The men’s Ultimate Frisbee team traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan this weekend to compete in a one-night “hat tournament.” Hat tournaments typically consist of teams that are put together by randomly drawing names out of a hat, but this tournament also featured several college Ultimate Frisbee teams. Notre Dame was split into "A" and "B" teams for the first time this season, and both teams looked comfortable under new leadership.
The Irish "A" squad started off by playing against two hat teams in 50-minute timed rounds. After starting off slow during a casual first few points, the squad shook off its rust, and the offense started clicking. Notre Dame won the games 18-11 and 16-6, respectively, due in large part to the athletic freshman class, comprised of Luke Brennan, Sam DeTrempe and Collin Klenke.
Following a short bye round, Notre Dame had games against Michigan State's "B" squad and Indiana Wesleyan. Firing on all cylinders by the third game, Notre Dame easily defeated the Spartans, 18-3. The game against Indiana Wesleyan proved more difficult due to a combination of fatigue and a still developing early-season chemistry. The final match of the night ultimately came down to double game points, and Indiana Wesleyan came out on top by a score of 12-11, despite strong defensive efforts from juniors Charles Labuz and Andrew Geisel.
Notre Dame capped off the night with a 30-minute game against a “hat all-star team,” which was made up of the best players from the hat teams. It was a good-spirited match that showcased some of the tournament’s top players on both sides of the disc. Score was only loosely kept, as it was primarily an exhibition match, so Notre Dame officially finished 3-1 on the weekend.
Having lost just three seniors to graduation last spring, Notre Dame is poised for a big season in 2015. The team will travels to Cat Fight in Lexington, Kentucky, on the last weekend of February for its first outdoor experience of the season.
