Get to know the 16 teams competing for a D-III college title!
May 14, 2026 by Calvin Ciorba, Josh Katz and Graham Gordon in Preview
Ultiworld’s coverage of the 2026 College Championships 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.
The D-III College Championships are almost here, and that means it’s pool preview time! After an up-and-down season, 16 worthy teams arrive at the campaign’s final weekend ready to crown a national champion. With 12 of last year’s contestants back in the field, mark it as the year of the return: the 2025 finalists Middlebury and Lewis & Clark return as pool one seeds, the 2024 finalists in St. Olaf and Williams are back in the dance after a year’s hiatus, the 2022 and 2021 champions Oklahoma Christian again top a pool, and all amidst a bevy of other challengers — including first-time attendees Macalester — gearing up to make a push in the bracket.
We’ve got you covered for all the exciting action this weekend, but before the first pull goes up, let’s get to know the teams who will be competing in Waukegon. Then follow along on the D-III College Championships event page for updates and a record number of livestreams throughout the weekend!
Event Page — Competition Schedule — Streaming Schedule
Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D
Pool A
Teams: No.1 Middlebury, No.8 Claremont, No.12 Macalester, No.13 Colorado School of Mines
Overall Strength: 💪💪💪💪💪
Star Power: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Upset Alert: 🚨🚨🚨
Middlebury Pranksters
Is this finally the year for #1 Middlebury Pranksters? The Pranksters have made semis four times in the last five years, and made the final three times, but they’re 0-3 in the season’s finale in that span, including last year’s heartbreaker to Lewis & Clark. The 2026 season has been a pretty impressive revenge tour, as Middlebury enters Nationals with a 28-2 record, unbeaten against D-III competition, and is the clear favorite to win the title. But, as we saw last spring, being the clear favorite is no guarantee.
Nobody in the division has more star power than Middlebury, whose offense is led by the two best players in the division in Peter Mans and Louis Douville Beaudoin. The two lefties are frankly overqualified for D-III: each was a valuable contributor for a Club Nationals team last October (Minneapolis SubZero for Mans and Boston Slow for Douville Beaudoin). Mans had a double-double at last year’s D-III College Championships and Douville Beaudoin was two goals away from matching him. But Middlebury is far more than a two person show. Geir Hartl is phenomenal in the reset space and Oscar de Swaan Arons is seemingly always making plays downfield and in the end zone. Jasper Pearcy-Kahn and Gavin Rice play excellent two-way ball. Nadav Melamede, Theo Holdsworth, and Liam Reynolds are lockdown defenders. And they’ll probably exit Nationals with a prime BPOTY candidate as well.
After Davenport was shockingly upset by these Pranksters last year, no one is going to suggest this tournament is a mere formality for Middlebury. But this is Middlebury’s tournament to lose, and anything less than a title will be a massive disappointment for a large senior class that frankly deserves a championship after so many near-misses.
Claremont Braineaters
Death, taxes, and the Brains at Nationals. This year is the 16th edition of the D-III College Championships, and the #5 Claremont Braineaters have now attended 12 of them. But after a title and a semis appearance in their first four Nationals trips, Claremont has made quarters just twice over the last decade. Following an inconsistent start to the season, Claremont is on a clear upward trajectory, as evidenced by their second place finish at D-III Easterns and dominant ConfRegionals. With a senior-heavy roster, Claremont may not get a better chance to get back to the final four for a while.
That senior-heavy roster is deep and full of talent, but Claremont will go only as far as Isamu Sims will take them. The junior playmaker posted a 9G/11A/6D line last year and has elevated his game to another level this year, taking full control as the centerpiece of the offense. Most of the time, he’s operating out of the backfield, but he’s liable to take off deep if the defense isn’t locked in on him. The rest of the offense is filled with playmakers as well. Arenaria Cramer had eleven assists of their own last spring and is a great complement to Sims in the handler space. Then, of course, there’s all the tall cutters, led by Jacques Paradis. He, Elijah Axt, Ryan Williams, and Elias Gradinger are all dominant deep threats thanks to their speed, athleticism, and timing. Expect lots of fireworks from Claremont’s offense.
