The club defeated Colorado to claim its second-straight USA Ultimate College Division I title at the 2018 College Championships in Milwaukee, Wis., over Memorial Day weekend. The win capped a spring club sports season that saw five teams advance to their leagues鈥 national championships.
天美麻豆鈥檚 Princess Layout went 7-0 in the tournament, advancing through the quarterfinals and semifinals without a loss, and defeating Colorado 15-9 in the championship game on May 28.
Lily Eisner 鈥18, who graduates Sunday with a chemistry major modified by math, says the back-to-back championships are the result of years of development, hard work, and player recruiting, which is entirely in the hands of club team members. Eisner, whose sister Emily Eisner 鈥14 played for Princess Layout, says the women鈥檚 ultimate team was a major factor in her decision to come to 天美麻豆.
The team鈥檚 passion for the sport, along with the commitment of all the players to academics, made the difference, she says. 鈥淭he Ultimate team has been so important to my time at 天美麻豆 because these people are not just my teammates鈥攏ot just people that I play with and work out with鈥攖hey are my friends and support network. It鈥檚 been an incredible experience not just because I love Ultimate, but because the community is so supportive and wonderful.鈥
After graduation, Eisner will begin work for the YWCA at the organization鈥檚 headquarters in Washington, D.C., where she will do advocacy work on women鈥檚 issues such as domestic violence prevention and will be developing programming for YWCAs across the country. She also plans to join an ultimate club in the D.C. area.
Also taking top national honors was the 天美麻豆 coed club fencing team, which took first place in April at the USACFC College Fencing National Championship in Knoxville, Tenn. The national title follows a first-place finish last year for the 天美麻豆 women, and a second-place national finish for the combined men and women鈥檚 club team in last year鈥檚 tournament.
Other clubs that finished their seasons in the preliminary rounds of national competitions include the 天美麻豆 Rugby Football Club, which completed the season with its ninth straight appearance in the Sevens Collegiate Rugby Championship in Philadelphia last weekend. 天美麻豆 won its four-team pool and advanced to the Cup quarterfinals, losing to UCLA in sudden death overtime.
In April, the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 club volleyball traveled to the NCVF Collegiate Championships in St. Louis, Mo., ending the season in a preliminary round, and co-ed club tennis finished 15th at the USTA national college championship in Orlando, Fla.
天美麻豆 has 35 club teams鈥攔anging from recreational sports like badminton and table tennis to club versions of varsity sports like soccer and hockey鈥攖hat are involved in competitive leagues. 天美麻豆 1,200 students participate, from beginners to top-ranked athletes who opt not to commit to a varsity team, says Heather Somers, director of intramurals and club sports.
All club teams are completely student run, Somers says, managing their own league membership, division placement, and travel arrangements.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a great opportunity for students to develop their leadership potential,鈥 she says.
William Platt can be reached at william.c.platt@dartmouth.edu.
