The premier west coast D-III tournament sees top teams make their season debut and provide vital inter-region connectivity
February 13, 2026 by TJ Lee and Graham Gordon in Preview, Video
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Boogity Boogity Boogity, let’s go racing! The fastest race on turf is here, and it’s time to see what the People’s Division has to offer. Now in its third year, the D3 Grand Prix brings together some of the best West Coast talent for the first taste of inter-D-III competition. Reigning champions #4 Lewis & Clark Bacchus headline eight top 25 ranked squads on the men’s side, while co-hosts #12 Lewis & Clark Artemis claim top seed in a women’s division that brings together teams from three regions.
Read on for the players to watch and top storylines, and follow along with games live-streamed on Lewis & Clark’s YouTube channel.
Streaming Schedule (All times PT)
Saturday, 2/14
- 8:15 AM – #2 Carleton CHOP vs. #9 Claremont Braineaters
- 10:00 AM – #12 Lewis & Clark Artemis vs #16 Colorado College Zenith
- 11:45 AM – #16 Macalester Flat Earth vs Gonzaga Guru
- 2:30 PM – #4 Lewis & Clark Bacchus vs #7 Whitman Sweets
Sunday, 2/15
- 8:15 AM – #17 Portland UPRoar vs Oregon State Dinos
- 10:00 AM – #11 Carleton Eclipse vs #5 Whitman Sweets
- 11:45 AM – #20 Puget Sound Postmen vs #15 Colorado College Wasabi
- 1:30 PM – #21 Puget Sound Clearcut vs Seattle Hotbots
Tournament Preview
- Full Tournament Schedule
- Location: Portland, OR
- Weather Forecast: Cloudy with a high chance of rain, some sun Sunday afternoon. Highs of 48
- Top 25 Women’s Division Teams: #5 Whitman Sweets, #11 Carleton Eclipse, #12 Lewis & Clark Artemis, #16 Colorado College Zenith, #17 Portland UPRoar, #21 Puget Sound Clearcut
- Top 25 Men’s Division Teams: #2 Carleton CHOP, #4 Lewis & Clark Bacchus, #7 Whitman Sweets, #9 Claremont Braineaters, #15 Colorado College Wasabi, #16 Macalester Flat Earth, #20 Puget Sound Postmen, #25 Colorado Mines Entropy
Tournament Preview – Women’s Division
Grab Your Binoculars, Let’s Go Bidwatching!
As always, there are simply not enough strength bids to go around. While the field is mostly Northwest teams, the North Central’s Carleton Eclipse and South Central’s Colorado College Zenith are a few key wins (or tight losses) away from earning strength bids themselves and keeping them away from the west coast.
#12 Lewis & Clark Artemis will try to keep up the momentum from their respectable performance at Stanford Open. Stanford marked the fourth-straight tournament that Jacob Artz and Christina Beaulieu have coached Artemis to the semifinals, with the streak only ending at Grand Prix due to the round robin format. This will be a pivotal tournament for Atemis, who hope to prove that they can compete against D-III rivals in the regular season while they await the potential return of a whole line of players studying abroad, including assist-leader Amelie Steer. But if 2025 Block of the Year candidate Presten Berg can set the tone early, alongside fellow captains Suzie Myles, Georgia Clare Corson, and Anika Alschuler, D3 Grand Prix could mark another strong season for Lewis & Clark.
North of Portland sit three Washington-based schools looking to make some moves in the early season. #5 Whitman Sweets will want payback after they let their quarterfinal lead slip away to Lewis & Clark, and could get it bright and early Saturday morning. Keep an eye on Second Team All-American Gabbie Campbell and sister Kate to continue leading the Sweets. Meanwhile, Puget Sound start on another long journey back to Nationals after a surprise run last year, led by Hayes Freeman and Claire Bargman. Could the taste of Nationals be enough for Clearcut to earn a bid for themselves this year?
#11 Carleton Eclipse break up the west coast party, flying in from Minnesota for their season debut. Pilar Andruet and Maddy Brown are just some of the many names looking to fill the Frankie Saraniti-sized hole in the roster. While Carleton graduated their top stars from last year, they boast a deep roster capable of spreading scoring opportunities and are ready to step up for Eclipse. Like Whitman, Carleton is also hungry to avenge a Nationals loss to Lewis & Clark and will get the chance the second-to-last round of Sunday play.
Starting Down the Road to Redemption
2025 saw two competitive programs in Portland and Colorado College miss Nationals after making it the year prior. Despite solid results during the regular season, both teams dropped seed at ConfRegionals to lose the bid to the big dance. #16 Colorado College Zenith have a golden opportunity to prove they can still compete with a strong showing this weekend, as newcomers like Ella Reese-Clauson and Evie Wagner pair up with veterans like Kelsey Viadro and Katie Craven. Keep an eye out for what the defending Centex dance champions have cooked up this weekend.
#17 Portland UPRoar on the other hand enters the tournament with a shakier Stanford Open result. A 10-5 win over #24 Claremont Greenshirts shows some promise, but ending the weekend with a tough 8-6 loss to Santa Clara feels like UPRoar are no longer the juggernaut they were at the start of the decade. Senior Hayden Ashley alone could be enough to keep Portland in the bid picture — her impressive 2024 campaign where she tied 2024 POTY JJ Galian for goals and blocks stands poised to take on any and all doubters.
