Ultimate Frisbee club falls in semifinals
The Utah State University ultimate Frisbee club hosted the Big Sky Warm-up on the HPER field Saturday and Sunday. The club finished with a 4-2 record, making it to the semifinals before losing to eventual tournament runner-up Idaho State University.
Teams from Colorado State University, Montana State University, Colorado School of Mines, Brigham Young University and ISU competed in the tournament.
On the first day of play, teams were divided into two pools. Each team played four games and had one bye. Games were played to 13 with the results from pool play used to determine the brackets for single elimination play on Sunday.
Saturday, USU had enough players to break into two teams. USU captain Dustin Smith said team one was made of the more experienced players, while the number two team had many of the new team members along with a few experienced players.
USU team one opened the tournament against Montana State with a 13-5 victory, then defeated the Colorado State B team 13-3. USU then faced off against rival BYU A team in the third game. After a bitter contest in the game, USU left the field with the 13-10 victory.
“We won our first two games quickly and this allowed us to prepare for the Y,” said rookie team member Brandon Tucker.
Following the victory over BYU, USU played its fourth straight game without a bye, losing to the Colorado School of Mines 13-1. USU then had their scheduled bye for the fifth game.
“We ran out of gas after BYU,” Smith said. “I think we would have done better with a bye between games. We played a two-hour game with BYU and only had a five- minute break after the game.”
Tucker said, “We played with so much spirit, we were physically drained by the fourth game.”
Despite the loss in the final game, Utah State team one went 3-1 on the day and took second in their pool.
“Play [Saturday] was intense,” Tucker said. “We played with a lot of emotion. Everyone left the field with stained shirts and limping.”
Though USU team one went 3-1 on Saturday, USU team two did not fare as well, dropping games to BYU A, BYU B, Montana State and CSU B.
Sunday morning, Utah State combined its two teams to compete as one in the single elimination tournament. Games on Sunday were played to 15, win by two.
USU started the day off against CSM B, earning the 15-9 victory and a semifinal match-up against long-time nemesis Idaho State University.
In the game, Idaho State started quickly, taking a 4-0 lead before going on to the 15-7 victory. ISU then lost to CSM A, 15-11, in the championship game.
Tucker said fatigue was definitely an issue Sunday as many of the USU players were banged up from play on Saturday.
“No one left without blood on their legs,” Tucker said.
Overall for the tournament, Smith said he was pleased with how Utah State played.
“We played very well, both one and two played well [and] our young players stepped it up,” Smith said. “We did well. I was impressed.”
Tucker said, “I’m happy with what we accomplished.”
Smith said, “This is a good tournament for our new players to see how competitive it is, to see how real teams play [outside of practice].”
Besides gaining experience, the team also has the chance to evaluate their play and prepare for the upcoming season.
“With better physical preparation, we are going to be a very good team,” Tucker said. “I’m excited about how the team is coming together.”
Smith said, “I think we’ll be good this year. We went 4-2 in this tournament against pretty good teams and stuck with them. I’m pleased with the outcome.”
Utah State will participate in one more preseason tournament this fall.
In November the team will travel to Tempe, Ariz., to compete in the Hoasis Tournament.
“I’m excited for the next tournament,” Tucker said. “We will get a lot of experience and the team needs some opportunities in the preseason.”
Following the tournament, USU will be off until they begin the regular season in Santa Barbara, Calif., in January.