If you are one of those students that are here at UCSD and are maybe a little hurt that you did not get accepted into say: Stanford, UCLA, Berkeley, or any other college for that matter, I am here to tell you why you should be proud of the blue and gold that runs through our veins. We are smart, we are dedicated, we are resilient, and we just beat all those schools… at Ultimate Frisbee.
To really appreciate this monumental win, it is interesting to know that a majority of this team (a good 80%) came in to college not knowing how to play this sport, and yet we are on the road to a national appearance for the second year in a row. This just attests to the dedicated, hardworking, and passionate students that occupy this school and what can happen when we put our minds to something.
This weekend started off strong, beating University of Washington (13-7), Carleton College (12-7), and USC (12-6). The teams didn’t know what hit them, when our girls came out strong, diving for every disc and sweating pure concentration. Second year, Madison “Dash” Tenney especially helped the team by being extremely reliable and a strong defensive player. Our very own Jasmine “Pyro” Simmons, commanded the field with intense cuts and was a deep threat no team knew what to do with.
The second day brought three more challenging games: Texas (13-9), Ohio State (13-7), and UBC (13-7). Despite all these teams ranking 15th and above in the country, our team’s motto seemed to be open lines and plenty of opportunity for growth. Our younger half of the team got to see a lot more playing time, and they really stepped up. Quinn “Pigu” Fuji and Emily “Whip” Kunselman are two of our second year frisbee enthusiasts who shut down their players with an intensity and composure that has been unseen this year. The day ended with the Finals game against University of British Columbia, the 3rd best ranked teamin the collegiate circuit. Somehow the team reached a new time high, getting an early lead of 6-1, which is unbelievable. Dena “Chrome” Elimelech threw her body everywhere to cause turnover after turnover, while the rest of the team joined in. Alex “Dante” Diaz got her first layout “D” of the season, and not only that, Pin-Hsuan “Kirby” Chen, somehow acquired a golden touch, scoring every time she touched the disc. The day ended with huge smiles, a few dropped tears, and many cool prizes. The team not only won the first-place prize of frisbee gloves and a bucket, but they also won a Spikeball set for being the most spirited team at the tournament!
Catch us doing more cool things in Washington at Northwest Challenge!
-Kelli “Krypto” Iwamoto