Get to know the 16 teams competing for a D-III college title!
May 14, 2026 by TJ Lee, Zack Davis and Theresa Diffendal 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! With one of the most wide-open fields in years that saw the #1 spot in our power rankings shift hands multiple times, 16 worthy teams arrive at the campaign’s final weekend ready to crown a national champion. In a wide-open field where all five of the top seeds have credible arguments to be title favorites, two of last years semifinalists are set to meet in pool play, Santa Clara makes its first appearance at a college championships in their first year in D-III, Davenport claims the top overall seed in only their third year as a program, and a bevy of other challengers are gearing up to make a push for the title.
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 Waukegan. Then follow along on the D-III College Championships event page for updates and livestreams throughout the weekend!
Event Page — Competition Schedule — Streaming Schedule
Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D
Pool A
Teams: No.1 Davenport, No.8 Macalester, No.12 Mount Holyoke, No.13 Colorado College
Overall Strength: 💪💪💪💪
Star Power: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Upset Alert: 🚨
Davenport Panthers
Davenport enters Nationals as one of the weirdest top seeds in the history of the People’s Division. All four of their losses came from top 25 D-I teams, and since then it hasn’t been close. The biggest question for this team is what happens when a game gets close, as the only game they have played this year that was within three either way was a 9-6 loss to Virginia. It is not likely that anyone else in the pool can run up the score on Davenport, but can the Panthers stay in cruise control this Saturday? That will be the question on everyone’s minds.
Davenport’s success is largely due to committee. Jocelyn Richison has taken it upon herself to fill in the 3g/23a/13b performance from Lanie O’Neill last year, and has the stamina to go every other both touch-wise and points-wise. Elleythea Smith and Aiva Zoldan are two graduate students who complement Richison well. Whether it’s Smith’s shutdown defense or Zoldan’s possession-heavy offense, the Panthers are well suited to make another bracket run. Add upperclassmen like Jade Remacle and Kara Higgins, alongside rookies Charlee Tannahill and Kira Straub, and you have everything needed to defend a well-earned top seed. Davenport has been a strong contender since their inaugural year in the 2023-24 season, and they have only gotten stronger since.
Macalester Pursesnatchers
Dread it, run from it, destiny still comes. Am I referring to Claire Lee’s record-setting 43 blocks the last time Macalester made Nationals, or Lee’s record-setting 89 turns? That’s for you to decide. The Purple Pursesnatchers are back, and while the men’s division team may be missing players due to graduation, an Instagram story showing Lee receiving her degree suggests that Macalester will be at full strength. Lee was a force to be reckoned with in 2024, and her time in the Premier Ultimate League with the Minnesota Strike sets her up for another dominant statline at Nationals. Lee is backed by Adi Megiddo, Zayna Hopkins, and Elsa Anderson. Megiddo and Anderson will be crucial in keeping the offense flowing alongside Lee, while Hopkins looks to make plays on both sides of the disc.
Macalester had already proven themselves to have bounced back from an off year by earning their own bid. But getting a huge 13-9 win over St. Olaf in Confregionals showed they were ready to compete. While, on paper, a 15-6 loss to Carleton Eclipse looks bad, this game occurred after both teams had qualified for Nationals, and were simply playing for seeding. Macalester may not be a top contender, but they are very much a team that can grind out results, and at Nationals, the only number that matters is wins.
Like everyone in pool A, the depleted Colorado College roster allows an easier path for Macalester to make bracket play regardless. But don’t be surprised if the Purple Pursesnatchers earn the bye straight to quarters and get to sleep in come Sunday morning.
Mount Holyoke Daisy Chain
After an up and down season for Mount Holyoke, they found their groove in the backdoor bracket and snuck into Nationals. Claire Willett and Charlotte Moynihan combined for 19 goals, 25 assists, and 18 blocks at last year’s Nationals en route to a surprising run to quarterfinals. Their path last year featured a 13-10 win over Davenport, so the bye to quarterfinals may not be as safe as algorithmic seeding suggests. Eliza Williams-Derry was another name who stepped up for Daisy Chain in this game, so expect these three to be very involved once again.
