Bryant, Williams Earn Number-One Seeds
Colorado Springs, Colo. (May 11, 2018) – USA Ultimate, the national governing body for the sport of ultimate in the United States and proud member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, is pleased to announce the seedings and competition schedule for the 2018 Division III College Championships. For a second consecutive year, the top seeds at the D-III Championships go to Bryant University and Williams College in the men’s and women’s division, respectively.
Bryant takes the top spot in the men’s division after a very strong season. Craze put together a 21-1 record in 2018, with their only loss coming to Bates in pool play at the New England Regional Championships. Bryant ended up winning the region, taking the first of three bids to the D-III College Championships. 2018 marks their fifth consecutive trip to the D-III Championships. They reached the semifinals in 2015 and again last year in Lexington.
Air Force, Middlebury and Mary Washington round out the top four in the men’s division and are the remaining one-seeds in their respective pools. Middlebury won the D-III title in 2013, and after a foray into Division I, they are back at the D-III Championships for the first time in four years. Air Force is back in the top four for a second straight year. They reached the semifinals in 2016 and ended up on the wrong end up a three-way tie after pool play last year, knocking them out of the championship bracket. Air Force sat at or near the top of the rankings all season and will look to continue their momentum in Rockford. Mary Washington is making their first College Championships appearance in program history and earned their top spot thanks to a strong season, finishing the regular season in the ranking’s fifth spot. They claimed the second spot out of the Atlantic Coast Region.
For a second straight year, Williams La WUFA takes the top spot in the women’s division. La WUFA has been one of Division III’s strongest programs since its inception. They are a two-time finalist at the D-III Championships and finished tied for fifth place in each of the last two years. After a season spent ranked amongst the top teams in the nation, they won the tough New England Region, earning the number one overall spot at this year’s championships.
Three teams that geographically span the nation – Bates, Puget Sound and Oberlin – round out the top four in the women’s division. Bates finished the regular season ranked as the country’s top team but fell to Williams in the New England regional final. They finished second in the region and earned the D-III Championships’ second overall spot. Puget Sound is making their fourth consecutive trip to the D-III College Championships; they’ve reached the semifinals in each of the last two years but have not yet taken home a national title. According to the rankings, Oberlin was the top non-New England team in the nation at the end of the regular season. They are making their third appearance at the D-III College Championships after their strongest season in recent memory. Oberlin accumulated a 20-2 record and won the Ohio Valley Region to claim the fourth overall spot in Rockford.
For the first time, games from the Division III College Championships will be livestreamed. In all, four games – one quarterfinal, one semifinal and both championship finals – will be streamed on USA Ultimate’s social media platforms. Tune in on Sunday, May 20, to watch the nation’s best Division III teams face off for national championship titles.
The 2018 Division III College Championships will be held May 19-20, in Rockford, Ill. The event will be hosted by Ultimate Chicago and the Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The D-III College Championships were first held in 2010. The 32 teams that qualified for this year’s event reached the championships by advancing through conference and regional championship events held around the country in late April and early May.
