to Nationals.
The rainy, cold weather that had moved in overnight cut short Tufts' typical game, which relies on long throws and deep strikes to carry the offense. The E-Men also lost senior strongman Zach Geller to a slightly torn hamstring during the game, though he is working with the athletic trainers and expects to be back just in time for Nationals.
With two teams advancing from the double-elimination tournament, Tufts had another shot later that afternoon. According to senior Ariel Santos, the '04 E-Men huddled together before the match to talk about the game's importance.
"I did not want this to be our last game and neither did any of those guys," Santos said. "We looked at each other and realized the severity of this game. Everyone came out fired up and fed off the energy demonstrated by the seniors."
The E-Men gave up an early goal to Amherst, but quickly reversed the lead and dominated the remainder of the game to win, 15-6, and assured themselves a spot in Seattle.
Freshman Chris Skipper was strong on defense and helped to fill the void left by the injured Geller, and junior Aaron Rubin, Valen, and classmate Michael Lawson showed impressive handling skills against the Amherst zone defense.
"It was great to see that all the hard work and determination [paid] off," Santos said. "All the sprints, the eight-hour practices, the stairs, the drills, the sweat ... culminated in a weekend of great Ultimate. We hope to take Seattle by storm and surprise some people with our game."
According to Abbrecht, several alumni and other E-Men supporters made the trip to Regionals, and a handful of dedicated fans are planning a road trip to Seattle for Nationals.
"It's bigger than our team in that sense," Abbrecht said. "It's a big thing for our program. We have a lot of people putting in a lot of effort and really supporting us, and it's nice to have something to show for that."
The E-Men, Abbrecht said, feel both thrilled and confident about next weekend.
"Practice this week and last [has] been relaxed and exciting, because we know that we can beat anyone out there," Abbrecht said. "For the younger guys, it's great because there's that new excitement. For the older guys, we're able to look back and say this is our team now, we get to take them now."
