No pool went to seed and a double-digit seed is guaranteed in quarters after a classically chaotic day of D-III ultimate
May 18, 2025 by Bix Weissberg in Recap
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BURLINGTON, WA – The weather was chaotic, the dances were silly, and the frisbee was thrown. Welcome back to D-III Men’s Nationals. Day One’s pool play action was defined by dominant teams and serious upsets. Pools A and C saw seeding fly out the window first thing, with underdogs clawing their way into tomorrow’s bracket. Meanwhile, the weekend’s clear title favorites made their presence known. Read on for the top stories from pool play, and stay tuned to our 2025 D-III College National Championships event page for updates, as well as streaming links for all live games!
Bottom Seed Sweepstakes
Claremont, is that you? Do my eyes deceive me? The 15th-seeded Braineaters came into the weekend looking like Pool C’s weakest link, but their early morning blockbuster against Oklahoma Christian made one thing clear: this is no ordinary bottom seed. In a tight contest, it was Claremont’s handler core, led by Mitchell Yam and Arenaria Cramer, that made the difference. The rookie/veteran duo sliced through the OC zone with practiced patience and a healthy dose of hammers. Elijah Axt, Isaiah Curtis and Jamie Miller rounded out the supporting cast, whose combined effort secured a universe point upset against Oklahoma Christian. Claremont didn’t stop there, securing another upset (this time convincingly) against Richmond in the last round to grasp their spot in the bracket. The Braineaters have arrived in style, but they’ll need to maintain this momentum again Rochester in prequarters if they want to make a deep bracket run.
The first-round fireworks were not limited to Claremont’s efforts. Across the complex, Bowdoin Clown decided to make their long trip from Maine a winning time. Bowdoin began the weekend by putting away a favored Franciscan team in one of the day’s biggest blowouts. While surmounting a dominant Davenport squad proved too tall a task, Clown capped a successful day with a tight win against another higher-seeded squad, Missouri S&T Miner Threat. Future opponents looking to replicate Davenport’s feat will need an answer to the sensational Cole Fairfield, who finished as today’s scoring leader by an outrageous eight-goal margin. Expect him to shine in Bowdoin’s upcoming prequarterfinal showdown with Wesleyan.
A Classic Rivalry Delivers
Whether it takes place during pool play or as a bracket blockbuster, Oklahoma Christian vs. Richmond is one of the division’s annual delights. Today’s matchup did not disappoint. Led by the dependable Clay Rosselot, the Spidermonkeys took an early lead, and Calvin Ciorba’s aggressive looks kept them ahead. OC struggled to find their offensive rhythm but managed to stay alive thanks to Luke Norby’s downfield prowess.
With the two teams trading blows down the stretch, the game intensified and eventually arrived at a seemingly inevitable universe point. The stage was set. After forcing a mishandled reset throw, Sammy Roberts calmed the Eagles’ nerves with a critical timeout. That was all OC needed to convert the break and come out on top of the annual thriller. After a stunning loss to Claremont, OC needed this victory to keep their bracket chances and their morale alive. The Eagles live to fly another day, into prequarters against Elon. For Richmond however, it marked their second of three defeats, dropping the Spidermonkeys to the bottom of Pool C and shockingly leaving them out of the bracket entirely.
Early Favorites Emerge
By mid-afternoon, Davenport and Middlebury established themselves as this weekend’s frontrunners. Middlebury’s deadly offense was led by Peter Mans and Geir Hartl, who used the wings strapped on his head and his feet to blow by Lewis & Clark Bacchus. Oscar de Swaan Arons was Middlebury’s surprise weapon, dancing in the handler space and dishing pretty break throws to veteran cutters.
Middlebury wasn’t the only ones to cruise into quarterfinals unscathed. In their rainy livestream game with Bowdoin, Davenport played through the majority of their roster and looked untouchable in the process. The Panthers raked in highlight plays, from the veteran Tyler Shanahan to the fiery Juraj Hurny. Stuck on the same side of the bracket however, if the Pranksters and the Panthers continue their current dominance they’ll be set to collide in a must-watch semifinal.
