June 1, 2006

Gainesville, FL (CSTV U-WIRE) -- The UF men's ultimate Frisbee team won its first national championship at the 2006 Ultimate Players Association College Ultimate Championships on Sunday against Wisconsin by a score of 15-12.

The team earned its bid to the championships after winning all 11 games of its sectional and regional tournaments. It was victorious in all six games it competed in at the championship tournament.

"By the numbers, this was the most impressive season of any college Frisbee team ever," co-captain Cyle Van Auken said. "But more importantly, this was the best team that could have been created. Top to bottom, everybody was committed to the ideals and goals of the season."

In addition to winning the championship, second-year graduate student Tim Gehert won the Callahan Award, which is given to the most valuable player in college ultimate as voted by his peers.

"It's a dream come true," Gehert said. "I always thought that I'd have a shot at winning it, but never did I actually, really believe I could win it. It's an honor."

Ultimate Frisbee resembles football because it's played on a 70-yard field with 25-yard end zones, and a point is scored for every catch made in the end zone. However, play is continuous like soccer, so the same competitors play both offense and defense.

The members of the team assert that ultimate Frisbee requires the most athleticism of any sport.

"If ultimate were popular enough to get on ESPN," co-captain Bill MacQueen said, "there would be a top-10 play every week involving ultimate Frisbee because of the diving plays that happen."

During the regular season, the team practiced for two hours every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, they did distance runs and ran up and down the steps of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Most of the team will be returning next season since MacQueen and Gehert are the only players who will no longer be eligible to play. A player is allowed five years of eligibility to compete on the college level.

"There's a possibility of our team winning again next year and then probably more likely in two years," MacQueen said. "Only one team ever has won more than two open-division championships and that's Santa Barbara, so we're in a position to have a dynasty here."

MacQueen said the team drew inspiration from UF's NCAA Championship men's basketball team.

"Obviously, a lot of the student body won't consider this achievement in a similar light," he said. "That's completely fair, but to us, this is the most important thing that many of us have accomplished, and it's a big deal."

(C) 2006 Independent Florida Alligator via CSTV U-WIRE