While the stars have stepped up in the past for Mount Holyoke, the season has not been kind to them. Daisy Chain are 0-4 against teams at Nationals, with the aggregate score being 22-421 against Middlebury, Haverford and Bryn Mawr, and Wesleyan. Alongside some tight games against Bates, Williams, and Amherst, it is a concern that Mount Holyoke can’t put away opponents before fatigue starts setting in. But not all hope is lost: since 2022 Mount Holyoke has only failed to hold seed once2, so if anyone knows how to step up at Nationals, it’s this team. They get a boost from the presumed game to go to bracket being against a Colorado College team missing key seniors due to graduation, so do not be surprised if Mount Holyoke mounts another deep bracket run.
Colorado College Zenith
The dreaded graduation monster has struck again, and it has shown no mercy to Colorado College. It’s easier to list off the players for Zenith who will be in attendance this weekend, as their USAU roster only lists ten players.
The big name for them, Kelsey Viadro, is the first name that comes to mind as Zenith prepares to run the gauntlet with this gutted roster. But there is a reason why Viadro finished in Ultiworld’s top 15 list this year. Whether she’s winning uplines in the handler space or coming down with sky balls in the deep space, Viadro’s offensive output can come from anywhere. On defense, she is relentless, taking top matchups and forcing them out of the play. As a whole Colorado College’s team defense is incredible at forcing high-stall throws, and it will be up to this skeleton squad to keep the pressure up.
Some other names that will be trying to keep Colorado College relevant include Eliza Kerstetter and Evelyn Wagner. Both come in with strong throwing prowess, something that Zenith will be relying on a lot, especially if the few seniors that are rostered leave for Sunday commencement. Wagner’s been battling injury all season, but when she’s on the field she is someone you cannot ignore. On defense, they are both able to get the disc back, and will be joined by Kate Bicks and Zoe Posner. With a Sunday commencement that could leave the team even weaker, it is hard to say how far Zenith can go assuming they have enough firepower to get into the bracket at all.
Pool B
Teams: No.2 Haverford and Bryn Mawr, No.7 Whitman, No.11 Union, No.14 Santa Clara
Overall Strength: 💪💪💪💪💪
Star Power: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Upset Alert: 🚨🚨🚨
Haverford and Bryn Mawr Sneetches
The star-belly Sneetches are the best on the beaches and field.
When seven star-belly players get on the line the plain bellies just yield.
No other player can score like the star-belly Sneetch.
The star-belly Sneetches like to pass each to each.
Each star belly Sneetch is a star, but there are stars among stars!
You can watch them in Waukegean on the fields thar.
See Sonia Nicholson, Rufus Helmreich, Clara Morton, and Erica Collin.
Watch their games, watch them all, for sure they will be ballin’.
These star-bellied Sneetches made the final last season,
They have a good chance to repeat this year for many a reason.
First is their good roster, which is mentioned above,
Next is their good coaching which is done with love.
Finally, look upon their record, it’s a mighty 29 and 2
With no losses to any D-III team, not even you.
The star-belly Sneetches are in it for the long haul,
They have the juice to be the champions of all.
Whitman Sweets
The Sweets are becoming Nationals regulars again, making their third trip in the last four years. They’re led by the superlative-laden Donovan nom Gabbie Campbell, who has more than enough talent on her own to make this team scary for anyone in the division. What’s more, Gabbie might not even be the best Campbell on the team: Kate Campbell has been a serious power surge for the Sweets this year, and though she’s just a sophomore, has already given opponents plenty of headaches. In addition to the Campbells, the Sweets enjoy the talents of players like Ollie Fox, Wyatt Albright, Joey Biehl, and Josephine Bygrave.
