D-III Men’s Division College Primer 2024

Your guide to the biggest players, teams, and stories of the 2024 D-III college season!

St. Olaf at the 2023 D-III College Championships. Photo: Kevin Wayner – UltiPhotos.com

Ultiworld’s coverage of the 2024 college ultimate season is presented by Spin Ultimate; all opinions are those of the author(s). Find out how Spin can get you, and your team, looking your best this season.

A few weeks after the New Year’s ball drops wrap up, the murmur of the coming college season begins in earnest. By the time it’s nearly February, the whirring of the hype machine is hitting a fever pitch. As the first major tournament weekend approaches, we want to make sure you’re fully prepared for another uproarious college season. Like those that came before it, get ready for the ups, the downs, the thrillers, the stars, the new kids, and all of the wonderful things that make college ultimate so beloved with our annual College Primer.

Major Storylines

Whose Year is It?

The 2023 season proved to be one of the most exciting seasons for D-III men’s ultimate in recent history. Thanks to some dramatic regional finals, multiple teams from across the country entered the national tournament with a real shot at winning it all. We all saw how it went down in the end, with Oliver Kraft leading a titanically talented Colorado College squad to a national title. The rest of the field was sent home wondering what if, and longing for another shot at the title in the 2024 season. But whose season will it be anyway? Will the season shake out like the algorithm says it should? Or will chaos take hold of the reins once again?1 With enthusiasm for the season building, let’s take a look at last year’s Nationals semifinalists and where they stand coming into 2024.

Middlebury Pranksters

Middlebury Pranksters’ Malachi Raymond at the 2023 D-III College Championships. Photo: Rudy Desort – UltiPhotos.com

The Middlebury Pranksters are always a safe bet to make a deep run into the bracket come May. Year after year, they boast a roster full of talented throwers and athletes who, according to our information, have used this last club season to their advantage. The Pranksters are returning with a VERY healthy amount of playmakers, Malachi Raymond and Ethan Lavallee chief among them. They also debut an ominous rookie class with an exciting amount of YCC and even world team experience. You’ll want to remember the names Charles Crounse and Calder Lange; expect them to waste no time getting up to speed and called to the line when it matters. Middlebury will undoubtedly be wanting another shot at the title, and while they may be all fun and games off the field, the second they step on the line, their opponents will need to be at their best if they want to win.

Richmond Spidermonkeys

Richmond Spidermonkeys’ coach Matthew Graves talks in the huddle at the 2023 D-III College Championships. Photo: Rudy Desort – UltiPhotos.com

After a semifinal loss to the eventual national champions, the Richmond Spidermonkeys will be hoping to build on the success they experienced last year and make it all the way. If it’s ever going to be the year of the Spidermonkey, it may have to be this year. Many of their top playmakers are graduating seniors and after coming so close last year, don’t be surprised if they leave it all out on the field in 2024. Ultiworld’s own Calvin Ciorba, a junior at Richmond, will be one to step up alongside that outstanding group of seniors to ensure they stay within striking distance of the top. Be ready for Richmond coaches Matthew Graves and Keys Pattie to be bringing a battle-hardened and disciplined team to every tournament they attend; maybe they’ll even win a few of them too.

Colorado College Wasabi

Colorado College’s 2024 captain Tanner Flagg with the kickspike after scoring in the 2023 D-III College Championship final. Photo: Kevin Wayner – UltiPhotos.com

Not a ton to say about Colorado College Wasabi. We know they can get to the top and finish the job. The only question is, can they do it again? The loss of Oliver Kraft and Lincoln Grench weighs heavy, but if 2023 Rookie of The Year Oliver van Linder can be the do-it-all player he was last year,  Wasabi are going to be one spicy squad. Anyone who’s watched Colorado College play also has to respect Tanner Flagg. An incredibly disciplined player, he was able to shine last year, even when surrounded by players like Kraft and Grench. With van Linder and Flagg leading the way and the team feeding off the energy of being reigning national champions, expect Colorado College Wasabi to come barreling into the 2024 season, ready to win.

