Middlebury swept through the mini-Nationals field to undoubtedly claim the top spot in the end-of-season algorithm
March 30, 2026 by Josh Katz in Recap
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Saturday night, I said it would be a mild surprise if #1 Middlebury Pranksters and #2 Elon Big Fat Bomb weren’t playing each other in the final of D-III Easterns. Well, consider me surprised. Middlebury held up their end of the bargain, and in fact won the tournament, but their opponents in the final were instead #16 Claremont Braineaters, who thoroughly dispatched Elon in a 15-8 drubbing in semis.
Prankster Power
It’s not exactly breaking news to report that Peter Mans and Louis Douville Beaudoin are good at ultimate. But, it needs to be said regardless, because that duo is really really good at ultimate. Douville Beaudoin was playing like a man possessed against Claremont. He kicked off the match with a truly phenomenal backhand assist, a high-arcing shot that landed perfectly in the back corner for Jasper Pearcy-Kahn to slide underneath.
In the red zone, he was unstoppable, jumping around at lightning speed. Sometimes, it looked as if he was starting his second cut before his defender had reacted to his first. Mans’ impact on the final was not quite as evident, perhaps an intentional move with how dominant LDB was, but his pinpoint throwing still came out on numerous occasions.
Geir Hartl also had a great day, at least on stream, as the safety valve for the Pranksters’ offense. He was always finding the soft spot in Claremont’s coverage for a quick reset. Oscar de Swaan Arons, Gavin Rice, Ned Cutler, and Theo Holdsworth also had impressive moments for Middlebury. de Swaan Arons, in particular, had a couple blocks in the deep space and some timely deep cuts that merit a shoutout. There was also Nadav Melamede, who excelled as the D-line quarterback on the turn, at least when none of Middlebury’s top players crossed over. He threw a pair of great assists towards the end of the final to help the Pranksters pull away from the Brains.
It wasn’t a perfect weekend for Middlebury – their wins against #14 UNC-Asheville Mudpuppy and #18 Berry Bucks were closer than they should’ve been – but they accomplished what they set out to do and will enter the Series as the deserving top team in both USAU’s algorithm and our Power Rankings.
Big Brain Moves
One thing sticks out immediately when watching Claremont: they are big, fast, and well aware of it, and their offense is built around that knowledge. Their cutters are always looking for opportunities to take off deep, and their handlers are almost always willing to send the disc in those situations. The trust the whole roster seems to have in one another to go up and get the disc is incredibly impressive.
The standouts today were undoubtedly Isamu Sims, Arenaria Cramer, and Jacques Paradis. Sims and Paradis connected on this acrobatic goal against #10 Bowdoin Clown that showcases exactly what makes this offense so dangerous. As soon as Sims shakes free in the backfield, Paradis (and Jamie Miller) immediately attack the deep space, and Sims’ throw is good enough for Paradis to snag for an acrobatic goal.
Paradis did it again on the next point, this time on an underthrown shot from Isaiah Curtis, after sensing the momentary lapse in concentration from the Clown defense. There was also a highly impressive trust throw from Cramer to Ryan Williams against Elon. Williams has a step on his defender, Cramer sees that, sends the disc, and Williams finishes through contact for the score. And though I don’t have a specific play to use to shout him out, Elijah Axt also had an excellent weekend for the Brains’ offense, especially in the red zone.
But Claremont aren’t only a big ball team. They’re equally willing to keep things simple, navigate a zone look, and methodically work down the field, like they did on the last point of the first half against Elon. Just one throw on the point traveled more than 10 yards downfield, the blading backhand from Williams to Paradis for the score, and the whole line never seemed to waver in confidence. The Braineaters ran out of steam in the second half against Middlebury, but they proved they belong in conversation with the top teams in the division this weekend.
A final, unrelated to gameplay, note for Claremont: I mentioned in the preview and in the Day One Centering Pass that their biggest task this weekend was ensuring they wouldn’t lose their second bid for the Southwest. Their win against Elon did more than enough to cement their place in bid-earning range, but results across the country (and their second-order effects) pushed inactive #18 Santa Clara SCAB down the rankings and out of the projected bid picture. Is there an opposite of the Task failed successfully meme? Task accomplished fruitlessly?
Big Fat Bomb Implodes
I wish I had a better diagnosis for what went wrong for Elon against Claremont, but the truth is, it was a bit of everything. Elon were in a 3-0 hole within eight minutes of real time passing from the first pull, and they had made all sorts of mistakes in that time. They had a break chance on the first point, but Reed Burkert looked to the end zone despite no one cutting deep and Jacques Paradis playing over the top of the vertical stack.
Their first O-line turn was a crossfield hammer from Brayden Morrison that went through the hands of Charles Klein, and that led to a Claremont break. The next turn was on a Morrison swing that floated over the head of Jake Lairson. BFB got it back, just for Morrison to look off a simple dump in favor of a riskier swing pass through the zone, again for Lairson, which again went over his head and gave Claremont the disc on the goal line to set up a second break. The rest of the match was a similar story: defenders late to react and later to offer help, receivers not attacking the disc, handlers attempting needlessly aggressive throws.
The good news for Elon is that the talent in the system is evident. We’ve seen Morrison and Burkert play like stars before, and Kalen Morrison, Ben Patterson, and Justin Brader-Araje are a good supporting crew. The letdown against Claremont was a wake up call, but they did immediately answer it with a 15-10 win over #15 Williams WUFO to finish third.
If they keep posting results like that, this defeat will be nothing more than a minor blip. But if they don’t, there’s no second bid at Regionals this year to act as a safety net. For as much as I criticized #13 Richmond Spidermonkeys on Saturday, Richmond is good enough to pull off an upset next month.
This and That
After their results this weekend, Williams and Bowdoin are going to be anxiously refreshing USAU’s rankings page all week to see how many bids will be going to New England. Williams probably did enough to ensure at least one strength bid, thanks in large part to their big win over Claremont on Saturday.
But Bowdoin’s case is much tougher to call. Their loss to Claremont in quarters looms large, as do narrow wins over #25 Oberlin Horsecows this weekend and MIT at the start of the month. In particular, Bowdoin’s lack of depth could prove costly, for both their chances of earning a bid and their chances of emerging from a two bid New England. It seemed as if Zach Widmyer and Theo Barton played every point against Claremont, a feat that will be difficult to replicate at Regionals without some strategic management.
There was a very wholesome moment during the final when Claremont’s Mitchell Yam came on during an injury substitution and was marked by his brother, Middlebury’s Benjamin Yam. The two sidelines erupted in cheers upon realizing what was happening, but their actual matchup was uneventful and short-lived. A few seconds later, another injury substitution was called after a Claremont turnover, and Middlebury subbed off their Yam, much to the chagrin of the sidelines. One of the many reasons why we love this sport.
