By STEPHEN HAMWAY
Club sports face an uphill battle for attention from the Puget Sound community, often being overshadowed by larger, better funded programs. However, what Puget Sound’s ultimate Frisbee team has accomplished is simply too exciting to ignore.
Puget Sound’s ultimate team will be traveling to Milwaukee, Wis. to take part in the 2013 Division III USA Ultimate College Open Championship, where they will compete against the best teams in Division III from across the country.
The ultimate team—nicknamed the Postmen as an allusion to the school’s acronym—has been a presence on campus since 2004, participating in tournaments in their own backyard as well as across the country. As the national profile of the sport has grown, so too has the Postmen’s success.
While there has only been a national tournament for Division III since 2009, the Loggers have certainly made their mark. Two third-place finishes preceded last year’s performance, where the team finished their roller coaster ride by losing to Carlton College in the finals by a score of 14-12.
The heartbreaking loss did not deter the Postmen, however, as they have come back in 2013 stronger than ever. The Postmen have taken the league by storm this year, mowing through their schedule with a record of 24-2.
This will be the Postmen’s fifth tournament of the year, after previously competing in DIII Warm-up on Feb. 9-10, the Stanford Open on Feb 23-24, PLU BBQ on March 9-10 and the USAU Northwest College Open on April 13-14.
Their strong performance so far has earned the Postmen the number-two ranking in all of Division III, making them one of the favorites in the final tournament this year. While the team is mindful of their close loss in last year’s final, the Postmen cannot help but feel confident about their chances.
Senior Jonas Cole (Thetford Hill, Vt.) attributes the team’s success to a variety of factors, saying, “While it appears that the success is due to the players, tons of credit has to go to our coach.” The coach in question in Adam Lerman, who has been a fixture on the sidelines for Puget Sound ultimate team since its founding in 2004.
Cole adds, “I’m feeling very good about our chances. Our captain, Spencer Sheridan, broke his collarbone earlier in the season, and only just recently returned. While losing Spencer was a great loss and we really can’t say enough about his impact, it allowed our younger guys to step up.”
Among those younger guys is sophomore Alan Henzy (Easthampton, Mass.), who Cole names as “one of the best cutters in the league.”
Cole also adds that the team’s four freshmen have also stepped up to play a major role in their success. With such a strong young core, the Postmen’s future seems incredibly bright.
For now, however, the team is simply focused on next week’s tournament, with all five of the team’s seniors missing graduation to attend the event.
When all is said and done, the Postmen will hopefully be rewarded for their dedication with the team’s first Division III title.
