Redline, Quasars Burn Out at Regionals

It may be a club activity, but if you are looking for one of America's most popular college sports, look no farther than the MAC quad on a sunny day. Frisbee, which boasts levels ranging from casual throwing to "ultimate" competition, has nestled its way into the collegiate mainstream with hundreds of teams across the nation. The highest echelon of this burgeoning sport was on display last weekend, as Harvard's two "A" squads—the men's Redline and women's Quasars—traveled to Hanover, N.H. to compete in the New England College Regionals. To see how the Crimson representatives fared, read on after the jump.

Both teams had hopes of a top-two finish at regionals, which would have guaranteed a spot at the Ultimate Players Association College Championships (a first for the women and a repeat for the guys). But, Redline and the Quasars came up just short, finishing fifth and third, respectively.

"I thought it was a good effort," said injured Redline co-captain Chris Stevens. "We kind of hit a lull in late March, early April, but I found the team on Saturday playing with the intensity that we had been lacking."

Harvard opened the two-day competition with solid results, drubbing Yale and Weslyan 15-5 and 15-6 to reach the semifinals. Unfortunately for Redline, it ran into an equally dominant Middlebury squad.

"We went up early and they fought back," Stevens explained, highlighting a late 10-10 tie as the game's pivotal moment.

After pulling even, the Pranksters took control for a 15-11 victory, effectively ending Harvard's bid for nationals. Disheartened, Redline showed less enthusiasm in Sunday's consolation contest, falling to UMass in the season finale. Rather than jump to a blistering start, Redline found itself at the mercy of ZooDisc, trailing 4-0 to open the game. Harvard remained competitive in a 14-10 defeat, but Stevens recognized a lack of fight in his squad.

"On Sunday morning UMass wanted it more than we did," he said. "We didn't execute the strategies that our coach was giving us. We knew what they were going to bring...and we just didn't adjust."

As for the women, after a grueling 15-13 loss to the eventual champion Northeastern in the semis, the Quasars came back Sunday with a vengeance, topping Brown and Middlebury to stay alive in the tournament. The victory over the Lady Pranksters proved to be one of the most thrilling matches of the weekend for Harvard, as the squad opened the contest on fire to grab a 7-2 lead. Although Middlebury fought back the Quasars held on for a 15-13 win, pitting the Harvard women against host Dartmouth with a plane ticket to nationals at stake.

Unfortunately for the Quasars, the two previous matches left the squad winded, and No. 28 Princess Layout stormed to a 15-4 win.

"We played really well," Quasars co-captain LeeAnn Suen said of the team's overall effort. "But by the time we got to Dartmouth on Sunday we just didn't have legs left."

Despite a bittersweet ending to the season, Suen acknowledged tremendous progress for a group that claimed the top seed at regionals this year after failing to even qualify in 2008.

"This season has really laid down the foundation of what could become more of a [substantial] program," Suen said. "We have at least 23 [players] returning...and there's no reason the squad won't go even further next year."

Photo Wikimedia Commons/Joe

Considering that both squads finished in the UPA top 50 this season, Flyby has every reason to take Suen at her word.

(And an interesting Ultimate tidbit: despite the sport's name, the quickest way to offend an frisbee player is to call the spinning object a "frisbee." It is a disc. FlyBy just thought you should know in order to avoid future scuffles.)