Saturday morning, January 28, started off with a bang. UC San Diego Psychos took first in their pool after winning three games. San Diego played Santa Clara in their first round and ended it with a dominating score of 13-6.

Their second game was against Whitman from Washington who placed 2nd at nationals last year and were ranked #1 in the pool. Psychos fought hard and won on universe point with a final score of 12-11! Highlights include a huge layout from Maria “Fluxx” Zavala on the first point of the game, who then threw an assist for the score. Several of our offensive line handlers received a shout-out from UltiWorld on twitter which recognized Kelli “Krypto” Iwamoto, Dena “Chrome” Elimelech, and Leanne “Muse” Go. This was described as the biggest upset of the tournament.

The final game of the day was a win against Cal Poly SLO when the wind started to pick up. Final score was 13-8.

The first game of Day 2, January 29, was against University of Victoria, an out-of-region team from Canada, in the quarter finals. The Psychos came out sleepy with a slow first half, and then woke up for the second, but Victoria still took the win with 12-10. Highlights include several layouts and incredible plays in the air in the endzone by Dena “Chrome” Elimelech.

The second game of the second day was played against a very athletic UCLA. Five players had to take an injury due to pivots and divots all over the field. Highlights include a hand and foot block by Leanne “Muse” Go and some incredible defense and solid offense by the defensive line. Also, a super exciting rookie point by some very enthusiastic baby Psychos. Final score was 11-8 UCLA.

Third and final game of the tournament was played against UC Davis. Lots of hard work on both the offensive and defensive line helped Psychos take the win 10-9. Defense fought hard going upwind and offense seized every opportunity downwind.

Overall, Psychos played a great first tournament and took home 7th place. Shoutout to our coaches for putting their newborn in a stroller and being both parents and amazing coaches all weekend!

 

Avery “Starsky” Jones