St. Olaf Berzerkers

St. Olaf celebrate at the 2023 D-III College Championships. Photo: Kevin Wayner – UltiPhotos.com

Prior to COVID, St. Olaf garnered little attention in the D-III men’s community. Things drastically changed with the addition of the superstar rookie Will Brandt in the fall of 2021, when the Berzerkers went from missing Nationals to earning a spot in the semifinal. Since then St. Olaf has been buoyed at the top, with a finals appearance in 2022 and another semi spot in 2023. This could be the Berzerkers’ last serious shot at a title for awhile, so coaches Luke Bleers, Caleb Szydlo, Aidan Clements, and Dave Truesdale have a lot on their plate heading into this year. Although the Northfield squad has plenty of other talented players like Matt Kompelien, Eric Crosby Lehmann, and Cade Ashland, the team has lacked the necessary depth to breakthrough and win a title. Finding a way to maximize the whole team instead of running everything through Brandt could be the key to a championship this year.

Can Oklahoma Christian Return to Their Former Glory?

Oklahoma Christian's Emmanuel Kameri. Photo: William 'Brody' Brotman -- UltiPhotos.com
Oklahoma Christian’s Emmanuel Kameri. Photo: William ‘Brody’ Brotman — UltiPhotos.com

At this point in the offseason, even Oklahoma Christian is tired of hearing about Oklahoma Christian. Speculating on their enigmatic results from South Central Regionals has become conversational fodder for the everyday D-III men’s fanatic. The offseason spotlight has shone as glaringly on Oklahoma Christian as it has on any 2023 Nationals-qualifying team, and for good reason. The success and controversy surrounding the program for the past few years means it’s gonna take more than one disappointing weekend to stop the Ultiworld staff from speculating on their chances. Let’s take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly:

Here’s what’s promising:

  • The Eagles return nine players from their 2022 championship team, including standout juniors Emmanuel Kameri and Samuel Roberts.
  • More than half their roster played on the same club team this past season, Barnstorm. Does it matter if they got past Sectionals?2 No, because they built chemistry.
  • The rival juggernauts of their region, Colorado College and Missouri S&T, each lost a pair of star players.
  • There’s nothing like a disappointing postseason to give you something to prove next time around. They’ll be eager to return to the national stage.

And some concerns:

  • This is the first season since their scholarship program debuted that their roster does not feature any standout rookie recruits.
  • Emmanuel Bilolo’s departure means their roster lacks a semi-pro player for the first time since 2021’s Kyle Henke Show.
  • In Ultiworld’s preseason D-III Men’s Power Rankings, there were four South Central teams in the Top 25. A fifth team sits on the periphery of that ranking (Truman State). Oklahoma Christian’s competition will be aplenty.

What awaits Oklahoma Christian? Time will tell. The position they find themselves in this upcoming season means virtually anything is possible.

D-III’s 2023 Bid Victims

Is it time to reconsider how D-III allocates bids? The D-III division remains unique in that it only has six strength bids, compared to D-I’s ten, and Club’s eight (and soon to possibly be twelve). Multiple teams had strong regular seasons with wins over multiple National qualifying teams but could not make it out of Regionals. We’ll save whether D-III should get more bids for another day, but it’s interesting to see who fell victim to the few bids available, and whether we’ll see them at Nationals or not this year.

Victim #1 – Bowdoin Clown

Chris Cassella was nearly proved dead wrong in the 2023 D-III Men’s Primer when New England looked like it was only going to earn one bid by the end of the regular season. Williams, the favorite to earn that second bid, had a lackluster regular season since they were focusing on development. Losses to Boston College and Tufts B knocked WUFO out of bid contention and it looked bleak for New England. However, Bowdoin came out of nowhere and played their only two tournaments in the final two weeks of the season, going undefeated and reclaiming a second bid. Clown haven’t shown up in the same way they did in the 2010s, so it was a surprise to many in the division. They then went on to defeat Middlebury in their conference championship, but unfortunately for them suffered a loss to a Williams team peaking at the right time.

If Williams can have a better regular season, and Bowdoin decides to go to more challenging tournaments to test them for Regionals’ nerves, they have a fantastic chance at not only going to Nationals but making a run in the bracket. The loss of Ian Zogg will certainly be tough, but we may see new stars emerge for Clown like Homer LaBranche and Cole Fairfield.

Victim #2 – Elon Big Fat Bomb

Unlike Bowdoin who suffered from Williams not earning a bid, Elon simply did not play well enough in the regular season to get the Atlantic Coast a third bid. They were a very young team that relied heavily on their rookies which provided some odd results. Wins against Nationals teams like Berry and Butler looked fantastic on Big Fat Bomb’s resume, but a 13-6 loss to Oberlin and a universe game against a not-so-great Air Force team were too difficult for their algorithm to overcome.

