Colorado Springs, Colo. (May 17, 2017) – USA Ultimate, the national governing body for the sport of ultimate in the United States and proud member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, announced today the seedings and competition schedule for the 2017 Division I College Championships.
The top seeds at this year’s championships go to the University of Massachusetts and Stanford University in the men’s and women’s division, respectively.
Massachusetts takes the top spot in the men’s division for a second consecutive year. Zoodisc, one of the longest-tenured programs in college ultimate, jumped into the top spot in the USA Ultimate rankings in the last week of the regular season, following a tournament win at Easterns. Massachusetts defeated 2016 finalist Harvard Red Line en route to earning the lone bid to the College Championships from the New England Region. Zoodisc won their lone College Championships title in 1986; they finished tied for ninth at the College Championships last year.
Pittsburgh, North Carolina and defending champions Minnesota round out the top four in the men’s division and are the remaining one-seeds in their respective pools. Pittsburgh is a two-time national champion and, along with North Carolina, was a semifinalist at last year’s College Championships. North Carolina also has a championship title, won in 2015.
Defending national champions Stanford Superfly claim the top overall seed in the women’s division, marking three consecutive years for them in the top four at the College Championships. Stanford is the most dominant program in college ultimate history; last year’s championship was the program’s eighth national title but their first since 2007. After another dominant year, Stanford finished the regular season atop the rankings and solidified their one seed by claiming the Southwest Regional Championship and earning the first of four bids out of a strong region.
Dartmouth, Virginia and Texas round out the top four in the women’s division. Dartmouth held the top spot in the rankings for much of the season before finally ending as the number four team in the nation. Virginia has become a fixture in the quarterfinals over the last several years and reached the semifinals for the first time last year. Texas is making their fifth straight appearance at the College Championships and is hoping to surpass last year performance when they finished tied for ninth.
The 2017 Division I College Championships will be held May 26-29, outside Cincinnati in Mason and Franklin, Ohio. The event will be hosted by the Cincinnati Ultimate Players Association (CUPA) and Warren County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The D-I College Championships were first held in 1984. The 40 teams that qualified for this year’s event reached the championships by advancing through conference and regional championship events held around the country. Four teams are first-time College Championships qualifiers this year: Colorado State, Oregon State and Virginia Tech in the men’s division, and Connecticut in the women’s division.
