On the sixth day of Christmas Ultiworld gave to me...six teams looking to return to the Big Dance!
December 17, 2024 by Ultiworld in Preview
Ultiworld’s coverage of the 2025 college 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.
It’s time to unwrap some presents as we introduce the 12 Days of College Ultimate. For the next 12 days, we will be releasing one gift per day, though don’t count on getting any holiday fowl: it’s all college ultimate. From highlight videos to player chatter to a season predictions, we’ve got a little something for everyone.
On the sixth day of the 12 Days of College Ultimate, we present six teams who could return to Nationals for the first time since the pandemic.
D-I Women’s Division
Cal Poly SLO SLO Motion (No previous qualifications)
In 2024, SLO Motion made waves at Stanford Invite, earning upsets over strong Victoria Vikes and Washington Element teams in pool play. They were high-variance last season, showing flashes of greatness against Nationals-caliber opponents while also dropping games against other depth teams in the region. Ultimately, Motion fell short of the game-to-go at Southwest Regionals. 2025 is a fresh slate though, and Motion are poised to take a big step forward as a program. Crucially, this season, the team add a pair of ready-made stars in Margo Donahue and Nora Snyder. Once the Callahan nominee and anchor of UC Davis, Margo will join forces with sibling Tucker Donahue to propel this SLO Motion team to a banner year. Snyder brings Team USA U-20 experience and the playmaking talent to be the rookie of the region. If their wins against regional rivals Stanford, UCSD, UCSC, Davis, and Cal this fall are any indication, SLO Motion will be taking their first Nationals trip ever this season.
Notre Dame Echo (Last qualified in 2017)
The fight at the top of the Great Lakes is always fierce, with multiple teams contending for the sole bid to Nationals. While Echo have been in the mix consistently, they haven’t made a trip to nationals since 2017 – almost two full generations of college players. Last season, Notre Dame lost a heartbreaker in the game-to-go, falling 12-10 to regional rivals Michigan Flywheel. They won a decisive game against Chicago Supernova on their way to the final though, clearly distinguishing themselves above the chasing pack. This season, Echo’s core handler Lili Hobday returns to the team one year wiser having spent time in elite club competition with Minnesota Pop this past summer. In a region where qualification is a game of inches, this may be the year things break Notre Dame’s way.
Wisconsin Bella Donna (Last qualified in 2019)
2024 was a dark year for the Wisconsin ultimate scene, with no representation at Nationals in college or club for the first time since 1995. Thankfully, Bella Donna are here to end the drought. For the past few years, the mandate for Wisconsin has remained the same: earn a strength bid for a path to Nationals that doesn’t go through powerhouse program Carleton. Last season, they came close, ultimately falling short by six ranking spots. If some of those regular season games swung the other direction by a few points though, who knows what could have happened? In 2025, Bella Donna will try once again for the strength bid. Wisconsin continue to be headlined by NOISE star Sydney French, one of the best defense-first players in the division, and return an experienced cast of players including Hannah Nygaard. The Bella Donna program has been on the upswing for awhile now, and if the algorithmic stars align, they’ll be making their triumphant return to Nationals.
D-I Men’s Division
Victoria Vikes (last qualified in 2019)
If you don’t already know who he is, wait until UVic get streamed at some point this season so that you can watch Max Pettenuzzo. No, one player cannot individually carry a team to Nationals, but Pettenuzzo is the kind of multi-talented player who can shine when given the keys to run a team, while also not being afraid to put in the dirty work on defense, and he also has that special ability to elevate the play of his teammates. After breakout seasons in the club division for Nyle Lebbell and at the D-III level for Ryan Loui-Ying, UVic have a real shot at playing well enough this spring to earn a bid… or playing well enough later this spring to nab one that another team in the deep Northwest region might earn.
Georgia Tech Tribe (last qualified in 2012)
The Grossbrothers are no longer ghostbusting,1 but rather resurrecting the spirits of 2012 when Tribe last made it to Nationals. Sam and Adam are certainly the headliners for the Southeast outfit looking to earn a bid and find their way to [insert College Championships location once it’s announced], but adding Adam Miller and Franky Fernandez to the coaching staff also speaks to the seriousness with which the team is hoping to improve by bringing in voices who have been there and done that to a talented group with lots of promise who haven’t yet accomplished much of Nationals note.