The first priority for Claremont this weekend? Avenging their Easterns final defeat against Middlebury. Pull that off, and the Braineaters will be well set up to make semis (and perhaps go even further). Even if they don’t, Claremont has plenty of experience pulling off upsets at Nationals. Doing it again this year is entirely within reason.
Macalester Flat Earth
Welcome to the College Championships, Macalester! #7 Macalester Flat Earth, the only Nationals debutant in the field this year, qualified as the second place finisher in the North Central after comfortably earning a strength bid in the regular season. That season saw them get reps against five different teams also at Nationals, highlighted by a 13-10 win over Whitman at D3 Grand Prix and a 15-8 thumping of St. Olaf in the first place semis at Regionals to officially clinch their bid.
Take one look at Macalester’s roster, and one name stands out. Suelflow. The dynamic duo, the all-star siblings, the tremendous twins, Kyle and Owen Suelflow are two of the brightest young talents in the entire sport and are the heartbeat of the Flat Earth program, and Macalester would not be at Nationals without them. And yet, that’s exactly what they’ll be faced with, as the Suelflows (plus a few other seniors) will miss pool play due to a conflict with Macalester’s graduation ceremony. In their absence, the offensive load will be carried by a pair of sophomores in Sanjeev Sridhar and Erik Lindell. Sridhar, a talented thrower with a shooter’s mentality, will have to stay confident and aggressive in the backfield and trust his receivers, especially Lindell, to make some plays. Rookie Julian Ricco will do his best to get the disc back with his willingness to bid for everything in search of blocks. There’s also an impressive international flair to Flat Earth’s roster, with players hailing from China, Mexico, and Norway.
Getting out of pool play without the Suelflows will be a massive challenge. But, if Macalester can manage to find a win and make the bracket, the story writes itself. The seniors show up Sunday morning, fresh and joyful, and Kyle and Owen go supernova as they carry Macalester in one of the greatest Nationals performances in D-III history.
Colorado School of Mines Entropy
After bursting onto the scene at Nationals in 2023 following a pair of huge upsets where they stole the bid of twice defending champions Oklahoma Christian, #14 Colorado Mines Entropy have been a consistent threat on the bid bubble and collected strong wins, but haven’t made it back to the big show until this year. In the final season (unless he picks up a graduate year) for senior star Randy Lahm as well as a sendoff for their long-term coaching staff in A.J. Abes and Allen Boots, Entropy should be very motivated to show who they can be at Nationals. This year, they were again just short of earning a bid for the region but managed to peak when it mattered at regionals and steal Colorado College’s second SC bid.
The aforementioned Lahm continues to be the engine that allows this Mines offense to cook, able to go every other and have the disc run through him when the flow breaks down. He has also leveled up his defensive game this season, reportedly giving other South Central teams matchups fits. However, they are certainly not a one man show. Fellow senior Quinton “Q” Lorenz might actually be just as important as Lahm for the Mines offense, and he uses his large frame and arsenal of throws to provide additional dynamism to the handler core. On the other side of the ball, Charlie Keigwin is a steady handler defender and leader of a counterattack that is very effective at punching in breaks.
Pool B
Teams: No.2 Carleton CHOP, No.7 Williams, No.11 Whitman, No.14 Berry
Overall Strength: 💪💪💪
Star Power: ⭐⭐
Upset Alert: 🚨🚨🚨🚨
Carleton CHOP
At the start of the regular season, no one would have thought that seeing #3 Carleton CHOP atop their pool heading into Nationals would be surprising. But at the end of a dominant regular season, some doubt started to creep in: stars Nathan Wang and Dash Brenner, who were unbelievable in last year’s semis run and throughout the season, were injured and unable to play in the Series. But despite losing their top two players, both of whom were in discussion for Top 15 in the Division, CHOP went undefeated across Sectionals and Regionals, knocking off fellow Nationals attendees Macalester twice and St. Olaf once, en route to their second consecutive North Central title.
