The first bids to the D-III College Championships will be decided this weekend!
April 9, 2026 by Josh Katz, Calvin Ciorba and Hunter Lang in Preview
Ultiworld’s coverage of the 2026 college ultimate season is presented by Spin Ultimate; all opinions are those of the author(s). Find out how Spin can get you, and your team, looking your best this season.
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.
Three regions will take to the fields this weekend across the country to decide their representatives heading to Waukegan. We’ve got you covered on the storylines to watch.
Atlantic Coast
Score Reporter
Location: Axton, VA
Number of Bids: 1
Expected Qualifier: #7 Elon
In the Hunt: #17 Richmond
Potential Spoilers: UNC Asheville
Excitement Level: 🔥+.5
The Atlantic Coast has historically been a fairly boring region at this time of year in D-III. Before last weekend’s results at D-III Easterns, that looked like it could change, with #7 Elon Big Fat Bomb perched firmly near the top of everyone’s rankings and both #17 Richmond Spidermonkeys and UNC Asheville within striking distance for a second bid to Nationals. But a disastrous Saturday for the bid hopefuls all but solidified that there would be but a single bid in the AC.
Heading into Sunday bracket play at Easterns, the Atlantic Coast region probably would have had an Excitement Level just north of zero. But then Elon was unceremoniously dismantled by Claremont, calling into question whether Big Fat Bomb are the juggernaut we thought them to be. Despite faltering in their last regular season test, Elon had a fantastic regular season, more than holding their own at Easterns Qualifier against D-I competition, and winning handily against all D-III competition outside of Middlebury and Claremont, both of whom look like locks for deep bracket runs. Brayden Morrison and Reed Burkert continue to play like the stars they are, and are almost certainly the two best players in the region, and likely All-Americans at the conclusion of the season. All that to say, Elon is going to be fine. They are still the presumptive favorites to take the sole bid, and heavy ones at that.
After failing to earn a bid for the first time in over a decade, as was noted in the Discord and last week’s Power Rankings, Richmond comes into Regionals in a very unfamiliar spot. Perhaps no team in the division played a more volatile regular season than the Spidermonkeys. After a universe point win against Carleton CHOP at Atlantic Coast Open, they lost to lower level D-I teams in Delaware and Appalachian State. The good news for Richmond is that, for the most part, their best players have stepped up this season: Eric Harnisher and Sassan Fahim have generated clutch blocks, and Tony Longo is one of the best players in the division in the air. The bad news is that they have had very little success in recent years against Elon, including a 15-10 loss at Regionals last year. While it’s not out of the question, it would take a near-perfect game for Richmond to knock off the region’s top team.
The next team up, and one that is hoping to cause problems for both Elon and Richmond, is UNC Asheville, and if there’s one thing we know about Mudpuppy, they love to cause problems. Although they have the smallest roster (by far) of the top five teams in the region, they play defense better than all of them. With potential concerns about legs later in the tournament, this is a team you do not want to face early in the day. And fortunately for them, they get their shot at Elon first thing in the morning. This team is built for pulling off upsets: Owen Stout is a borderline top-15 player in the division, Brandon Bass is probably the best block-getter in the region, and the rest of the depth pieces have shown a willingness to grind through long points. Though unlikely, Mudpuppy have the perfect setup for an upset, and if they pull it off, could flip the region on its head.
Outside of the clear top three are a collection of Atlantic Coast regulars trying to punch their way into the region’s upper echelon. Chief among them is a Davidson team that has fallen well short of expectations. With a senior-heavy class led by Wesley Smail, this was supposed to be the year Davidson either made Nationals or died trying, and while they’re not dead yet, their chances are certainly on life support. They’re already 0-4 this season against Richmond and UNC Asheville, with three of the four losses by five or more goals. Time seems to be running out on their senior class, unless they put together a string of unlikely wins.
Also in the hunt for the fourth semis spot are Navy and Christopher Newport. Navy, just a few years removed from Nationals, did not play a sanctioned regular season game. Christopher Newport did, but were unable to beat any teams inside the top 150. Though anything is possible in the wonderful world of D-III ultimate, it is unlikely that any of these teams will put the pieces together and make a Cinderella run.
Northwest
Score Reporter
Location: Portland, OR
Number of Bids: 2
Expected Qualifier: #2 Lewis & Clark, #12 Whitman
In the Hunt: #21 Portland, Puget Sound
Potential Spoilers: Gonzaga
Excitement Level: 🔥🔥
The Northwest nearly became one of the most chaotic regions of the year. After the last day of the regular season, our Projected Rankings had it as a one-bid region. A few late results flipped the math, though, and the Northwest is back to two bids – taking a bit of the drama out of the picture.
At the top, #2 Lewis & Clark Bacchus enter as the clear favorite. The reigning national champions were expected to take a step back after graduating a massive senior class, but instead they’ve reloaded. Sitting second in both the algorithm and Ultiworld’s rankings, Bacchus have built an impressive resume with wins over CHOP, Claremont, D-I Stanford, and regional rival Whitman. Orlando Impas and Charlie Wagner headline the group, both elevating their production from last season, while Sam London and Levi Stahl have stepped into major roles. Interestingly enough, Bacchus haven’t actually won the region since 2016, falling to Whitman every year since. With arguably the best coaching staff in the division, this looks like their best chance in years to finally take it back.