Utah Zion Curtain (last qualified in 2016)
The Utah youth scene has been pumping out great recruits for years now… and it feels like they’ve all gone to BYU. 2024 changed that when Will Selfridge, Oscar Brown, and Grayson Rettberg suited up for Zion Curtain. With a season of both college, pro, and high level club (shout out national pre-quarterfinalists Salt Lake Shrimp!) under their belts, it’s time for the star players to step up and lead Utah to the promised land of [again, we don’t know where Nationals is yet]. Even if they don’t earn a bid, there could be a few up for grabs in a potentially bid-rich Northwest.
D-III Women’s Division
Bates Cold Front
The wind has been picking up for Cold Front. Each year they seem to be inching closer and closer to nabbing a Nationals bid. Their 2024 season gave them the highest hopes they had seen in a while. While the rain (literally) came down on the regionals parade, they had remained unscathed in pool and crossover games. But Cold Front can leave the disappointment of their semifinal loss to Mount Holyoke behind and reel in the fact that they still have what it takes to make a deep bracket run at Regionals, something they haven’t done since 2019. While they have lost some pretty influential players like Jamie Bell and Ada Knauft, they are fortunate enough to remain with last year’s co-captain Liv Meyers along with downfield dominator, Claire Barlass.
Claremont Greenshirts
Claremont have the clearest path to Nationals of any team in the country. Just beat Occidental.2 That’s it. Obviously this is easier typed than accomplished but Claremont have the ability to finally wrest the Southwest bid away from their regional rivals for the first time since 2018. Despite the Greenshirts graduating a number of seniors, they still have a deep roster with a lot of legs and a lot of veterans. They will need to lean on those aspects if they want to challenge an Occidental team who have become accustomed to playing at Nationals every year.
Scranton Electric City Scranton Ultimate
This is the wildcard pick, because why not go out on a limb? Scranton don’t seem to play the regular college season, instead opting to play as a mixed team, but in 2024 split to compete in the Series for the first time in years. The women’s team shocked the division at Ohio Valley Sectionals by taking down the region’s bid earner and presumptive Nationals attendees, Haverford/Bryn Mawr. While the Sneetches were ready for Scranton at Regionals, Electric City still stunned Lehigh to make the regional final. If Lehigh manage to earn a strength bid for the AC in 2025, Scranton are serious contenders to steal it, if not wrest the autobid from Haverford/Bryn Mawr outright.
D-III Men’s Division
Elon Big Fat Bomb
I know I said last year that Elon had all the talent and energy to win and make Nationals in 2024, after losing two back-to-back games-to-go in 2023. However, even after failing to earn a bid and not even making the game-to-go in 2024, I will say the same statement – Elon will make Nationals in 2025. (Don’t worry I still have faith in my own team, the AC will just earn two bids)
The freshmen and sophomores who led the team the last two years like Reed Burket and Kalen Morrison are now upperclassmen, with more wisdom and experience for the college level. Now, they have added the best recruit in the division – USA U20 star Brayden Morrison. Even though it’s the fall season, Elon have already defeated NC State and only lost to UNC by two points. All signs are pointing towards an explosive Big Fat Bomb this year, and to not make Nationals would be a catastrophic dud.
Macalester Flat Earth Ultimate
Last year, Macalester were right on the cusp of Nationals qualification, but they couldn’t get past the two giants in the North Central, Carleton CHOP and St. Olaf Berzerkers. They went a combined 0-7 against the Northfield teams, capped by a 15-11 loss to Carleton in the game-to-go at regionals. They’ve already started to buck that trend this year, defeating St. Olaf at a fall tournament back in September. With St. Olaf graduating many of the key players from their championship run last year and Carleton always being somewhat volatile, there’s potentially a space atop the North Central pyramid for Macalester to grab. Led by Kyle and Owen Suelflow, don’t be shocked if Flat Earth end up taking the regional crown and make it to Nationals for the first time in program history.
Cedarville Swarm
Despite the 2024 implosion – when they lost three universe point games at regionals last year after coming in as the top seed – Cedarville looked all the part of a Nationals qualifier. After all, their strong regular season earned a bid. Swarm play classic small roster D-III ball, using their size to create a terrifying cup and throwing lots of deep shots. Unfortunately, zone-reliant teams often falter by regionals because teams have had the time to figure it out, and it’s usually less windy. However, if Cedarville can learn from last year’s mistakes, they have a solid chance of making it out of the the blender that is the Ohio Valley for the first time since 2014.