Though stars have often been the driving force of great D-III teams, CHOP have always been a program that prided themselves on their depth. Often referred to as a “faceless army,” CHOP kept humming, as we should have expected them to, and players who were once in supporting roles were thrust into the spotlight, and have thrived. One of those players is Max Resnik, who was a late-season addition to the CHOP offense, and has turned into a goal producing machine. Others, like Julian Kägi and Danny Shope, have seen their roles increase as well, and are looking to build on the solid performances they put forth at Nationals last season.
Before the first pull of the season, Carleton was a unanimous pick by the D-III writing staff to make it back to semis. Though the stars played a part in that pick, the program’s depth and culture of filling in gaps year-over-year makes them feel like a safe choice to make it out of their pool and into bracket play for a third straight year. But that depth will certainly be tested in a Pool B where any of the other teams can challenge for the bye into quarters.
Williams WUFO
Williams WUFOAfter a triumphant second-place finish in 2024 led by the mercurial play of Danny Klein and a near miss at regionals last year, #10 Williams WUFO return to the comfortable territory of being their pool’s second seed. They had a solid but not unspectacular regular season in 2026, culminating in a trip down south for Easterns where they dispatched eventual tournament finalists Claremont in pool play but couldn’t quite hang with top dogs Elon and Middlebury. At regionals, they got the job done, resting their stars in a blowout final loss against, again, Middlebury and sustaining a huge comeback to top Bowdoin in the second place game-to-go.
The WUFO attack is led by Wade Buchheit, as the undeniable centerpiece of their offense. He is your classic D-III star, throwing nasty arounds, running the offense through his legs, hitting the deck with frequency, and playing lockdown defense when he inevitably crosses over to the D-line. He is joined on offense by Adam Kohn, who plays a bit more ruggedly, but is nearly as effective, willing to grind through tough defense and find his way to the disc. Kjellen MacBain will once again helm their D-line offense as he has for the past couple of years, with the classic combination of tough physical handler defense and an incredibly strong backhand huck to launch off the turn when the system can’t get going.
Williams is also clearly an undeniably deep and well-coached team. There’s no doubt that they can bring a disciplined style of play and trust in their entire roster to beat most anyone in their division, and their matchup against CHOP should be a very exciting one.
Whitman Sweets
#11 Whitman Sweets have been one of the most consistently strong programs in the division since they joined D-III play, but the Nationals results haven’t quite been there. They have been the top seed in their pool each of the past three years, but have not yet held seed to make the semifinals. This year is the first time they are a lower seed, and it could well come to pass that entering the weekend with less pressure could allow the Sweets to play above their station. They have some incredibly impressive results this year, with a universe point win against a healthy CHOP team at D-III Grand Prix and a loss on universe to Lewis & Clark in the Northwest Regional final, alongside another close loss against Wisconsin at Stanford Invite. They do have some troubling results, losing to Santa Clara and San Diego State, but ended the season very strong.
On offense, Whitman is led by the dueling hybrid talents of Nico Darringer and Elan Gorham Siegler. Darringer is a superb athlete who generally starts downfield as an initiator, but tends to come back into the handler set as the disc moves downfield. He also is a ridiculous bid-maker on both sides of the ball—check out his Donovan video if you don’t believe me. Siegler has been battling injuries lots of his college career, including last year at Nationals, but has often been Whitman’s best player when healthy—expect him to be the primary thrower for the Sweets’ offense.
This is a team that can definitely hang with anyone in the division—but the question remains: which version of Whitman will we see on Saturday at pool play, and can their top talents make enough big plays to get to that peak?
Berry Bucks
#13 Berry Bucks are at Nationals for the seventh consecutive year, and like many of their previous trips, getting here wasn’t easy. As always, the Southeast was a one bid region. And, as has become the standard, Berry faced off against Ave Maria in the game-to-go, the third time in four years that matchup capped Southeast ConfRegionals. Like their previous meetings, it was close until the very end, and Berry turned a 10-7 deficit into a 14-12 victory and another heartbreaking end for Ave Maria.
