Similar to the Great Lakes Regionals, Franciscan and Xavier did not complete a pool play game, which results in a double forfeit
May 11, 2026 by Keith Raynor in News
Franciscan FATAL, the Ohio Valley regional champion, has been disqualified from the D-III men’s division postseason after failing to complete a full game at Regionals, according to USA Ultimate. Second place finisher Oberlin has been invited to join the D-III College Championships field in Waukegan, IL, just a few days before the tournament begins on Saturday, May 16.
Franciscan was slated to be the #10 seed at D-III Nationals after an undefeated season, but a 13-0 reported score against Xavier was found to be inaccurate, as the teams failed to complete their game and were both disqualified from the event and therefore from College Nationals.
“We had to DQ both Xavier and Franciscan for not completing their pool play game on Saturday, without seeking or receiving any approval, and reporting a final score of 13-0,” said USAU Director of Communications Andy Lee. “According to the rules, the game was retroactively scored a double forfeit for reporting a score that didn’t occur.”
Franciscan is currently appealing the decision to the USAU Competition Committee and shared their appeal with Ultiworld.
“We respectfully believe that disqualification is an unjust and disproportionate outcome given the facts of the situation, the absence of bad faith or competitive manipulation, and the lack of impact on tournament results,” said FATAL’s leadership in their appeal to USA Ultimate. They stated the score reported as a simple miscommunication of an accepted forfeit by Xavier.
The disqualification comes shortly after a similar — and somewhat controversial — D-III men’s disqualification at Great Lakes Regionals. Asbury, the #1 seed and widely considered the favorite in the region, forfeited their Sunday results along with their opponent, Valparaiso, in a similar situation. Hillsdale took home the regional crown and earned the #16 seed at Nationals.
Oberlin, who is in communication with USAU about the now vacated Ohio Valley Nationals bids, lost in the regional final to Franciscan 15-10. FATAL had qualified for Nationals in each of the prior two seasons, finishing in 6th place in 2024 but failing to win a pool play game last season.
Once the field is finalized, seeds will be adjusted, meaning pool play groups and schedules are likely to change.