When Regionals came around the corner, Elon played like the real deal, defeating Navy in pool play. Richmond and Navy were battle-tested enough to come out on top in both games to go, but both games ended with close results. BFB claimed revenge on both teams this fall, winning by large margins. Although fall results should always be taken with a grain of salt, this season looks promising.

The resurgence of Elon, who has not made Nationals since 2015, comes from two fantastic years of recruiting. Last year Tri-Force stars Reed Burkert and Kalen Morrison both decided to go to the university, along with this year’s new rookies Justin Brader-Araje, another Tri-Force player, and Ben Patterson. BFB graduated only Vincent Chen, and, like Bowdoin, could not only make Nationals this year, but compete in it. The only glaring issue with Elon is their lack of a coach,3 but their star power may overpower that deficit this year.

Victim #3 – Oberlin Flying Horsecows

Oberlin’s strange 2023 practically replicated Richmond’s 2022 season. Richmond had a great regular season with big wins over Berry and Oberlin and close losses to future semifinalists St. Olaf and Middlebury. The Spidermonkeys then went on to lose a humiliating 15-3 blowout to Navy to miss Nationals for the first time since 2015. Oberlin’s 2023 consisted of defeating multiple Nationals teams like Berry, Butler, Lewis and Clark, and Whitman. However, in the semifinals of Ohio Valley Regionals, Scranton, a team who didn’t play a regular season game, knocked out the Flying Horsecows in an inexplicable 14-5 beatdown.

I mention Richmond’s 2022 season because in 2023, the team internalized that Navy loss, made mentality changes, and worked harder than ever, eventually winning the region and making it back to the semifinals. Oberlin has most likely thought about the Scranton game every day since, and will work hard to make sure that doesn’t happen this year. Hard losses fuel teams like no other; Oberlin could make quite the impact this season.

The team graduates almost no one, bringing back one of the division’s best juniors Ben Fuguet. Additionally, coach Meghan Drews will certainly make this Oberlin squad deadly this year.

A Viewer’s Guide to the Season

So you want to follow along with the D-III men’s division this year. Great! You’re in the right place. Unfortunately, you’ve got a particularly tricky task in front of you. While it is widely understood what the biggest weekends are in Division I (think Florida Warm Up, Prez Day, Easterns, etc.), it’s less clear when it comes to The People’s Division™. To make your viewing experience a little easier, here’s a breakdown of the biggest weekends in the division. Block out time in your calendars to refresh Twitter4 and pray your favorite team’s designated Tweeter5 knows how to use threads.

Before we get into the schedule though, let’s set the scene. For many reasons, Division III is the harder collegiate division of the two to follow. Whereas top D-I teams tend to travel across the country to marquee tournaments that garner a lot of media coverage, D-III teams typically have less institutional knowledge and player investment, making it hard to justify the financial and logistical burdens of such a trip. On top of that, there are fewer D-III teams than D-I teams: in the 2023 men’s divisions, 88 D-III teams were ranked by USAU compared to 179 D- I teams. On the women’s side, 53 D-III teams to 179 D-I.6 Teams are spread more disparately, resulting in tournaments with only a few D-III teams amongst almost all D-I teams. It’s often hard to contextualize results in this landscape.

That being said, a couple of tournaments are geared towards fostering competition between top D-III teams and will provide the backbone for the season. Chronologically, the first will be the D3 Grand Prix in Oregon hosted by Lewis & Clark. The inaugural edition of this tournament will host a number of teams from the west coast on February 10th and 11th. Later, Mike Ball7 will host the annual D-III FCS Tune Up, now a staple of the division for several years. The tournament will host teams from seven regions, including at least seven 2023 Nationals-qualifying teams. Crucially, Xavier BLOB and Whitman Sweets will make the trip to both tournaments and provide some much-needed connectivity. Frankly, you should highlight both these weekends on your calendar now.

Supplementing these major events will be more broadly marketed tournaments that will still attract a healthy number of D-III competitors. You can find some of them below and expect to hear more in our weekly analysis, wrap-ups, and power rankings.