The second bid earner out of the Northwest is #12 Whitman Sweets. Ever since the Sweets decided to rejoin D-III they have qualified for Nationals, with 2026 looking no different – now that they have a bid. The Sweets have had a rockier season than usual, clearly adjusting to the graduations of Kai Kirsch and Leo Dungan Seever. Losses to Macalester and Santa Clara, along with a narrow win over Occidental, show some inconsistency. Still, wins over Colorado College, CHOP, and Claremont highlight their ceiling. With Elan Gorhman Siegler, Nico Darringer, and Collin Pfister leading the way, Whitman should be peaking at the right time for another Nationals berth.
I would be remiss to write this article and not mention the D-III National Champion curse. Starting with Oklahoma Christian in 2022, the past three years the reigning champ has failed to qualify for Nationals the following year. With Lewis & Clark looking strong and an extra bid to spare, these chance are pretty slim, but with D-III anything could happen.
The two teams that could have the most potential to continue the curse are #21 Portland UPrise and Puget Sound Postmen. Portland is 21st in our rankings and 26th in the algorithm after they impressed with a 13-5 win over Gonzaga. Charlie DeKlotz and Jonah Talmadge will be the stars along with Rhino Slam!’s Timmy Perston as coach, who could make a strong impact. However, a bagel from BYU B and a loss to San Jose State leave much to be desired for a team with Nationals aspirations.
Puget Sound Postmen may be the most dangerous spoiler in the field. They’re a streaky team that thrives on the deep game, with Sahaj Olivar, Jackson Stapleton, and Nathan Ludington leading the charge. If they get hot, they can hang with anyone, but their lack of depth becomes an issue in tight or extended games, as seen in a 15-6 loss to Air Force to end their last tournament. If they can avoid too many close battles early, they have the tools to shake up the bracket.
Southwest
Score Reporter
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Number of Bids: 1
Expected Qualifier: #6 Claremont
In the Hunt: #16 Santa Clara
Potential Spoilers: Occidental
Excitement Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
The People’s Division’s oldest rivalry has a new look this season. For each of the last fourteen years, #6 Claremont Braineaters and Occidental Detox have faced off in the game-to-go1 at Southwest ConfRegionals. Claremont has dominated the rivalry to the tune of an 11-3 overall record, including going 5-1 in the last six seasons. But thanks to the increased size cap for D-III, #16 Santa Clara SCAB has joined the party. And based on regular season results, they might be the biggest challenger Claremont’s faced since Occidental last won the region in 2023.
At first glance, SCAB’s 7-12 season record doesn’t inspire much confidence. But take a closer look at their results, and you’ll notice they played at tournaments mostly composed of D-I teams, including many genuine contenders for D-I Nationals bids. SCAB were 0-10 against teams ranked above them this season; none of those ten, however, were against teams within 30 places of Santa Clara in the final rankings. Against teams closer to them in the algorithm, SCAB were 6-1, with the one loss on universe, and scored an 11-8 win over bid-earning Whitman.
They’re led by a couple of players with club experience in seniors Jonah Engelmann (Minneapolis Mallard) and Ambrose Vellequete (Boulder Red Lotus), who complement each other’s skill sets perfectly. Engelmann is the primary handler and runs the offense, while Vellequete is a dominant, tireless cutter who thrives on attacking the disc at its highest point. Santa Clara also has a promising rookie in Peter Strauss, a former YCC standout with DC Foggy Bottom Boys, and a couple menacing defenders in Daniel Gerregano and Will DeGasparis.
But if Santa Clara is going to make it to Nationals in their maiden D-III season, they’ll have to go through Claremont. The Braineaters entered the season as the favorite to retain their Southwest crown and a trendy sleeper pick to go far at Nationals. They’ll enter the Series in a similar boat. There were a couple hiccups in their regular season, but Claremont finished it off in style, flying across the country to D-III Easterns and finishing second, with the highlight being a dominant 15-8 win over Elon.
The talent the Brains have been developing over the last two seasons is starting to fully blossom this year, none more so than Isamu Sims. The junior has emerged as Claremont’s best offensive weapon, a true hybrid in every sense of the word. Alongside him are Arenaria Cramer, an outstanding handler with the poise of a veteran, and Jacques Paradis, an uber-athletic cutter who can and will sky any matchup he’s up against. The Brains also have an excellent level of depth to their roster: players like Isaiah Curtis, Elijah Axt, Ryan Williams, and Mitchell Yam have all made timely contributions this season and will have to continue to do so this weekend.
The other half of the field is, to put it kindly, unlikely to pose a threat to either Claremont or Santa Clara. Occidental enters as the third seed, but their results this season (a 2-11 record against primarily D-III Regionals caliber competition) indicate they’re a heavy longshot to turn it around this weekend and pull off one upset, let alone the two they would need to win the region. And the bottom seed are San Diego Flat Tax Ballers, who, as best I can tell, have not played a regular season tournament in over a decade and have won just two games across four previous appearances at ConfRegionals. Though they’re the clear winners of the “who has the best name in the Southwest?” competition, it would be the greatest upset in the history of USAU competition, at any level, if San Diego emerges from Bakersfield as Southwest ConfRegionals champions.
or occasionally, what was effectively the game-to-go in a round robin format ↩