As for their record, the Sweets haven’t lost a game since February at D-III Grand Prix and only had one close shave at D-III Northwest Confregionals, where Lewis & Clark took them to the limit in pools. The game ended 10-9, but Whitman thumped Lewis & Clark in the front door game-to-go, 15-4.
If Whitman can get a little bit of momentum heading into brackets on Sunday, then they’ll be a threat to make a deep run. But they’ll have to overcome the specter of last year’s quarterfinal upset, when Lewis & Clark beat them 12-11 after Whitman had gone undefeated on day one. The Sweets may lack the same kind of depth as teams like Carleton and HBM, but D-III has always found a way to reward teams with a really good top seven.
Union Jillz
Jillz have firmly solidified their grasp on the Southeast, representing the region for the fourth year in a row. This year the line up is a much different mosaic than years past. MollieKay Grubbs has graduated and moved on. Now the Jillz are led by the illustrious Anna Forbes. Forbes, a junior, was already making a name for herself last year posting 11G/6A/10D on only 19 turns. Efficient, capable of playing both sides of the disc, and a true hybrid, Forbes brings it all. She isn’t alone in her journey, of course, and the Jillz always have a roster that is deeper than it appears. Caroline Lukasick, Rylie Feltner, and Kelsi Jones have all stepped up big to keep the Jillz atop the Southeast mountain. Jones put up a great statline at Nationals last season, with 7G/3A/5D on 10 turns. While Feltner and Lukasick both played well at Nationals last season, it’s this season that has afforded them the opportunity to really step up for the team, and they’ve turned heads across the region.
As for their record, the Jillz competed in 11 sanctioned games ahead of the Series, winning five of them at The Only Tenn I See back in February and going 5-1 for a third place finish. They then waltzed to a win at Moxie Madness in March. They didn’t have much issue at the Southeast ConfRegioin either, drumming Berry 15-2 and walking away from Georgia College for a 14-10 win to punch their ticket.
The Jillz are often a little overlooked heading into Nationals, but haven’t missed the bracket once in their four appearances. It’s hard to get a read on this team since they don’t have a lot of head to head results against teams out of the Southeast region, but they’ve proven they deserve to be at Nationals and always give at least one unsuspecting team more than they bargain for.
Santa Clara Rage
In their first year as a D-III team, Rage have made the big time. Led by Shea “Doc” Mulqueeney, Lili “Bug” Delaney, and Nina “Froggy” Huaracayo, they are also supported by a deep roster that is built of mostly seniors and freshmen. These two groups are highlighted by rookie Mercy James, who has a wealth of ultimate experience already under her belt, and senior Olivia Nadal, who is drawing some regional recognition following their ConfRegional tournament.
Although they don’t have any Nationals experience, Rage has a rich history of ultimate and have played at many a D-I regional. This season has been successful for the Rage by any metric, finishing 12-3 with a fifth place finish at Stanford Open Women’s and a third place finish at Rage 2026 Prez Day. At Confregionals, Rage blew past Claremont Greenshirts 14-8 but got taken to the brink by Occidental WAC in their game-to-go 15-14.
Hard to say what the Rage will be able to accomplish, but they’re definitely a team with the capability of taking a game off anyone and could sneak into the bracket over either Union or Whitman.
Pool C
Teams: No.3 Carleton College Eclipse, No.6 Rice, No.10 Kenyon, No.15 Lewis & Clark
Overall Strength: 💪💪💪💪💪
Star Power: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Upset Alert: 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨
Some fans of College Nationals get excited to see what star players can do with nothing to lose and everything to gain. Others like to see how depth can push teams ahead. Perhaps you are a fan of seeing what crazy sideline antics take place and how energetic teams are. Well good news for everyone, Pool C has all of this and more!
