We reveal our preseason Top 25 for the 2024 D-III college season, starting with #16-25!
January 17, 2024 by Anna Browne, Zack Davis, Calvin Ciorba, Theresa Diffendal, Bix Weissberg and Jacob Cowan in Rankings with 0 comments
Ultiworld’s College Power Rankings, presented by the National Ultimate Training Camp!
We are excited to present the 2024 preseason College Power Rankings! As we head into a new season, we’ve looked at past performance, roster changes, preseason results, and more to figure out how we think the team could stack up this season. Take a look at our first rankings set of the spring college season and read up about each Top 25 team.
We will be counting down our rankings in three parts:
The #25 to #16
The #15 to #6
The Top 5
D-III Women’s
16. Trinity Altitude
2023 Finish: #22 in Power Rankings, 3rd at South Central ConfRegionals, 18-7 record
While they just missed a Nationals bid in 2023, Trinity is a proven competitor. They were the bid earners for the region, sitting at 13 in the official rankings going into the series due to an impressive result in T3 Centex in March. Their regional rivals, Rice and Colorado College, were also in attendance at T3 Centex, but did not have the type of success Trinity had. Looking at common opponents, Rice lost to Central Florida and Colorado College lost to Southern California, while Trinity won big against both these teams. Altitude have two ways to make Nationals in 2024: having a strong regular season and claiming a strength bid for the South Central, or by besting regional rivals Colorado College and Rice in April.
– Anna Browne
17. Occidental WAC
2023 Finish: #19 in Power Rankings, 15th at Nationals, 14-10 record
After winning the bid Claremont earned last year, Occidental had a tough time in Columbus, going winless on Saturday and only snagging one win in consolation. That said, the WAC were led by the young Lily van Linder who will be back this year to try and make another go at Nationals – and hopefully find better results.
– Zack Davis
18. Rice Torque
2023 Finish: #21 in Power Rankings, 2nd at South Central ConfRegionals, 12-9 record
Three teams from the South Central in the top 20? If you’ve been following any of our preseason coverage, you’d know that we here at Ultiworld are high on the SC in 2024. Last season, Rice found decent success in the regular season, beating a few D-I teams at Antifreeze and Centex. Rice really hit their stride on Sunday of ConfRegionals, knocking off the bid earner Trinity 11-7 and losing a universe point game to Colorado College. One point is all that separated this team from a Nationals appearance. Given the strength of Colorado College at Nationals, if Rice can continue their success in the last year’s series for 2024, they could rise up these rankings quickly.
– Anna Browne
19. Catholic Nun Betta
2023 Finish: #13 in Power Rankings, 12th at Nationals, 10-11 record
Catholic became the third Atlantic Coast team in three Nationals to claim the region’s sole bid, and with the thumping they gave other teams at AC Regionals (their score differential was 69-13 with their closest game being 11-6 over Mary Washington in the final), there’s no reason to think they won’t buck the trend and be the first AC team to post repeat Nationals appearances since Mary Washington in 2019 and 2021. Nun Betta played solely local competition until Nationals in 2023 but made their time on the big stage count, claiming one of the only upsets across all of pool play over #11 Michigan Tech. Catholic graduated just three of their 13-person roster, and that high-level experience can only benefit a young team.
– Theresa Diffendal
20. Claremont Greenshirts
2023 Finish: #20 in Power Rankings, 2nd at Southwest ConfRegionals, 11-9 record
Claremont earned the Southwest bid in the 2023 season but couldn’t get the win at ConfRegionals in April. Claremont beat Occidental twice leading up to their face off with Nationals on the line and even played Portland within one at Stanford Open, proving they have what it takes against top teams. While Claremont has the ability to make it back to the biggest stage, they need to find consistency this season to do so.
– Zack Davis
21. Wesleyan Vicious Circles
2023 Finish: #18 in Power Rankings, 14th at Nationals, 20-11 record
Wesleyan get the nod over fellow Metro East regionmates Ithaca by the literal slimmest of margins: a universe point game in the ME Regionals final saw Wesleyan claim the region’s sole bid, leaving Ithaca to start planning for 2024. While Wesleyan didn’t particularly wow at Nationals, they mostly took care of business in the consolation bracket, thumping Occidental and Knox to the tune of 15-2 and 15-3 to break seed. Should, then, Wesleyan be higher than Southwest reps Occidental, who slot in at #17? Potentially, and don’t be surprised if future rankings reflect this, especially as they presumably return assist leader Natalie Sweet and have found success in early fall tournaments. But at least in the preseason, the ME reputation appears hard to shake.