Midwest:

West Coast:

Northeast:

East Coast:

Armed with these key dates and supported by the largest team ever assembled to cover the D-III men’s division, expect to be more dialed in than ever this spring.

Players to Watch

Will Brandt (St. Olaf Berzerkers)

St. Olaf Berzerkers’ Will Brandt goes for the clap catch at the 2023 D-III College Championships. Photo: Kevin Wayner – UltiPhotos.com

What hasn’t been said about Will Brandt yet? He’s won D-III ROTY, won OPOTY twice, is one of the main contributors for Sub Zero and Windchill, and earned an invite to U24 tryouts.8 Brandt can do and will do everything on the field, sometimes acting as the initiating cutter or as a center handler. He can jump over every defender, throw hucks with pinpoint accuracy, and get the block back after a turn. This is Brandt’s last shot at a collegiate title, and prepare for it to be his best year yet.

Danny Klein (Williams WUFO)

Williams WUFO’s Danny Klein has eyes for the disc at the 2022 D-III College Championships. Photo: William “Brody” Brotman – UltiPhotos.com

A man with no fear of shooting the disc, Danny Klein dominated in the handler space at Nationals in 2024, notching twenty-eight assists. He may have thrown the exact same amount of turns, but Williams doesn’t have nearly the same success without his throwing prowess, as WUFO ran the entire offense through him. Klein has one of the quickest releases in the game, and uses everything in his arsenal from hucks to blades to hammers. Expect the All-American second-teamer to fight for OPOTYium if he can limit the turns while continuing his assist count.

Collin Hill (Berry Bucks)

Berry Bucks’ Collin Hill at the 2023 D-III College Championships. Photo: Rudy Desort – UltiPhotos.com

Whenever the Berry Bucks take the field, Collin Hill is the one to watch. He is an expert thrower who can put it in the end zone from just about anywhere on the field, as his thirty-two assists at last year’s Nationals prove. This being Hill’s final season at Berry, he’s going to have his eyes on the prize more than ever before. His future in ultimate is no doubt very bright, and only time will tell if there will be a Donovan Award in it as well.

 

Oliver van Linder (Colorado College Wasabi)

Colorado College’s Billy van Linder throws a flick at the 2023 D-III College Championships. Photo: Rudy Desort – UltiPhotos.com

He may only be a sophomore, but 2023 ROTY Oliver van Linder is immediately moving up to the group of players D-III fans need to pay attention to this season. O-line center handling for a National Champion team is no easy task, and to do it as a first year makes it all the more impressive. Van Linder racked up sixteen assists and six goals at Nationals. With Grench and Kraft gone, Van Linder will be forced to pick up a lot of the load the two former Wasabi stars leave behind. It’s not an easy task, but if Colorado College wants to make it back to the finals, van Linder will be the player who leads them there.

Sammy Roberts (Oklahoma Christian Eagles)

Oklahoma Christian's Sammy Roberts. Photo: William 'Brody' Brotman -- UltiPhotos.com
Oklahoma Christian’s Sammy Roberts. Photo: William ‘Brody’ Brotman — UltiPhotos.com

The last time Sammy Roberts played on the national stage, all he did was drop three goals, 20 assists, and nine Ds en route to winning a second-consecutive national championship and being selected the unanimous rookie of the year. In that tournament he displayed an enviable defensive versatility, a field-warping hucking ability, and the poise to completely take over a point. Two years older and now in his junior season, expect Roberts to display these skills and more that we have yet to see as he leads Oklahoma Christian on their revenge tour after last year’s end of season mishaps.

Malachi Raymond (Middlebury Pranksters)

MIddlebury Prankster’s Malachi Raymond releases a backhand at the 2023 D-III College Championships. Photo: Kevin Wayner – UltiPhotos.com

There’s a lot of talk about how much better Middlebury got last year due to the their massively talented freshman class. But perhaps the biggest add for the Pranksters last year was captain Malachi Raymond, who was sidelined the entire 2021-2022 season due to injury. Raymond’s impact was immediate, earning DPOTY after his performance in Ohio. What makes Raymond so dangerous is not the number of blocks, but the lockdown defense he provides. If Raymond didn’t get any blocks, it’s because his matchups simply weren’t open. After a summer of playing Sub-Zero, Raymond will not be a player offenses want to see as they line up.