Carleton Eclipse
Who is the star to lead Carleton Eclipse? Who’s been keeping the team in order and helping them earn the no.3 seed once again? No, seriously, who is it? Maddy Brown won the most favor off of Ultiworld’s staff during our top 15 D-III Women’s players this year, but Molly Horstman Olson and Sadie Begtrup were also in contention for this award, both of whom finished at 20th and 21st respectively. Lucy Zhang was a major contributor for Eclipse in their season debut at D3 Grand Prix, and Pilar Andruet’s layout catch against Whitman should be in contention for catch of the year3. Some teams at Nationals may field a better player number one, but few will be touching Eclipse when comparing second through fifth best players. Carleton has depth, sideline energy, and the drive to win it all.
This year has been very consistent for Carleton. With the exception of a universe point loss to Middlebury and a two point loss to Haverford and Bryn Mawr, Eclipse is undefeated against the Nationals field. Not only that, they dominate the field. Whether it’s outscoring the Northwest teams 25-17, or finishing Confregionals with 13-5 win over St. Olaf and 15-6 over Macalester, Carleton knows how to build momentum. Pool C may be considered the pool of death by many, but Carleton’s odds of still finishing on top remains high.
Rice Torque
For years fans questioned if Rice would ever return to the high-flying dominance they held in the mid-2010s. It felt as if Colorado College would own the South Central for the 2020s. Then Ria Stevens flipped that narrative in 2025, leading an 8-goal comeback in the game-to-go. Despite missing bracket play in 2025, Rice used that experience to grow even stronger this year. While many players are praised for their ability to grind out games, playing every point, and doing everything on offense or defense, one thing that allows Stevens to stand out is her hockey background, giving her the conditioning needed to play at full effort all weekend. Her tall build makes it hard for defenders to lock her up or mark her throws, and her hucks can completely nullify even the strongest brackets and zones. She’ll be joined by Callie Baker and rookie Hannah Zhang, to name a few, and when this team gets hot, they are unstoppable.
The main question for Rice to answer is how good does this team stack up against the rest of the field? 3-0 against Colorado College4 is a great start, but after that they only have a single game played against someone in the top 50 for all of college. They lost to Colorado State 15-4 in the ninals bracket (a team sandwiched between Whitman and St. Olaf, for reference), so while Torque has proven more than capable of putting away weaker teams, what happens when their opponent can stick with them?
Kenyon Blu-Ray
Kenyon Blu-Ray are back following a program-high tie for 9th place last year. Kenyon’s proven to be a gritty, tough team that is always within comeback range: apart from a 12-5 loss to Liberty at East Coast Invite and a 13-9 loss to HBM in the championship game at Regionals5, all of Kenyon’s losses have been within three goals. The wins may not be the strongest, with a universe point win over Penn State being their only win against a top 60 team.
But this team still has more than enough firepower to get things clicking this weekend. Will Johnson has the cuts and the throws to will the Blu-Ray O-line to a hold, while Ellen Chadwick leads the defensive efforts. Johnson’s 18 assists were good enough to tie for sixth last year, and with three of the players in front of them gone6, the door is open for Johnson to podium. Chadwick will have a tall order taking on some top matchups and leading the offense after the turn, but has been a tough defensive presence for Kenyon so far this year.
Like everyone in pool C, Kenyon faces a tough hurdle trying to get into bracket play. But one win and Kenyon will be ready to play spoiler to any title favorite.
Lewis & Clark Artemis
All year it felt like Lewis & Clark was solid, but were missing a few pieces too many to bounce back. Teams like Colorado College and Puget Sound forced universe on them at D3 Grand Prix, Whitman and Portland held onto their wins over them, and Carleton beat them by four. With Amelie Steer unavailable until Nationals, it looked like Artemis would not have the firepower to make it.