– Theresa Diffendal
22. Berry Valkyries
2023 Finish: #11 in Power Rankings, 1st at Southeast ConfRegionals, 2-3 record
Even though Berry won South East ConfRegionals, the Valkyries were unable to attend Nationals due to a lack of personnel. Like the majority of college teams, Berry is also losing some players this year to graduation, but perhaps the biggest knock is the lack of data: Berry only played five sanctioned games in 2023. Despite that, the Valkyries managed some impressive connectivity, matching up with Middlebury and notching a win over the Ohio Valley’s Cedarville. The Valkyries are always in with a chance to win the Southeast and, based on their recent track record, shouldn’t be counted out in 2024.
– Zack Davis
23. Brandeis Banshee
2023 Finish: #23 in Power Rankings, 6th at New England Regionals, 10-12 Record
Thought there wasn’t room for one more New England team? Well think again. The region has earned its deep reputation, with Brandeis not far behind #12 Bates in 2023. The two teams played a nice 9-6 game to decide who advanced to the game to go, though both teams fell short of Nationals in the end. Brandeis also played competitively with quarterfinalists Mount Holyoke in 2023 and seem eager to continue gaining experience against the area’s best, traveling to Maine for Lobster Pot in October where they cooked Bates 8-3. Such results bode well for a team eager to upend the region’s hierarchy and return to Nationals for the first time since 2021.
– Theresa Diffendal
24. Winona State Bad Monaz
2023 Finish: #15 in Power Rankings, 4th at North Central Regionals, 19-4 record
Winona State put together a 15-2 regular season record last year to easily earn a strength bid for the North Central. When the series rolled around, a wet and windy affair, Winona State relied on their signature four-person cup zone. They went 3-0 on Saturday, knocking off St. Olaf convincingly. On Sunday, they were unable to find the same success and fell in two straight games to miss a bid. While Winona State is always a bid threat with their aforementioned zone in the unpredictable NC Aprils, they lost a wealth of experience and knowledge due to graduation. Will they continue their 2023 form, or is 2024 more of a rebuilding year for Winona State?
– Anna Browne
25. Cedarville Queen Bee
2023 Finish: Unranked in Power Rankings, 4th at Ohio Valley Regionals, 15-9 record
The last spot is often the most difficult to determine, and went to Cedarville largely on the back of a predicted-to-be-burgeoning Ohio Valley. Cedarville traveled for their first two 2023 tournaments and were rewarded with valuable reps against the division’s best, Middlebury. Sure, a 13-4 loss isn’t exactly inspiring, but that kind of dedication to building your team can take a program far. And indeed, they saw relative success in the series, clean sweeping the Ohio Conference (including two universe point wins over Kenyon) and giving OV Nationals delegates Haverford/Bryn Mawr their closest game at Regionals. If the OV can earn another bid this year, expect to see the Queen Bees in the hunt.
– Theresa Diffendal
D-III Men’s
16. Navy Poseidon
2023 Finish: #8 in Power Rankings, T-5th at Nationals, 17-8 record
After capping off the 2023 season with the best Nationals performance in team history, Navy looks as if it will take a step back this upcoming spring. They graduated do-it-all superstar and Donovan finalist Max Benedetti and lost coach LCDR David Stira as he retired after eight years with the program. However, Jack Bassett returns and will lead one of the most well-conditioned teams in the division, preventing Poseidon from sliding too far down the rankings.
– Calvin Ciorba
17. Kenyon SERF
2023 Finish: #9 in Power Rankings, T-7th at Nationals, 20-6 record
Kenyon took a huge turnover blow this offseason, losing a lot of the talent that was instrumental to their run to the quarterfinals at Nationals. That said, Ethan Wagner and Tobias Hughes were some of the most impressive role players in the division last spring and played no small part in that run. In the absence of previous leadership, Wagner and Hughes will be stepping into bigger roles on and off the field. And if anyone is capable of rebuilding SERF and bringing them back to Nationals, it’s those two.