Jack Bassett (Navy Poseidon)

Navy Poseidon’s Jack Bassett catches a goal at the 2023 D-III College Championships. Photo: Rudy Desort – UltiPhotos.com

Last year’s BPOTY Jack Bassett could not be guarded at Nationals, hauling in a tournament-leading 27 goals. It sounds strange, but Bassett’s role may have to be even larger this spring after the loss of center handler Max Benedetti. Bassett will most likely require the disc in hand more often to build on his ten assists at Nationals. In a year where it looks as if Navy will take a step back, all eyes will be on Bassett to see how he can lead Poseidon to a fourth-straight Nationals qualification.9

 

Rising Stars

Eric Crosby Lehmann

Eric Crosby Lehmann (St. Olaf Berzerkers)

Eric Crosby Lehmann is one of the most exceptional athletes in the division, and he has been for a while. It’s telling that Eric Crosby Lehman is the only player in the division with a feature in Ultiworld’s 2023 Block Of The Year Bracket. Now that Luke Bleers has graduated, it’s Crosby Lehmann who will emerge to inherit the Zerk’s D-line throne. He and Brandt are going to have some fun bullying the division this year.

Leo Dungan-Seaver (Whitman Sweets)

Whitman is a team that heavily relies on flashy playmaking, with lots of hucks and pressure defense after a turn. Behind those flashy plays most of the time? Leo Dungan-Seaver. The Minnesota YCC native (like many D-III star players somehow) is now a junior, and will be leading the Sweets offense with the graduation of Tyler Shanahan. Dungan-Seaver has every huck in the book, and in case they don’t connect, he’ll be the guy getting the layout block to get back on offense.

Ethan Wagner (Kenyon SERF)

Ethan Wagner’s Nationals was defined perfectly by his 2023 BPOTY podium award. As a team that didn’t make Nationals in 2022, Kenyon came back in 2023 with a purpose – thanks partially to Wagner. Ultiworld staff did not have much knowledge about the then-sophomore, but they certainly did by the end of Nationals. The SERF star came out of nowhere and scored 24 goals and six assists to only six turns. Now the primary playmaker with the graduation of Owen Hevly and other seniors, Wagner will have some work ahead to get his squad to Milwaukee this year, but he has the tools to get them there.

Sam Papin (Missouri S&T Miner Threat)

The player with the most blocks at Nationals in 2023 was not Malachi Raymond. It was not Ray Mauntel. It was not Will Brandt. It was then-sophomore Sam Papin from Missouri S&T who exploded into D-III Nationals with 12 blocks on the weekend. Papin’s quickness combined with his ability to throw his body around the field proved deadly against opposing offenses. Now with All-Americans Ray Mauntel and Michael Lahmeyer graduated, Miner Threat will rely on Papin if they want to repeat the same success they found last year.

Louis Douville Beaudoin (Middlebury Pranksters)

The sophomore class of Pranksters is really something to behold. While there are multiple members that we could highlight as a rising star in the division, Louis Douville Beaudoin warrants special attention. In his first semester on the team10 LDB was potentially his team’s best individual defender as well as a dynamic offensive threat on the turn. After a summer spent gaining high level club reps with New England DiG, he’s sure to spend his sophomore season continuing terrorizing opposing team’s O-lines on a Middlebury team that will get a lot of breaks. Expect to hear announcers struggle to pronounce Louis’s last name in the biggest games in the division for years to come.

William Norry (Grinnell Grinnellephants)

Although Jacob Cowan received the primary focus for Grinnell last year, Norry had a fantastic 2023 season as well. The Grinellephant’s now-junior broke out in Ohio with twenty assists thanks to his strong throwing prowess. Norry could have some of the best hucks in the division, but he’s also fantastic when it comes to playing calm zone offense, which is a must in the blustery North Central region. A strong leader on and off the field, Grinnell will look up to Norry to lead them back to Nationals without Cowan.

Clay Rosselot (Richmond Spidermonkeys)

Clay Rosselot may not be a name you heard much in the 2023 season, but he is quietly one of Richmond’s best defenders, specifically in the handler space. Yes, Richmond was a team that relied on its depth and systems to reach the semifinals, but they still needed playmakers to earn the necessary blocks on defense. Rosselot, a junior, is a smart handler on the turn and will be an integral part of Richmond’s success as a team this year.

