BY DANIEL KIM
STAFF WRITER
Franciscan University’s Ultimate Frisbee team, FATAL, claimed the title of champion March 21 at CWRUL Memorial Tournament in Cleveland by winning every single game it played.
FATAL finished its perfect season of 10-0 and ranked third in the nation for D-III teams.
FATAL, which is in its second year of existence competed well during its first year, narrowly missing the nationals by a one-point loss. This loss only further motivated the team to return stronger this year.
When the fall season started, the members of the FATAL team produced results that led them to compete in a total of three tournaments. Even though some of FATAL’s most adept players were in Austria, the Franciscan team won all but one of its games against other colleges.
Promising new players Dominic Schuster and Stephen Babcock were additions to this team’s roster. Both competent ultimate players, Schuster played for USA National Team that took second place at the 2014 World Junior Ultimate Championship, and Babcock captained the Youth Club Championships Cincinnati team.
“This spring season looks to be FATAL’s prime season,” said Tommy Koch, one of the team’s founders and its co-captain. “We graduated only one senior. We have our veterans from Austria, and we have some very talented players added to the team.”
For the first game of the Cleveland tournament, FATAL faced Case Western Reserve University, the hosting team and one of the best teams in the tournament. After an intense match, FATAL came out on top with the score of 13-8.
Afterward, the Franciscan team easily defeated both Cornell University and John Carroll University, with scores of 13-3 and 13-2, respectively.
FATAL also faced Kent State University, which was the only team to which they lost in the fall. With precise throws and superior team coordination, Franciscan took the victory 13-6. In the semi-final, FATAL defeated Kent State once more.
After its first game, Case Western crushed all the other teams in the tournament and faced Franciscan in the championship game.
In a very close back-and-forth match, Koch’s layout defended for two crucial break points. Schuster made an endzone catch against two opponents, and Bort caught three consecutive hucks. FATAL won 15-11 and claimed the title of champion.
Being ranked third in the nation, Franciscan University’s ultimate Frisbee team now looks forward to post-season conferences.