And then, something changed. Maybe it was the return of Donovan nominee Presten Berg, who missed early season tournaments due to injury. Maybe coaches Jacob Artz and Christine Beaulieu remembered they were second runner-up COTYs for a reason. Or maybe the team as a whole found the same postseason magic that got them to semifinals last year. Regardless, Lewis & Clark took Whitman to universe in pool play at Regionals, and beat Portland twice that weekend, including the game-to-go, to get back in the dance.
It’s easy to just point to Steer, an All-American First Teamer last season. But Lewis & Clark has proven they have plenty of other stars ready to go. 2025 runner-up for Block of the Year Berg was Ultiworld’s favorite among the Artemis crew in the voting process for top D-III Women’s players this year, but Anika Alschuler also found votes, and worked alongside Izzy Quattrucci in Berg’s absence. Phoebe Bain is a rookie brand new to ultimate who’s been putting in the work, and Calista Aragon is ready to take on opposing O-line stars. Lewis & Clark has a very tall order in trying to return to semifinals, starting with at least one upset on Saturday. But if anyone can pull it off, it’s Artemis.
Pool D
Teams: No.4 Middlebury, No.5 Wesleyan, No.9 St. Olaf, No.16 Richmond
Overall Strength: 💪💪💪💪💪
Star Power: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Upset Alert: 🚨🚨🚨
Pool D is the only pool to feature two semifinalists from 2025 Nationals, and three quarterfinalists, adding a new chapter to the classic “pool of death.”
Middlebury Pranksters
At the top of the heap sit #2 Middlebury, thanks to a 21-3 season that only saw losses to teams in the top 50, and by a total of just six points. One of those losses? To none other than poolmates Wesleyan, on universe in a windy March UMadness match. The Pranksters avenged that loss in a similarly windy universe point four weeks later at East Coast Invite, breaking on universe in a back-and-forth matchup. A third rematch in pool play between these two powerhouses is enough to net the pool a five star strength rating all on its own.
The Pranksters this year are a young squad, with only two four-year players: Donovan nominee Cece Rhyneer and captain Molly Snow, vital parts of Middlebury’s O- and D-lines, respectively. The bulk of the team are sophomores, headlined by last year’s lead assist-thrower at Nationals, and number one in our top D-III player rankings, Ella Widmyer. And their freshman class could soon be equally feared, bolstered by hybrid phenom from Atlanta Lizzie Madden and Chinese national team vet Ami Li.
Should things go to seed, Middlebury will find themselves on the same side of the bracket as overall no.1 seed Davenport. That would mark the third consecutive year these teams have played each other at Nationals, with both previous matchups going the Pranksters’ way. Falling to Wesleyan, however, would drop Middlebury into the same grouping as Carleton and Haverford and Bryn Mawr, two other familiar opponents who seem to play each other yearly.
With so many potential rivalry games on the docket, consider every streamed Middlebury game must-watch viewing. For fans clamoring for the game of non-windy frisbee between Middlebury and Wesleyan that we deserve, we’ll just have to hope Waukegan isn’t quite as bad as feared.
Wesleyan Vicious Circles
The reigning champions did not fall victim to the winner’s curse, deftly navigating a strong Rochester team en route to the Metro East crown, and find themselves the fifth overall seed at Nationals. Just like Middlebury, #4 Wesleyan Vicious Circles lost only three games this season, and all at East Coast Invite: one-pointers to both Penn State and Middlebury in addition to a firm 10-5 defeat at the hands of last year’s other finalists, Haverford and Bryn Mawr.
Wesleyan’s season should also be viewed in the context of the less-than-ideal weather (to put it mildly) that assailed much of the East Coast this spring, leaving Wesleyan unable to practice outside until deep into March. If the loss to the Sneetches is perhaps indicative of Wesleyan’s floor, the extra practice time at the beginning of April allowed Vish to raise their ceiling, showcased with a romp through much of the Metro East. Wesleyan collected four bagels through Conferences and Regionals, and only allowed more than five goals to Rochester.