Reed Burkert (Elon Big Fat Bomb)

This could be Reed Burkert’s coming out year for Elon Big Fat Bomb. Only a freshman last year, the former Tri-Force alum brought Elon back into the national conversation. Whether its burning all his defenders deep or throwing the deep ball himself, Burkert can do it all for Elon. Defensively, he’s not too shabby either, taking all the toughest matchups and usually winning them. What makes Burkert so dangerous, however, might be his stamina–playing over three-fourths of the points in classic D-III star style.

Deeper Cuts

Atlantic Coast
Eric Harnisher – Sophomore, Richmond
Kalen Morrison – Sophomore, Elon
Truman Sandy – Freshman, Davidson

Great Lakes
Rowan Jamieson – Freshman, Davenport
Joel Close – Senior, Grace
Samuel Ingham – Junior, Butler

Metro East
Jack Noble – Junior, Wesleyan
Mitch Whisner – Junior, Rochester
Prosser Friedman – Junior, Connecticut College

New England
Charles Crounse – Senior, Middlebury
Homer LaBranche- Senior, Bowdoin
Reed Kendall- Senior, Williams

North Central
Ezra Cohen – Freshman, Macalester
Solomon Golden – Senior, Grinnell
Nathan Wang – Junior, Carleton

Northwest
Sebastian Williamson – Senior, Lewis and Clark
Xander Nobel Rudolph- Junior, Puget Sound
Jackson Schmeckel – Freshman, Whitworth

Ohio Valley
Ryan Ward – Sophomore, Oberlin
Daniel Perrin – Freshman, Swarthmore
Nicky Forsyth – Sophomore, Kenyon

Southeast
Eli Hoshide – Freshman, Berry
Connor Rigby – Junior, Union
Michael Cashin- Freshman, Embry Riddle

South Central
Nico Martinez – Freshman, Colorado College
Randy Lahm – Sophomore, Colorado School of Mines
Riley Scott – 5th year, Truman State

Southwest
Teddy McGowan – Junior, Occidental
Alex Ngyuen – Freshman, Occidental
Isamu Sims – Freshman, Claremont

You’re All Underrating…

Navy Poseidon

Navy was undoubtedly underrated last season. Finishing tied for fifth at D-III Nationals after coming into the tournament ranked eleventh speaks for itself. Even with their finish last year, we at Ultiworld just ranked them #16 going into the 2024 season. Will the Navy Poseidon have a bone to pick with us? Maybe. Am I worried about angering the Naval Academy’s ultimate team? Definitely. But I would like to go on record to say two things. First, I believe in them. They are easily the best conditioned team in the division11 and if they can execute their throws and get the disc to their athletes, they should be in the conversation as a threat come Nationals. Secondly, they have the dopest team name in any division in college ultimate. I mean the Navy Poseidon, come on. Something about the lack of a plural noun here just does it for me. All that  said, best of luck to Navy Poseidon this season.

– Matt Fazzalaro

Colorado School of Mines Entropy

Lots of debate ensued about the biggest surprise Nationals-qualifying team when Colorado School of Mines upset John Brown at Regionals. Are Entropy legit? Or did they just find John Brown at their lowest? Mines did not have any real signature wins from the regular season and only won close games in consolation at Nationals. However, you’re all underrating what making Nationals does for a program. The biggest stage in the division can spark a feeling you don’t get anywhere else. The hunger for that same feeling will be the carrot on a stick for Entropy this year, and with little roster turnover and a couple of new YCC freshmen, don’t be surprised when I say “I told you so” after they make the bracket this year at Nationals.

– Calvin Ciorba

Whitman Sweets

Sure, Whitman underperformed at Nationals last year. And yeah, it’s a tough draw when one of the top players in the division decides to go abroad in the spring and miss the season.12 Those two things put quite the damper on a Whitman team that had a strong regular season last year. Whitman has a good chance of outperforming preseason expectations for two reasons. First, they lined up one of the more competitive regular season schedules. Playing at the D3 Grand Prix, FCS, and Northwest Challenge will provide the team with intense and high-pressure games and prepare them well for the postseason. Also, have you heard the name Leo Dungan-Seaver? The star junior (and future All-American) has some of the best hucks and craziest layouts in the division, and is a perfect talisman for a Whitman team that is passionate, zany, and rides the ups and downs that really are emblematic of The People’s Division. When the Sweets return to Nationals, they might just exceed their finish from last year.

