D-III College Championships 2025: Wesleyan Win, Vicious Victorious (Women’s Final Recap)

Wesleyan focused on minimizing errors and letting their stars shine en route to their first championship in program history

July 2, 2025 by Anna Browne in Recap

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In the 1v2 matchup fans were clamoring for, Wesleyan Vicious Circles and Haverford/Bryn Mawr Sneetches rode undefeated tournament showings to the national final, each looking to secure their program’s first championship. While the two teams met twice at Bring the Huckus back in February, with Vicious Circles securing two two-point wins, the Sneetches were notably missing star and Donovan winner Zoe Costanza. With both squads prepped and at full strength, Nationals in May added another chapter in the rivalry.

Both Wesleyan and Haverford/Bryn Mawr boasted a level of depth a cut above the other teams at the tournament — each saw a goal or assist from over a full line of players in the semifinals, as Haverford/Bryn Mawr had eight players put up a point in their 14-11 win over Middlebury, while Wesleyan had an incredible 14 players score in their 15-2 win over Lewis & Clark. Wesleyan coach Keith Raynor believed that the team who got the most contributions from their depth would come away with the victory.

Said Sneetches arrived at the fields already battle tested from the morning’s adventures. Coach Liz Hart shared that in normal D-III style, several Sneetches showed up at the coaches’ door looking for breakfast food, as all of their bagels had molded overnight.

With substitutions of yogurt from the coaches, Hart shifted to on-the-field schemes. Coaching would prove to be the difference maker, as Hart hoped the wind would pick up to create more challenging looks for Wesleyan’s throwers and allow the Sneetches’ zone to thrive, while Raynor was eager to see how his handler core would do against the Sneetches’ cup.

Wesleyan Starts Out Strong

Despite stacked lines from both squads to start the contest – Costanza, Erica Collin, Sonia and Celia Nicholson, Olivia Davis, Clara Morton, and Phoebe Hulbert for the Sneetches, Scout Noble, Milo Brown, Susannah Cornell, Amelia Platt, Sofia Canoutas-Nadel, Nora Jacobson, and Kayla Harrison for Wesleyan – numerous low-percentage away shots, frazzled throws, and impressive defense (notably from Wesleyan) resulted in a pileup of turns as the nerves of a national final hit both squads.

While this was unsurprising for two teams who haven’t sniffed the final in years, it was a marked departure from the dominance both had flashed at points in the tournament. Wesleyan put together the best drive first, grinding it through their stars on a fast break until Milo Brown elevated for the score and the first break of the game. The Vicious Circles escaped the marathon first with a massive morale boost.

Wesleyan continued that defensive intensity through the next few points, with Maggie Brown and Canoutas-Nadel generating run-through blocks. While Rufus Helmreich responded with a run-through block of their own, one of six in the contest, Haverford/Bryn Mawr was unable to shift the energy as Wesleyan broke again with superb endzone offense.

Sensing the tone shift, Haverford/Bryn Mawr took the first timeout of the game. Unlike how they’d found success throughout the season, the Sneetches were trying to force the offense through their stars, notably Costanza and Collin, while Wesleyan was playing patiently and disciplined. The Sneetches attempted to put the first two points behind them, leaning on high energy as they came out of the timeout huddle.

The Sneetches’ coaching staff knew what they were missing, and they ran an offensive point almost entirely through their depth, with Costanza, Collin, and Helmreich taking a backseat as Sonia Nicholson ran the offense before finding Anja Kottmann for their first hold of the day.

The Sneetches were on the verge of a morale shift, and sent out a stacked line, looking poised to try for their first break. Wesleyan had other ideas, and put together an almost clean hold on the backs of Noble and Natalie Sweet to quell Haverford/Bryn Mawr’s early hopes of a comeback.

Wesleyan executed their pregame gameplan to perfection, utilizing their depth on both sides of the disc and trusting their throwers to make plays. The defensive intensity they showcased to start the game became the difference maker early on, as players like Susannah Cornell and Mackenzie Bunnell generated several blocks with their athleticism.

“[Coach] Keith Raynor gave us good matchups based on his scouting,” shared Wesleyan captain Nat Sweet. That scouting proved fruitful, as Wesleyan defenders got the best of their matchups throughout the game. Canoutas-Nadel had Costanza’s offensive tendencies figured out, and essentially locked her down on multiple possessions through the game. Haverford/Bryn Mawr was startled, with Costanza and Collin struggling to find their groove.

 

The Sneetches’ zone generated turns, but their offense was rushed, leading to numerous throwing errors. This trend continued for the next few points, as Wesleyan broke twice to jump out to a 5-1 lead on the backs of their deep team, especially their strong cutters. While Haverford/Bryn Mawr had a chance on a deep look that went a bit too far, Wesleyan was clearly in control, proving they deserved the top overall seed.

Sneetches Can’t Catch a Break

With Wesleyan up 5-2, Haverford/Bryn Mawr forced a turnover, giving them the best break chance of the game so far. The Sneetches couldn’t punch it in however, turning back multiple opportunities–punctuated by another overthrown huck–and Wesleyan escaped with the hold to extend the lead back to four. This proved to be a common refrain.