But we’re here to talk about Berry, and their comeback victory is made all the more impressive by the fact that their Donovan nominee, Mikey Curtis, left the game with an injury on the second point and didn’t return, and that Tyner Rowley missed most of ConfRegionals with an injury sustained on Saturday. They’ll both be back for Nationals, and Berry will be grateful to have their explosiveness in the lineup. Eli Hoshide, Elliot Green, Dom Ciavarro, and Josh Zielke make up the rest of their offensive core, with Hoshide in particular a key facilitator for the line. If he’s consistently finding Curtis and Rowley downfield, Berry will be plenty successful.
It’s been three years now since Berry made the bracket, and with the caliber of teams above them in Pool B, the odds are against them breaking that streak. But Berry intentionally sought out a tough schedule this year to prepare themselves for moments like this. Doubt the Bucks at your own peril.
Pool C
Teams: No.3 Lewis & Clark, No. 6 St. Olaf, No.10 Franciscan, No.15 Rochester
Overall Strength: 💪💪💪
Star Power: ⭐⭐
Upset Alert: 🚨🚨🚨🚨
Lewis & Clark Bacchus
Lewis & Clark BacchusThe defending national champions have not taken the same step back that this writer, and our staff in general, expected them to in 2026 after graduating two Ultiworld First Team All-Americans in Max Zwerin and Leo Farley. While they dropped a couple weird games this year, they’ve looked very strong against both elite D-III and regionals-level D-I competition, a rout of Carleton-CHOP, a win against ranked Stanford, and close losses against USCB and Tufts show that they can play at an extremely high level.
Orlando Impas has continued his level of play from 2025 and looks even more mercurial with more of the keys to the offense, as Bacchus are really firing when he’s on lock. He’s supported by a huge step-up in play from last year’s rookie sensation Sam London, who is often catching the centering pass and trusted to throw breaks at an incredibly consistent level. Charlie Wagner has also become a two-way player to watch on any given point, as he is both a headstrong handler defender and disciplined shot-taker who can play a myriad of roles.
St. Olaf Berzerkers
St. Olaf BerzerkersAfter a heartbreaking loss to CHOP in a marathon universe point game at North Central Regionals in 2025, the 2024 national champions cleaned up in the regular season to easily secure a strength bid for the region, and defended it, albeit with blowout losses to both CHOP and Macalester along the way. These postseason results might lead one to believe that they are a little bit overseeded, but regardless, this is definitely a team that has the pedigree, talent, and coaching to peak at Nationals and make a run, and they’ve had those moments this season, notably a win against Chicago and a universe point loss against Colorado State, both coming not too long ago at Huck Finn.
The Zerks will rely heavily on the offensive triumvirate of Jonas Geere, Owen Lehmkuhl, and Max Sponseller to convert holds. All three of these players played roles in their title run as underclassmen and have been team leaders the last two years. Geere is a jack-of-all-trades who excels most as a handler defender and offensive hybrid, Sponseller is an extremely steady handler who doesn’t really make mistakes, and Lehmkuhl can rarely be guarded in the cutting lanes. Harper O’Dowd is also a player who’s been very impressive as a rookie for the Zerks, particularly for his ability to generate blocks in the underneath space.
Franciscan Fatal
Franciscan FatalAmidst all of the drama from their pool play game with Xavier at Ohio Valley Regionals and USAU’s response, #8 Franciscan Fatal find themselves returning to Nationals. Last year, they succumbed to injuries and failed to find a win in pool play, but in 2026, a healthy squad should be able to come through and find some success. They actually have not lost a game yet this season, although they didn’t play a very strong schedule, with their highest-ranked wins being over Alabama, UNC-Charlotte, and Berry. Pool play on Saturday will be the first time we’ll get to see them really stack up to more competitive opponents.