How Do the D-I Teams Stack?
Normally you read about the D-I teams at a tournament before scrolling to the bottom to maybe see one paragraph about the People’s Division. But this time, the bigger schools — plural — can take a back seat. This year, Oregon State will not be the lone D-I team in attendance, as British Columbia-B Thunderwolves will be at Grand Prix, following up a third place finish at Stanford Open that featured dominant 13-3 wins over Portland and Lewis & Clark. While this might set them up to run through this field, it also means that a close loss or a win can earn teams plenty of points in the eyes of the almighty algorithm.
Oregon State Dinos went from an 0-7 record at Grand Prix in 2024 to a respectable middle of the pack finish in 2025. They have only continued to build the program with a second-place finish at Presidents’ Day Qualifiers just last weekend, a result made even more impressive considering Oregon Soar rookie Adael Scatena was absent. Jeremy Randolph-Flagg has been working hard behind the scenes over the last couple years, and has coached this team into a very solid regionals-level team in D-I’s notoriously difficult Northwest. With Charlotte Robison and Ava Peterson having the backup of Oregon Soar veteran Sylvi Barnes and practice player Mahina Hardin, look for Oregon State to try stealing the spotlight back from the People’s Division this weekend.
Tournament Preview – Men’s Division
In its third iteration as a tournament in Portland, D-III Grand Prix is shaping up to have its most competitive year yet, at least in the men’s division. As the first of three tournaments marketed at Nationals-level D-III teams along with River City Showdown and Easterns1, it’ll give us the first real look at cross-region competition in 2026.
Semifinal Showdown: Part II
At Nationals last year, we were treated to an electric game in the semifinal round between eventual champions #4 Lewis and Clark Bacchus and #2 Carleton CHOP. This matchup featured an early Lewis & Clark lead with ruthless D-Line efficiency and a couple fantastic second-effort plays by the likes of Leo Farley and others, as well as a Carleton comeback that came up just short, bringing deficits of 11-6 and 12-8 to a 13-all tie, on the back of two incredible blocks from Tomomi Perry.
As we all would have hoped, we’re going to get a rematch that’ll come at the perfect time: 11:45 on Saturday. Both teams will be warmed up with one game under their belts but still should have plenty of juice left in the tank to bring their best. Bacchus are coming into this game without their top two stars from last year in Farley and Max Zwerin, but still bring an incredibly deep roster, led by Orlando Impas, Sam London, and Charlie Wagner. CHOP definitely have more continuity from last season’s team, led by the quick-striking offensive stylings of Nathan Wang, Dash Brenner, and Andrew Yeh. Whatever the results, this game will be a matchup to watch and the best barometer of where these two contenders stand in 2026.
To Quarters…or Beyond!
The other two top ten teams playing in Portland this weekend are #7 Whitman Sweets and #10 Claremont Braineasters. Whitman have been a perennial quarters team, losing in that round at three out of the past four Nationals. This year, they will miss the extraordinary athleticism of Kai Kirsch and the all-around game of Leo Dungan-Seaver, but Nico Darringer, Ethan Murray, and company should still be a very deep squad with lots of big-play ability and a more likely than not chance to appear in Waukegan this May. Question is, can they hang with the top two seeds in their matchups?
One of the biggest surprises of Nationals last year was the Claremont Braineaters. Coming in as the 15th seed with a team mostly composed of underclassmen, they upset both Richmond and Oklahoma Christian to earn a spot in prequarters, where they lost on universe point to a tough Rochester team. As they return all members of their roster for the 2026 season, we should expect a very cohesive squad to show up this weekend. Arenaria Cramer, Isamu Sims, and Jacques Paradis are the main names to watch. Like Whitman, Claremont will be looking to both cement their status as a surefire Nationals-quality team and take advantage of the opportunity to spar with more of the division’s top programs.
Upstarts Looking to Make a Splash
In addition to CHOP, #16 Macalester Flat Earth are also making the trek out west, and as fans of the club mixed division know well, the talents of Owen and Kyle Suelflow are must-see television. There are few, if any, defenders in the division who can hang with them athletically. They played CHOP to a universe point loss in their first game of the day at UMN Duck Dome this past weekend, but their later results were less impressive as their depth faltered. This weekend will be a great opportunity for their roster to step up—look for sophomore handler Sanjeev Sridhar to be a big impact player with the disc in his hands.
#15 Colorado College Wasabi are the premier South Central club at this tournament, and they’ll be looking to stake their claim as a Nationals-quality team after two years away following their 2023 title. The team is headlined by senior Oliver van Linder, the 2023 Rookie of the Year who definitely has the potential to be a top player in the division in 2026 after missing the 2025 Series with injury. They lose Tanner Flagg and Eliot Kirkham, but Nico Martinez and Oliver Wells are ready to be their other top contributors this season. In a reasonably wide-open region, they could certainly show out, and they’ll get the opportunity to sharpen their chops against CHOP, Bacchus, and Whitman this weekend.
And get excited to watch #20 Puget Sound Postmen and #25 Colorado Mines Entropy play—primarily for their star power. Sahaj Olivar and Randy Lahm are two players that can take over games for their respective teams, and if some other members of the Postmen/Entropy rosters step up, either could challenge a higher-ranked team not only this weekend, but at regionals.
The People’s Triple Crown? ↩