The offensive power behind that production comes from the OPOTY runner-up/DPOTY duo of Scout Noble and Milo Brown. The two blend Noble’s quick movement with Brown’s power throws, though so deep is Wesleyan’s roster that the two can afford to lead their respective line. Donovan nominee Maggie Brown pairs with Noble in the backfield on O-line, with the lefty capable of letting the backhand fly against the division’s favored forehand force. And look for Mackenzie Bunnell to appear in end-of-season defensive award discussions, using height and a nose for the disc to win aerial battles even against the division’s best.
It’s likely we haven’t yet seen Wesleyan at their most vicious this season, and a few extra practices in warm weather led by the COTY Keith Raynor could be enough to tip the scales in Vish’s favor and allow them to top pool D.
St. Olaf Vortex
Another team with only three losses to their name, Vortex spent much of the season playing against D-I competition, collecting impressive multi-goal wins over NC State, Emory, and Tennessee that had them sitting near the top of the projected rankings. They came back down to earth at ConfRegionals, taking a crossover play loss to a Macalester team they’d beaten earlier in the season, and then getting thrashed 13-5 by a Carleton squad on a mission.
This is not to discount St. Olaf. On the contrary, Vortex have made Nationals every season except the 2021 fall Nationals dating back to 2014. Even more impressive – they’ve never missed quarterfinals in that timespan. They enter the 2026 College Championships with their fewest regular season losses in a decade, driven by All-Region lock Rachel Katzovitz.
Though Vortex lost considerable production in the form of their two assist leaders from last season, Leina Goto and Grace Millhaupt, almost all of the rest of the squad returns, including players primed to absorb those touches in Char Batchelor, Maggie Walsh, and Julia Mockert. And as is increasingly the case in the division, they add a number of rookies with considerable experience, including Gwendolyn Stender, who racked up goals for Minnesota Superior at YCCs.
It will be uphill sledding for St. Olaf to pull off an upset, especially with back-to-back games against Middlebury and Wesleyan, and a third place finish in pool D would line Vortex up with second in pool A, one of two more heavy hitters in Davenport and Macalester. A regional rematch in the Nationals bracket with a title on the line would make for must-watch television.
Richmond Redhots
Coming off their highest Nationals finish in team history, Richmond’s third consecutive trip to the big dance sees them claim the last seed in their pool for the third year in a row. And despite an upward trend at Nationals the past two seasons, including running away with the consolation pool in 2025, with the forces they’ll be up against in this pool, it would be quite spicy to see Richmond make it out.
The Redhots are the only team at the tournament to finish the season outside the top 20 in USAU’s rankings and our top 25, and by only attending one regular season tournament, could not even claim the autobid for the Atlantic Coast. Nonetheless, they were our staff’s favorites to take it for the third year in a row by a wide margin thanks to an experienced team.
Lucy Sevetson and Keira Linnane are a lefty-righty pairing with powerful hucks and look primed to lead the Redhots in assists. They have a bevy of receivers, including tall deep threat Catie Geraghty, and Jolie Martin, who blends quickness with deft footwork. They do also boast nearly a line of first-year players, including the speedy Lucy Fox-Wiviott. The question, then, is whether their shortest season on record was enough to prime the Redhots for their toughest tests yet.
Richmond does employ a gritty zone with tough marks that were battle-tested in the winds of Cherry Blossom Classic, and low-scoring games could provide slim enough margins to allow the Redhots to steal an upset. Their last round streamed game against St. Olaf presents exactly the type of opportunity they need.
Half of these points came from their Regionals matchup against Middlebury, btw. ↩
As the no.5 seed, they lost on universe to Colorado College in the fifth place final in 2023. ↩
Probably will get snubbed like most of D-III ultimate, but what else is new ↩
aggregate score of 40-18 ↩
that they didn’t need to win ↩
Lanie O’Neill and Zoe Costanza both graduated, while Tay Harvey missed Nationals this year ↩