– Jacob Cowan

Wesleyan Nietzsch Factor

Recent developments in the Metro East bode well for dark horses like Wesleyan. A short list of typical semifinalists in the region features Connecticut College, Rochester, and The College of New Jersey. Both Rochester and Connecticut College will be reeling from substantial turnover this season. The College of New Jersey will be missing their All-Region talents Joshua Simpson and Brian Nigro. This puts Wesleyan, who returns almost their entire roster, in prime position to compete for a bid. Wesleyan will be missing the steadfast backfield presence of Sam Harris and a handful of other absentees, but juniors Daniel Glickman and Jack “Barnes” Noble are more than capable of taking the reins. The (potential) addition of a coach is a promise of hope for a Wesleyan team with their sights set on Milwaukee this spring.

– Bix Weissberg

Carthage Blitz

They’re seeded so low coming into Regionals that no one bats an eye when they arrive. By the end of the weekend they’ve not only broken seed, but they’ve given the region’s best a run for their money

Sound familiar? Probably because, to a great many 2023 D-III teams, it is. A  number of regions saw underdogs turn to overachievers at Regionals last year. Carthage was one of those teams, alongside the likes of Scranton and Ave Maria. Seeded seventh, Carthage vanquished Carleton CHOP and Michigan Tech and landed themselves in North Central’s game-to-go against Grinnell. Falling 14-10 to Cowan & Co. doesn’t make their run any less impressive, and their staying power in last year’s Regionals bracket shan’t be forgotten.

– Bix Weissberg

Truman State JujiTSU

Its easy to be counted out when there are five other stacked teams in a region, and Truman State is one of those over looked teams. They probably would have earned the South Central a fourth bid last year if it wasn’t for a choke against Michigan Tech at King of the Hill, who they’d beaten the day before.

JujiTSU is reloading for the 2024 season with seven players who played club ultimate this summer. Now this may be my home-state Missouri bias, but JujiTSU may have a chance at either earning a bid, or playing as a dangerous darkhorse come Regionals. At least expect Liam Bogue and Riley Scott to fight Truman State’s way into our Top 25 by the end of the year.

– Calvin Ciorba

The Current Power Rankings


  1. Let’s be honest, everyone loves a little chaos 

  2. They did, coming in 6th at Regionals and qualifying for Select Flight 

  3. Which I’d argue played into their regional losses last year 

  4. X? 

  5. X-er? 

  6. Shoutout to Scott Dunham for aggregating these numbers. 

  7. We miss you and thank you for everything you did and do for this division! 

  8. And looking back on it was certainly snubbed 

  9. Navy qualified for nationals in winter 2021 but could not attend 

  10. Douville Beaudoin started at Middlebury in February of 2023 as one of the 100 or so students that start in February every year as opposed to the more typical August start 

  11. For obvious reasons 

  12. Looking at you Kai, wherever you are in the world 

  1. Bix Weissberg
    Bix Weissberg

    Bix Weissberg plays O-line on the Oberlin Flying Horsecows. He has a love for disc and enjoys writing about DIII college frisbee. In his free time he can be found eating something tasty and smiling. You can reach him at [email protected]

  2. Calvin Ciorba
    Calvin Ciorba

    Calvin Ciorba is a D-III Men's writer currently studying Leadership and Economics in his junior year at the University of Richmond. He started his ultimate career in St. Louis, MO playing ultimate at Ladue High School and St. Louis Storm YCC, when he also created the popular frisbee Instagram account Discmemes. Now he has sold the account and plays for the UR Spidermonkeys. You can find him on twitter @calvin_ciorba for passionate takes on the "People's Division."

  3. Matt Fazzalaro
    Matt Fazzalaro

    Matt began playing ultimate in 2017 at Lambert High school in Forsyth County, Georgia. In his college career he played one year with the Samford Dogma and three years with the Georgia Jojah. Matt cites the Athens, GA ultimate community as the best he has ever experienced and also fell in love with goalty there. Matt now lives, works, and plays ultimate in Atlanta, GA.

  4. Jacob Cowan
    Jacob Cowan

    Jacob Cowan began playing ultimate in New York City in high school. After a couple of club seasons with Brooklyn Blueprint and following a college career playing with and captaining the Grinnell Grinnellephants, he is now searching for the best cheap meal in Madrid.

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