The next points brought more of the same: a disciplined Haverford/Bryn Mawr offense grinded through the Wesleyan defense for their second, then third clean holds of the day, and block attempts by Helmreich and Costanza gave the Sneetches further break looks. But their D-line offense’s struggles to convert continued, and Wesleyan’s phenomenal endzone execution after getting the disc back allowed Vicious Circles to counter every time and enter half with an 8-4 lead. The Sneetches headed into halftime looking stunned.

 

Sweet, one of Wesleyan’s captains, applauded the team’s resilience, comparing it to the team’s comeback universe point win over Davenport: “We got flustered by [Davenport’s] zone and started making mistakes from the pressure. After pool play, [leadership] talked about how to stay focused on our systems during tight games.

“The team chose the words ‘trust, grit, spirit’ as our team values at the beginning of the season. After pool play, we added ‘be here with us,’” Sweet continued. “Throughout bracket play, we repeated that to always stay focused on our offense, our defense, and our energy. It was very grounding in high pressure situations and helped us maintain a strong mental game throughout.”

Going back to the drawing board, coaches Linda Morse, Liz Hart, and Yara El-Khatib decided to shift from the Sneetches’ zone, which they’d used even in minimally windy conditions through the first half, to a force middle to slow down the Wesleyan offensive machine.

Wesleyan responded to the stacked Sneetches’ D-line out of half with a clean four-throw hold and extinguishing any talk of a comeback. The offensive triumvirate of Noble, Sweet, and Milo Brown had minimized their mistakes while capitalizing Haverford/Bryn Mawr’s errors.

“[Raynor] is a really smart coach – during the final, he coached us through Haverford/Bryn Mawr’s force middle defense,” said Sweet. “His ability to strategize and give us so much individual and team feedback made the biggest difference for our success.”

Haverford/Bryn Mawr’s defensive change did result in several break chances, but none fruitful as both teams held to bring the score to 10-5. With the wind picking up after halftime, the last three scores were all in the downwind endzone, making an upwind break all the more valuable.

Wesleyan struck gold first, but it took a marathon point. Swirling wind caused more than a few turns off popped discs, and on two occasions, floaty throws led Wesleyan’s Alexandra Raskin to collide with Haverford/Bryn Mawr players. Observers issued a yellow card for each collision, resulting in a red card and Raskin’s ejection from the game.

Raskin, rightfully emotional, was escorted from the field to be replaced by Platt. Wesleyan displayed impressive composure despite the moment and continued their endzone work, with Sweet and Platt connecting for a break after nine straight holds.

A Sneetch Break Doesn’t Deter Destiny

Even as Wesleyan’s lead mounted, Haverford/Bryn Mawr refused to buckle, scoring their next hold with just a single turn. The next point saw Helmreich take control, opening the defensive stand with a deep pull and finding themself with the disc in their hands after a turn. They took a shot, and finally connected with Collin for the first break of the game for the Sneetches, 11-7. Wesleyan successfully punched in their next hold attempt with a high-stall push pass from Sweet, but Haverford/Bryn Mawr had proven they could crack Wesleyan’s high-powered offense.

From there, both teams struggled to fully shift the morale in their direction as they traded runs. But time was on Wesleyan’s side. After holding again to make the score 14-9, the Vicious Circles were on the doorstep of a national championship.

In a heartwarming moment, Haverford/Bryn Mawr sent out their seniors for the team’s final hold attempt of the season. The entire sideline, including graduate student Erica Collin, chanted “geriatrics” to cheer on their seniors. They got it done, with Wheeler, Costanza, and Hulbert contributing for the hold.

Down but not out, Haverford/Bryn Mawr sent out a stacked line for the break attempt. Canoutas-Nadel and Costanza continued their high-octane matchup, each generating turns, but Costanza found open space first, catching a deep goal from Helmreich for the upwind break. The Sneetches shrunk the gap to its smallest since the score was 5-2, but it was too little too late.

Wesleyan’s execution from pull catch to red zone was smooth as ever despite a strong Haverford/Bryn Mawr D-line. Platt, Sweet, and Canoutas-Nadel ran the endzone set before Canoutas-Nadel fittingly found captain Natalie Sweet for the game-winning score, fending off Haverford/Bryn Mawr in a wire-to-wire win for Wesleyan’s first national title.

“Catching the game winning pass felt unreal. It was the culmination of the team’s four years of hard work,” said Sweet. “When I started playing at Wesleyan my freshman year, we lost all of our games at regionals. Nationals felt so far away, and the growth of this team has been so incredible. In that moment, it was just pure joy.”

OH, HOW SWEET IT IS 🏆

Wesleyan’s captain Natalie Sweet with the title-sealing grab and the Vicious Circles are champions of the college world in 2025!#USAUCollegeChamps | #USAUltimate pic.twitter.com/oHkrkS7dJZ

— USA Ultimate (@USAUltimate) May 19, 2025