Whitman Ultimate club team at Division I Open Championships

News Release Date:
Friday, May 27, 2011

WALLA WALLA, Wash. — The Whitman College Ultimate team caps the most successful season in school history this weekend as one of 20 men's teams at USA Ultimate's Division I Open Championships.

Whitman, which has rich men's and women's history in flying-disk wizardry that includes national championships at the Division III level, has seen its men's squad soar to new heights this spring.

Whitman Ultimate

After winning the Tacoma Invite and Stanford Open, going undefeated in both cases, the men's team rolled the dice in recent weeks by passing on its invitation to Division III nationals in favor of pursuing a berth in the highly competitive Division I arena.

Whitman's final match at the DI regional tournament earlier this month was against Oregon State, with the winner earning the fourth and final ticket to nationals. Whitman responded with a 15-10 triumph — one of the most important victories in program history.

Whitman, the highest-ranked Division III club sport team in the country at No. 19, joins Harvard, Cornell, Carleton and the University of British Columbia in Pool D at this weekend's DI national championship tournament, which takes place in Boulder, Colo.

Whitman, which is 28-5 on the season, plays games Friday and Saturday against each of the teams in its pool.

Immaculate Ultimate Reception

After pool play, the top three teams from each of the four pools advance into Sunday's start of the the championship bracket. Monday's championship battle is set for 2 p.m. Central Daylight Time.

Whitman's pool-play games (all times CDT) start on Friday with Harvard at 8:30 a.m. and Carlton at 12:30 p.m. Saturday's game are against Cornell at 8:30 a.m. and British Columbia at 12:30 p.m.

For more information about the national tournament, please click here. The CBS Sports Network is also covering the games.

One aspect of club sports at the collegiate level is that the student athletes cover a significant portion of the costs involved with their sport.

Financial contributions aimed at helping Whitman's Ultimate team defray its costs are welcome. To donate, gifts can be made online at www.whitman.edu/give, or by phoning (800) 835-9448, ext. 2. 

Gifts designated for the Ultimate team can also be mailed to Annual Giving, Whitman College, 345 Boyer Avenue, Walla Walla, WA 99362-2083. 

Questions about the Ultimate team can be directed to Skip Molitor, Director of Club Sports, at 509 301-8505 or molitore@whitman.edu.

Jeremy Norden and Chris Hansman are Whitman's senior captains. Other seniors on the team are Chris Saxby and John Klaasen.

Juniors on the squad are Peter Osseward, Adam Bronstein, Jamie Muldoon, Ben McGinn, Charlie O'Rourke and Stephen Stradley.

Rounding out the roster are sophomores Jacob Janin, Nick Cross, Jack Hardiman and Peter Burrows, and freshmen Nathan Sany, Eddie Hill, Grady Olson, Benjamin Harris, Austin Easter, Benjamin Cohen-Stead, Walker Larson and Ethan Parrish.

CONTACT: Dave Holden
Sports Information Director
Whitman College
509 527-5902 holden@whitman.edu