UCSC Hosted Ultimate Tournament

UCSC hosted the Western Regional Ultimate (frisbee) Collegiate Championship tournament May 9 and 10. Thirty-three men’s and women’s teams from British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, and Arizona came to compete for two berths to the National Final Championships. Here, Slugs (l-r) Ryan McEvoy, Jason Hakes, and Steve Stratton exchange high fives after a score against Stanford, which is ranked no. 1 in the nation. The Slugs gave Stanford its toughest game of the tournament, losing 9-8 in the final seconds.

UCSC’s Chris Loo, right, looks for an open receiver in the game against Stanford. Loo is one of 16 players who will be returning next year when the Slugs will try to beat Stanford and UC Santa Barbara, the two men’s qualifiers for this year’s nationals.

Ultimate inspires personal expression along with intense competition. Here, a player sporting a kilt makes a reception in a game between the University of Washington and Oregon State.

As the mist cleared on Sunday morning, the UC Santa Barbara women’s team took a warm-up lap before their semifinals. Stanford and the University of Oregon claimed the top two spots in the women’s division, qualifying for the national championships in Minnesota, May 28-31.

The men’s team has been ranked among the top 20 teams in the nation for the past nine years. This year’s team, coached by UCSC alums and former Slug ultimate players Dennis Karlinsky and Craig Drizin, rose as high as no. 8 in the rankings. Here, Slug Tyler McGlashan sends a backhand pass in the game against Stanford.

UCSC team captain Idris Nolan, holding the disc, waits for teammate Clayton Hurd to make a downfield cut. The Slugs scored on this possession in the game against Stanford.