SPORTS
Hodags No. 1 ultimate frisbee team in nation
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Also by Jeff Fishbach:
- Waite closes in on 400th win (September 14, 2004)
- Todd Oehrlein makes jump to Division I (April 20, 2004)
- Hodags looking for another national championship (May 4, 2004)
- Eaves gears up for closing weeks (February 17, 2004)
- Eaves hopes special teams will power UW in postseason (February 24, 2004)
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- Badgers net NCAA berth (May 9, 2007)
- Club team keeps Wisconsin's baseball tradition alive to this day (May 3, 2006)
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by Jeff Fishbach
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Though the Hodags haven’t grabbed many headlines this season, they may be the most successful club team on campus. The University of Wisconsin ultimate Frisbee squad is the No. 1 team in America, according to the Ultimate Player’s Association.
The Hodags (22-6) have been on a roll recently. In the past two months, they have won the Mardi Gras Tournament in Baton Rouge, La., and the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif. Over spring break, the Hodags placed in the semifinals of the Centex Tournament in Austin, Texas, where the defending national champions, the University of Colorado, emerged with the win.
“The biggest game this season was Brown, who at the time was ranked No. 2 in the country,” junior co-captain Tom Burkly said. “We played them at Centex over spring break and we won 13-12, basically what would be overtime in any other sport.”
Burkly is joined by fifth-year senior co-captain Ryan Carrington and National Player of the Year finalist Grant Zukowski. The trio has led the preseason-No. 3 Hodags to become the top Frisbee team in the nation.
This weekend the Hodags were scheduled to host the Midwestern Tournament at University Bay Field, but rain caused the cancellation of the tournament. This traditional University of Wisconsin-run tournament annually invites Frisbee teams from Wisconsin and Minnesota. As of press time, the tournament has not been rescheduled.
However, in the coming weeks, the Hodags will attempt to qualify for nationals, which will be held in Oregon Memorial Day weekend. The Hodags will attempt to regain the national title, which they won in 2003. With the Badgers no longer competing in the NCAA tournament, the Hodags may be worth a look for those needing their UW sports fix.
“During the spring, basketball season has just finished. If you are into a live sport and into something that is like a combination between soccer and football, you should definitely come out and watch us,” Burkly said. “It is a fast-action sport that definitely has some crowd-pleasing moments.”
