The west coast takes the field to decide three bids to the 2025 D-III College Championships!
April 18, 2025 by Josh Katz and Calvin Ciorba in Preview
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There are few more exciting portions of the ultimate calendar than spring College Regionals. For some, these events will be the culmination of a season — or even college career — while for others it’s just another step on their path toward the D-III College Championships in just over a month. Count on plenty of dramatic action and unexpected results along the way as every team fights to ensure they fall into the latter group.
Two regions will take to the fields this weekend across the country to decide three more representatives heading to Burlington. We’ve got you covered on the storylines to watch.
Northwest
Score Reporter
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon
Favorites: #5 Lewis & Clark Bacchus, #6 Whitman Sweets
Contenders: #20 Puget Sound Postmen
Nationals Bids: 2
Excitement Level: 🔥🔥
On paper, Northwest ConfRegionals looks to be rather straightforward. Two top ten teams headline the field, each legitimate threats to not only win the region but go deep in the Nationals bracket next month. Lurking behind them is an underdog that racked up plenty of wins against lower caliber competition, but has yet to find a signature win this year.
Leading the pack are Lewis & Clark, looking to get back to Nationals for the third year in a row and maybe win their region for the first time in nearly a decade in the process. Max Zwerin is the headline act for Bacchus, a do-everything superstar who has spent the last two Nationals stuffing the box score, putting up a combined 37G/11A/17D statline across those two tournaments. Zwerin does most of his damage cutting deep, taking advantage of his elite athleticism, but his great understanding of field space is what makes him one of the most threatening players in the division. Leo Farley is another key player and supreme athlete who can step into just about any role and fill it with aplomb. As for who will be throwing the disc to Zwerin and Farley, those duties primarily fall to Charlie Wagner and Sam London, the latter a first-year out of Seattle with an extensive arsenal of throws and the confidence to use all of them. With impact talent up and down a deep roster, Bacchus should be considered slight favorites to take down the region.
The reason Lewis & Clark are only slight favorites? The presence of Whitman Sweets, who defeated Bacchus 13-11 back at DIII Grand Prix in February and have won the region in each of the last six seasons, beating Bacchus in the regional final in 2023 and 2024. Unlike their friends to the south, Whitman does not have one player at the center of everything. Rather, it’s a deep, multi-talented roster of players that fit together almost perfectly and execute every game plan to perfection. The most notable names for the Sweets include Kai Kirsch, Elan Siegler, Leo Dungan-Seaver, Nico Darringer, Max Fleming, and Colin Pfister, but there are just as many other names that the Sweets can count on to step up in a big moment. No matter what their opponents throw at them, Whitman has the personnel necessary to counter it, and that’s why they find themselves inside the top 10 of our Power Rankings and the USAU algorithm.
Seeded third in the tournament and 20th in our Power Rankings are Puget Sound Postmen, hoping to change what has become the standard in the Northwest in the post-pandemic era. Puget Sound got off to a hot start this year with a 13-10 win over #21 Colorado School of Mines Entropy in their first game but never really capitalized on that momentum, finishing the regular season just 2-7 against teams currently in our Power Rankings.1 Puget Sound will go as far as their core trio of Sahaj Olivar, Jeremy Gordon, and Nathan Luddington will take them. Olivar will do much of the throwing for the Postmen, and Luddington will, more often than not, be the one on the receiving end of those throws. Jackson Stapleton, a rookie, is a fierce defender who will have to slow down one of the region’s elite players if the Postmen are to pull off an upset and return to Nationals for the first time since 2018.
Rounding out the seven team field are Portland Uprise, Reed Hoot, Pacific Lutheran Reign Men, and Willamette Asylum. It would be an incredible shock to see any one of these teams in the game-to-go, much less earning a bid to Nationals. But, with the allure of a Nationals within driving distance (a rarity for the Northwest) on the horizon, anything can happen. In the end, though, seeing anything other than Whitman and Lewis & Clark holding the two bids to Nationals on Sunday night would likely be among the most surprising results of the Series.
Southwest
Score Reporter
Location: Claremont, California
Favorites: #24 Claremont Braineaters
Contenders: Occidental Detox
Nationals Bids: 1
Excitement Level: 🔥
In one of the most classic matchups at Regionals, Claremont Braineaters, Occidental Detox, and Caltech Aftermath will once again battle for the Southwest’s lone bid to Nationals.
The reigning regional champs, #24 Claremont Braineaters, enter as the clear favorites. With a record ten Nationals appearances (though often needing to win just one or two games to qualify), they show no signs of slowing down. At Southwest Showdown, Claremont dominated Occidental 13-6 and notched impressive wins over Puget Sound (13-9) and Division I’s Southern California (13-3). The 2024 Southwest Rookie of the Year, Isamu Sims, leads the charge with suffocating defense and smooth inside breaks. Juniors Elijah Axt and Arenaria Cramer provide consistent O-line play, while rookie Mitchell Yam, a standout from DC’s youth scene, will make his Series debut. If Claremont sticks to their game, a record 11th Nationals appearance is well within reach.
Occidental Detox will look to play spoiler. Detox have four Nationals appearances under their belt, most recently in 2023. While this year’s squad may not match that level, they’ve turned in solid performances, including a four-point win over Air Force and a close loss to a strong Whitman team. Senior Teddy McGowan is the heart of the team, known for his relentless cutting and crafty break throws. He’ll be supported by O-line stalwart Alex Nguyen. Occidental enters the weekend as underdogs, but Regionals always has surprises—McGowan is ready to lead the charge for one more shot at glory.
Finally, Caltech Aftermath rounds out the region. With no sanctioned games played this season, little is known about the Pasadena squad. They’ll aim to make some noise and potentially steal a win.
The other win being a 10-7 decision against #23 Davidson DUFF at D-III River City Showdown ↩
