The season might be winding down for the men and women of the Tufts ultimate Frisbee teams, but after strong showings in last weekend's Sectional Championships, the squads look like they'll be competing for at least a few more weeks as they head into their respective season ending tournaments.
The men's ultimate Frisbee team, nicknamed the E-Men, is divided into two squads with an A team and a B team. While in the fall the two compete as one team, the spring season features separate competition. The A team is currently 21-10 on the season and ranked 40th in the country. The B team has a record of 4-14.
"We definitely have the skills," senior A team captain Sam Kortz said. "The defense is playing well, and our focus has been on lowering turnovers on offense."
The A team competed this last weekend in the Metro Boston Sectionals. On Saturday the team defeated Brandeis 13-4, Harvard B team 13-4, Northeastern B team 13-1, and MIT 15-7. In the championship round, the Jumbos lost two close games, first to Harvard 11-9 and then to MIT 13-10. Tufts finished in third place behind Harvard and MIT, and will now move on to the Regional Tournament the weekend of April 30. Although the third place finish will lower the team's seeding in the Regional Tournament, Kortz is not concerned
"We've won Sectionals the past few years," Kortz said. "But we're not worried [about seeding] because to make Nationals you have to beat the best teams whether you're [seeded] No. 1 or No. 16."
"It's a little younger team," Krotz added. "We've had a lot of juniors stepping up, finding their roles, and I think we're at a perfect point for regionals."
The B team also competed in the Sectionals. They were handed losses from Boston University 13-4, Boston College 13-5, and Bentley College 13-9. They defeated Northeastern 13-9 and Stonehill College 13-6. The B team will head to Williams College to take part in the Burple Valley Tournament, the year end championships for B level clubs. Tufts finished in second place at the tournament last year, and the squad hopes to repeat its success. They'll face tough competition from the B teams of Brown, MIT and Williams, but the Jumbos are hopeful that they will do well.
"It has been more difficult than last year," returning B-team member, sophomore Ken Kitchen said. "We had a lot of freshmen and not as much experience. But we really came together as a team, and I think we'll be competitive [at the
tournament]."
The Frisbee hurling players of the women's Ultimate Frisbee team, the E-Wo, also look to make a strong run at the championships this year. The squad, which is one of the top five teams in the New England Region, is coming off wins over Harvard, Brandeis and BU during last week's competition, with a close loss to MIT, 15-13.
"We're hoping to get to nationals," senior captain Lauren Fein said. "We're a very competitive team."
Last year the team ended up out of the running for the Nationals after disappointing losses in the championship round. Although there are only four bids available for the Nationals, the team is confident in getting to the next level this season. The squad will face challenges from the teams from Yale, MIT, Dartmouth and Brown, who are perennial contenders, as well as Amherst College and BU, who have come out strong this season.
"In regionals, those teams are going to be the biggest challenge," Fein said. "But we're hoping to come out on top."