As was true for Fatal teams of the past led by Dom, and later Mark, of the Schuster family, this Franciscan team does not lack for star power. Jude Schmiesing enters his senior year Nationals with a strong claim to be a top-10 player in the division. He is a true Swiss army knife who can do most anything for the Fatal offense, and can be predicted to go every-other on important points. Justin Wallace has also stepped up this year as an uber-athletic cutter with huge big-play ability, and Fatal will surely find times where they’ve got to rely on him in the deep space, especially in the Waukegan wind.
Franciscan is one of the quintessential legacy programs in the People’s Division, and only time will tell if the final year of this Fatal core can bring them to a deep bracket run.
Rochester Piggies
With probably the most surprising regionals run of 2026, can the #18 Rochester Piggies carry the chip on their shoulder into the College Championships and secure more upset victories in pool play? In case you missed the coverage, they entered Metro East Regionals as the 13th seed , second to last in the whole tournament after laying an egg at Conferences, and ran the table to win the entire thing. The Piggies never allowing double-digit points in any game on the way to a 15-9 victory over Ithaca Nawshus in the final game-to-go to extend their streak at the big show.
The story with Rochester on the field starts with Cameron Lowe. What can’t this guy do? Already an extremely important player for the Piggies last year, he has become the centerpiece of their offense with the graduation of David Leder (now coaching!). Blessed with the most unteachable quality in frisbee, a devastating first step, Lowe has also elevated his throwing game, simultaneously known to throw lots of scoobers to break zones while still maintaining a reputation as a patient, or even “chilly” handler who doesn’t make rash decisions. Sky Abruzese also brings incredible defensive intangibles, particularly an incredible instinct for getting blocks and towering pulls that frequently grant the Piggies defense fantastic field position. Back to the offense, Timmy Loftus has an incredibly high motor and does all the little things right, especially finding the open space to bring a consistent underneath option.
Rochester clearly has the talent to find an upset or two and sneak into the bracket, but the question remains: can they stay consistent enough to do so, and could they steal a game if they manage to earn a spot in prequarters?
Pool D
Teams: No.4 Oklahoma Christian, No.5 Elon, No.9 Bowdoin, No.16 Hillsdale
Overall Strength: 💪💪💪
Star Power: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Upset Alert: 🚨🚨🚨
Oklahoma Christian Eagles
Since their first title run in 2021, #4 Oklahoma Christian Eagles have been a mainstay at the top of the D-III rankings, and 2026 has been no different. The Eagles started their season testing themselves against top D-I competition at Florida Warm Up, where they beat D-I Nationals qualifier Yale University 13-3. They then went undefeated against D-III competition at Snow Melt before once again cruising to a South Central regional title.
This year has to feel different for Oklahoma Christian University, and the players have to be looking to go out with a bang. Sammy Roberts, TJ Lee, Emmanuel Kameri, and Evan Card are all in their fifth and final years, having been the faces of the team for what feels like forever. With Couper Kerns and Alex Santai also in their final seasons, and the scholarship program quietly phasing out, this could be the last major Nationals run we see from this infamous program for quite some time.
The squad loves to put on a show with huge hucks and highlight-reel skies, often happy to play defense after sketchy looks. The chemistry is off the charts, but the biggest question will be whether they have the depth to make a deep bracket run. The lack of coaching will also be something to watch. Last season, it seemed to hurt them in losses to Claremont and in a shaky win over Richmond just to escape pool play. Expect Oklahoma Christian to go out swinging this year, with anything from a championship appearance to a prequarters exit feeling possible.
Elon Big Fat Bomb
Elon Big Fat BombA team that feels very similar to Oklahoma Christian University in terms of stars, play style, and results is none other than #6 Elon Big Fat Bomb. Ever since returning to relevancy in 2023, Elon has felt like a team defined by what could have been. Back-to-back losses in games-to-go, an upset in regional semifinals, and a quarterfinal exit after earning the no.2 overall seed have all shaped the program’s recent history.
