Top teams will have the chance to close out the season with a nationally competitive tournament.
May 23, 2016 by Ultiworld in News with 51 comments
Ultiworld, Competitive Ultimate Training (CUT), and Great Lakes Ultimate Events (GLUE) are pleased to announce the first annual High School National Invite on June 3-4, 2017.
The tournament is set to be held at the Sportscore 2 complex in Rockford, IL, home to multiple championship events including the 2016 USA Ultimate Club National Championships.
32 high school teams — 16 boys, 16 girls — will be invited to play in the inaugural event based on performance during the 2016-2017 season. Beginning in February, Ultiworld will begin releasing biweekly high school top 25 power rankings for each division. Rankings will be based on performance during the season and compiled with a combination of Ultiworld editorial judgment and coaches’ input. In mid to late April, a final power ranking will be released; the top 16 teams in each division will be invited to compete at the National Invite.
If teams decline their invitation, more slots will be opened up in order of the rankings.
The tournament will provide a highly competitive and fun conclusion to the high school season after State Championships are completed but before players settle into the rhythm of the summer club season. CUT director Arnoush “Java” Javaherian and GLUE’s Nick Lindeke and Erika Wagner will lead the organization of the tournament. Lindeke is a veteran tournament director and Javaherian is one of the foremost youth ultimate organizers in the country.
“With high school regionals no longer existing after this year, we understand there is a need for a top tournament that can provide an opportunity for the top teams to compete against each other,” said Javaherian. “Having a high school national championship is something we feel our sport needs at this point and we are excited to finally offer this opportunity!”
Ultiworld will continue to expand its high school reporting in 2017 in the lead up to the event and will be on the ground for reporting and video coverage in Rockford.
More information about the tournament will be made available over the winter.
