Whitman Sweets Head to Ultimate Nationals in First-Ever West Coast Showdown

For the first time in spring championship history, the USA Ultimate Division III College National Championships are headed to the West Coast. Hosted in Burlington, Washington, the 2025 tournament promises fierce competition. After sweeping their regional tournaments, both of Whitman’s Ultimate teams are ready to bring the heat.

Road to the Championship

Whitman’s Ultimate teams earned their place in the championships through a combination of strong regular-season performances and decisive victories at the regional level.

The college Ultimate season is divided into two parts: the 13-week regular season (January–April) filled with independent tournaments, followed by the postseason regional championship series. Teams must qualify for nationals through a regional tournament. But the region’s success during the regular season also plays a critical role. The more teams that perform well in the regular season, the more bids that region receives, offering additional opportunities for teams to qualify.

For Whitman, the Northwest region was particularly strong this year, with both their men’s and gender-diverse teams ranked among the top five nationally. This strong regional performance earned the Northwest multiple bids, meaning both Whitman teams not only had the chance to win their regional tournaments but also had a higher likelihood of qualifying through one of the several available bids for nationals.

In fact, both the men’s and women’s divisions of the Northwest region saw three teams qualify for nationals. In the men’s division, Whitman, ranked as the top team in the region, was followed by second-place Lewis & Clark and third-place Puget Sound, all earning bids. Similarly, in the women’s division, Whitman's gender-diverse team claimed the top spot, followed by Puget Sound in second and Lewis & Clark in third, with all three securing their spots at nationals.

The men’s team finished the regular season with a record of 12-10. This competitive record highlights their ability to perform against some of the toughest teams, setting them up for a solid performance in the postseason. They triumphed at the Northwest D-III Men’s Conferences, held in Hillsboro, Oregon, on April 19–20, where they emerged as the top team in the region, defeating a tough Lewis & Clark squad in a close 13–11 final. This victory propelled them from sixth to fifth in the national rankings and also swapped their previous ranking with Lewis & Clark, positioning Whitman as one of the top contenders for a strong seed at nationals.

Meanwhile, the gender-diverse team finished the regular season with an impressive 16-2 record. After failing to qualify for nationals last year, they came back and dominated their regional competition at the Northwest D-III Women’s Conferences, held in Hillsboro, Oregon, on April 12–13. Their closest game was a commanding 15–5 victory, and the smallest margin of victory across all their games was a 10-point gap.

Thanks to these stellar performances, both teams are now poised to enter the 2025 USA Ultimate D-III College Championships with strong seeding. The gender-diverse team enters as the No. 4 seed, while the men’s team is ranked No. 3, placing them among the favorites heading into pool play. Seeding plays a crucial role in shaping a team’s path to the championship. The higher a team’s seed, the more favorable their matchups will be in the early rounds.

Preview the Action

Here’s a breakdown of how the tournament will unfold for Whitman:

Saturday, May 17: Pool Play

Both Whitman teams will begin the tournament with pool play, where they’ll compete against other top-ranked teams to determine their seeding for the next round:

• Men’s Division (Pool C): Whitman (No. 3), Oklahoma Christian (No. 6), Richmond (No. 10), Claremont (No. 15)
• Women’s Division (Pool D): Whitman (No. 4), Kenyon (No. 5), Rochester (No. 9), Claremont (No. 16)

In pool play, each team faces all the others in their pool. The results will determine their positions within the pool, which influences their seeding for the next phase of the tournament. Higher-seeded teams usually face lower-ranked opponents in the early rounds.

Sunday, May 18: Bracket Play

After pool play, the tournament moves to bracket play, which is single-elimination: 

• The men’s team could play their quarterfinal at 1 p.m. and, depending on results, their semifinal could be at 3:45 p.m. or 4:30 p.m.
• The gender-diverse team could play their quarterfinal at 10:45 a.m., with their semifinal scheduled for 1:30 p.m. or 2:15 p.m., depending on the outcome of the pool games.

Monday, May 19: Finals & Placement Games

In the morning, teams that didn’t make it to the finals will play placement games at 8:30 a.m. If Whitman’s teams advance to the finals: 

• The gender-diverse team’s final will be at 10:30 a.m.
• The men’s team’s final will be at 1 p.m. 

The tournament will conclude with an awards ceremony, celebrating the top performers.

Tune In & Cheer Loud

Can’t make it to Burlington? You can still cheer on the Sweets from wherever you are. Finals will be streamed on ESPNU, with full coverage on social: 

• Ultiworld: Facebook, YouTube, X
• USA Ultimate: Facebook, YouTube, X