– Bix Weissberg
18. John Brown Ironfist
2023 Finish: #16 in Power Rankings, 4th at South Central Regionals, 17-11 record
No team had a tougher end to the season than John Brown last spring. Fighting for the third spot to Nationals in the South Central, Ironfist had a heroic win in the backdoor semis against the two-time defending national champions, Oklahoma Christian. However, whatever fire they caught was quickly extinguished by Colorado School of Mines in the game-to-go, where John Brown had simply used up all of their energy in the previous game. The team is filled with tall, athletic players, and will again be fighting for a third South Central bid. If Mines is legit, don’t be surprised if Ironfist are the team to earn the first-ever fourth bid in men’s D-III.
– Calvin Ciorba
19. Rochester Piggies
2023 Finish: #24 in Power Rankings, 12th at Nationals, 22-14 record
As the sixteen seed at Nationals, Rochester shocked the D-III world by qualifying for the bracket when they upset the four seed, Whitman. The loss of Metro East’s finest Ben “Biggie” Kelley leaves tough shoes to fill,1 but with one of the largest rosters in the division, the Piggies have plenty of new players2 who surely will step up.
– Calvin Ciorba
20. Occidental Detox
2023 Finish: #17 in Power Rankings, 13th at Nationals, 15-7 record
The good thing for Occidental after graduating their star Cole Lewis and many other seniors? They only have to beat a regressing Claremont in the tiny Southwest Region. The bad thing? They weren’t too competitive at Nationals, while Claremont will also be getting valuable D-III reps at D-III Grand Prix this season. However, unless Occidental loses to Claremont, we’ll keep them as our number one Southwest team. Minneapolis Mallard’s Teddy McGowan shines for Detox and will be the reason we see his squad in Milwaukee this May.
– Calvin Ciorba
21. Davidson DUFF
2023 Finish: Unranked in Power Rankings, 4th at Atlantic Coast Regionals, 9-6 record
If you looked at the end-of-season rankings for the USAU algorithm in 2023, seeing Davidson as the first team out of a strength bid may have surprised you. However, they are a sneaky good team whose faceless army plays disciplined and patient ultimate under a very thoughtful coaching staff. Carolina Kickoff provides an opportunity to grow as a team later this month and DUFF will hope to use that experience for later in the season.
– Calvin Ciorba
22. Carleton CHOP
2023 Finish: Unranked in Power Rankings, 4th at North Central Regionals, 21-16 record
Carleton CHOP will look to regain their status as a perennial Nationals-caliber team in 2024. CHOP only graduated two players from a team that was a universe point loss away from making the game-to-go at North Central Regionals last year. As always, Michael Massad’s strong coaching will lead a deep and committed roster that is sure to have multiple offensive and defensive sets well rehearsed by the time they face any opposition. Chris O’Mara, Nathan Wang and the rest of CHOP are sure to be a force to be reckoned with.
– Jacob Cowan
23. Michigan Tech DiscoTech
2023 Finish: Unranked in Power Rankings, T-5th at North Central Regionals, 16-5 record
Hailing from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Michigan Tech is ready to make some noise on the national stage. Due to their location, DiscoTech often struggle to find opportunities to play the most competitive teams in the division. This year, however, they are making the long drive down to FCS in North Carolina. Should twin brothers Clay and Colin Donajkowski and the rest of the roster survive the many hours in the car, expect them to be a problem for the rest of the division once play begins. If they find success down in North Carolina, they may just play their way into a bid and a chance at earning a spot at Nationals.
– Jacob Cowan
24. Ave Maria Gyrenes
2023 Finish: Unranked in Power Rankings, 2nd at Southeast Regionals, 10-2 record
The Florida-based squad, Ave Maria, nearly upset Berry in the 2023 Southeast Regional final on universe point after a season where they didn’t even play a regular season game. The Gyrenes will build off that success by actually playing tournaments this year and do it off the backs of Matthew Lesniewski, Liam O’Rourke, and Garrett Hallinan. Plus, it certainly doesn’t hurt that the school recognizes the ultimate team as a varsity sport.
– Calvin Ciorba
25. Davenport Panthers
2023 Finish: Unranked in Power Rankings
When Oklahoma Christian and their scholarship program first entered the ultimate scene in 2020, former D-III men’s division editor Mike Ball placed them at 25. In an homage to Mike, and for similar logic, we will also place the new scholarship school Davenport in the same place. Coach Mike Zaagman ensembled a team that includes players from seven different countries, most with pedigree already to their names. However, the Panthers have yet to step on the field for any sanctioned play, which is why they’ll sit at #25 for the time being.
– Calvin Ciorba