At the same time, this year feels different. Kalen Morrison and Reed Burkert are both in their final seasons, while reigning ROTY Brayden Morrison now has another year of college experience under his belt. Around them, Elon has developed a deep group of high-level contributors in Ben Patterson, Jake Lairson, and Justin Brader-Araje. The team also gained valuable big-game experience this spring at Easterns Qualifier and only lost to title favorite Middlebury by two at D-III Easterns. The biggest concern was a drubbing from Claremont, from which Elon certainly learned a lot.
With all that being said, it will be fascinating to see how Big Fat Bomb respond to the winds of Waukegan and the pressure of elimination games. Will the lack of coaches, inconsistent zone offense, and heavy reliance on star players become a problem when the games tighten up, or will Elon finally break through on the biggest stage?
Bowdoin Clown
Bowdoin ClownIt took them a precarious path to get here, but #12 Bowdoin Clown are back at Nationals for the second straight year. A short regular season (just twelve games total) didn’t give them much leeway when it came to earning a strength bid, but Clown did enough to earn the second-to-last bid overall and a third bid for New England. That bid became immensely valuable when Bowdoin suffered a rather stunning collapse in their first game-to-go at Regionals, seeing an 11-8 lead slip into a 12-11 defeat against Williams. Undeterred, Bowdoin rolled through the backdoor bracket, won the third place game, and is ready to go further than last year’s quarters appearance.
This is surely not breaking news to anyone who has followed our coverage this season, but Bowdoin’s roster has two names that stand above the rest. Theo Barton and Zach Widmyer are the gears that turn the Clown car, and how well they play will dictate how many, if any, upsets Bowdoin can pull off. Barton was primarily a D-line player last year but has taken on an all-encompassing role this spring. He is a true five-tool player, capable of winning his matchup with his throwing, his cutting, his defense, or his athleticism. And if he can’t win with skill, he’ll win with sheer grit and determination.
Widmyer, while still a well-rounded player, has one skill as his calling card. He is a phenomenal handler. Not just a great thrower, he plays such a smart game and understands the handler role as well as any player in the division. He tied for fifth place on the assists leaderboard last Nationals, with 23, as a freshman. Expect similar numbers for him this weekend.
Bowdoin should be making the bracket without much of a fuss, but a brutal prequarters matchup, likely against the second place finisher in Pool A (probably Claremont, but any of the four teams in Pool A would be a challenge), makes it hard to envision a repeat quarters appearance, much less going further than that. Their best path to quarters probably involves upsetting either or both of OC and Elon and winning Pool D outright. If Widmyer and Barton go on an incredible heater, it’s possible.
Hillsdale Chargers
Hillsdale Chargers#25 Hillsdale Chargers are back at Nationals, are again the bottom seed overall, and again couldn’t qualify without controversy. Though this time, it wasn’t their own actions that were controversial. Hillsdale’s path to Nationals was eased by the surprising disqualification of the Great Lakes’ top seed, Asbury, after Asbury didn’t fully complete their last pool play game on Saturday. Instead of a Hillsdale-Asbury showdown in semis, Hillsdale defeated Grace in a rout, and then avenged three straight losses to Butler with a 15-5 win in the game-to-go to take the lone bid to Nationals from the region.
With Greg Moreno now at Davenport, Hillsdale’s chances fall upon the Hamilton brothers, Jake and Jed. It’s fair to say that the two are willing to take risks on offense: each had over 30 turnovers at last year’s Nationals, but made up for it with 15 (Jed) and 20 (Jake) assists respectively. The two will likely stuff the box score again this weekend, and expect Jed to grab a ton of blocks as well. They also bring back Anders Moody and his 11G/3A/6D statline, and have a promising rookie in John Armani, already one of the best defenders in the region.
Hillsdale was unable to advance out of pool play last year (in, admittedly, an extremely difficult pool that featured both finalists), but did earn a pair of wins in consolation play. A similar outcome is their most likely result this weekend, but with adverse weather in the forecast and Jed Hamilton ready to block anything that gets caught in a gust of wind, anything can happen.
