Ultimate Lutes:

PLU Frisbee teams compete in regional tournament

Lorna Rodriguez - rodriglb@plu.edu

Mast Sports Reporter

The PLU men’s and women’s ultimate Frisbee teams proudly sported black and gold in the Northwest Regional Tournament in the sweltering 85 degree-heat of Davis, Calif. April 26 and 27.

The women’s team placed seventh this past weekend and currently ranked 20th in the nation out of 200-plus teams.

The men’s team took 12th place out of 16 teams. They went 2-2 Saturday and lost their only match Sunday against the University of Washington.

“It was regionals so everyone there was good,” sophomore Stephen Nacis said.

Saturday the women’s team beat Lewis & Clark, University of California Santa Cruz and Whitman College, only losing to the University of British Columbia.

The women advanced to the semifinals Sunday and fought a tough hour and a half battle against University of Washington, nearly advancing to the championship game. With the 8-7 halftime score, PLU had an opportunity to win, but the second best team in the nation was too much for PLU. The final score was 10-8, University of Washington.

Later Sunday, PLU played Stanford University to decide 5th place.

After losing to Stanford, PLU was supposed to play Humboldt State, but they forfeited, so the Lutes received seventh place.

“PLU women Reign had a successful, laughter-filled season,” senior Katie Silveria said. “I am so proud I was able to be a part of this hard-working, dedicated team of wonderful people.”

On the men’s side, Saturday began with PLU losing to Las Positas and Gonzga. PLU picked up their game later on and beat Bringham Young University and Lewis & Clark, which allowed them to play off for 11th place.

The men lost their final game against the University of Washington, which gave them 12th place out of 16 teams.

“We didn’t play as well as we should have,” Nacis said about the game on Sunday. “Everyone was tired.”

Over the weekend, the women Lutes began chanting “why not us?” to boost their confidence. This chant helped the Reign continue to give it their all through out the tournament and to work hard. Silveria said, this was a game-changing moment in their match-up with Stanford.

“The final score of that game doesn’t matter because we played to our fullest potential and had a great time doing it,” Silveria said.

Throughout the season, the women worked hard to have a successful season and to make a name for themselves. Coach Jamie Arabula taught the women to improve their skills and to have a positive attitude.

This positive outlook benefited the team at regionals because the women were not intimidated by larger schools such as University of Washington or Stanford.

Silveria is also proud of the team’s performance because over half of the 17-member squad is comprised of first-years and sophomores. This year’s team graduates five seniors: Kelsey Lee, Tanya Libby, Bonnie Simpson, Katie Silveria and Carly West.

PLU women Reign members say they are proud of their successful season and excited to return so many players for next year’s squad.

The men’s team is also young, only graduating three seniors: David Johnston, Kendall Jeske and Roy Morris

Both PLU Reign teams are hoping to be successful again next year.

“Next season we are looking forward to going back to regionals and doing better,” Nacis said.

Photos courtesy of Tony Horton and Roy Morris

Top: Sophomore Alayna Linde battles for the flying disc in a match up against Stanford April 26 at U.C. Davis, Calif. The Lutes lost against Stanford but took 7th overall in the tournament.

Bottom: Senior Roy Morris tries to find an open player in the Lutes game against Las Positas April 26 at U.C. Davis, Calif. The Lutes lost to Las Positas and took 12th place in the 16-team draw.