Scobel Wiggins Photography

This was the best tournament I have been to outside of UPA Club Nationals. More than anything, this tournament was awesome for the growth of Women's Ultimate. With 32 of the best Women's Ultimate teams from all eight regions coming together, upsets were likely to happen. They occurred at all levels and in both tiers, showing how regionally dispersed the competition in Women's college Ultimate is becoming.

What are the top 8 teams doing that the other teams are not? What makes them successful?
Fundamentals and experience. Wind played a huge factor in teams' performance during all rounds on Saturday, as winds gusted up to 35mph. The top 8 teams' success in the wind came down to fundamentals and playing experience more than anything. The ability to catch and throw consistently in the wind, as well as execute an efficient zone offense seemed to make or break teams under these conditions. In the end, the wind was the divide between the top and bottom teams, as the teams with more reliable fundamentals were more confident and focused, were able to conserve more energy, and score more efficiently.

Additionally, the top 8 or so teams moved the disc more quickly than the lower-seeded teams. On teams like Ottawa and UCSB, handlers and receivers alike never held the disc for more than 3 or 4 counts. Cuts were constant to both the open and break sides, enabling more options. The lower seeded teams did not seem to have these types of connections fully developed.

Another element of experience is the regional youth scene around most of the elite programs. Many top teams come from areas that are saturated with Ultimate. They can pick up a freshman with 4 years of high school experience and make her a dynamic handler, while other teams must work much harder to develop their "true rookies." Furthermore, many of these teams can pull players from an established B-team where they have been seasoned with knowledge of the game and basic skills. The top teams feature players who have more experience in the wind and in highly competitive games, giving them the edge.

Kristen Lamm (Florida) gets low with a throw in windy conditions with Tania Reitz (Illinois) on the mark

As this is the last major tournament before the Series, what can/should the bubble teams do to make the top 20?
Defense is going to be a key element for bubble teams looking to make the top 20. The very best teams have what seem to be almost unstoppable offensive sets, whether it's reliance on two or three dominant players, or 7 girls with phenomenal flow. If the bubble teams can take away the primary offensive options from these top teams, they may be able to compete with the top teams. The top teams are winning games with their offensive players. Bubble teams have to win with their defense.

What were the biggest surprises of the weekend?
With the crazy wind conditions on Saturday, there were several surprises. In pool F specifically, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire upset the entire pool, backing up a solid fall performance. However, they did not perform as strongly as I expected on Sunday.

As an Atlantic Coast Region player, I also want to give credit to some of the teams in my region. Pool A was upset by University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, who took the second seed and guaranteed themselves a top 16 finish, while Wake Forest had a clear sweep over teams in pool E, winning their crossover game and securing a spot in the championship bracket, Ultimately breaking seed by 6.

Which teams don't have coaches and how does that help/hurt them?
Every team we played had a coach except Truman State. Because their captains were on the field at all times, there were some minor conflicts over time caps and score which could have been avoided with a coach present. Additionally, subbing seemed to be less structured. There was also a great deal of variation in terms of the level of involvement of teams' coaches. Most of the teams we played had a coach calling lines or giving subtle advice here and there, but UCLA's coach, Alex Korb, was very involved with all of the players on the field. The players seemed to respond well to his guidance.

Here are a few notes on teams from our pool play games and crossover:

University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire
UW-EC was led by Robyn Fennig who dominated the deep space and was also a solid handler. While their offense seemed to revolve around her, their team as a whole was confident, athletic, and caught a ridiculous number of tough throws.

Illinois
Illinois was all about the hammer in the wind. At times, this strategy proved quite successful for them, while other times, the wind caught the disc and these throws fell incomplete. Their offense ran through a horizontal stack and transitioned to a horizontal with a strong iso in front in the endzone.

Claremont
Erica Baken's quick release was key in the wind, but they seemed to lack depth in their roster. They had a lot of movement downfield and really worked it against the zone, rather than playing a field position game. Handlers relied on breakmark throws to the first person in the stack when the stall got high, but Ultimately, they played a very conservative game and took the safe, high-percentage throws.

UCLA
Before we started this game, UCLA was warming up their fundamentals- the dump-swing and initiating cuts from the back of the stack. BLU ran a tight zone defense that cut off the dump very effectively. They also ran a very calm offense, not taking many risks and generally staying pretty relaxed. In the end, their patience paid off as they came from 3 behind at one point to win the game by 2.

Kristen Lamm is a player and former captain for the University of Flordia. Allison Walford currently captains the Florida team, and Chloe Winant coaches the squad.