Men's ultimate on their way to Nationals

Horsecows squeek by Regionals in Minnesota

The men's ultimate frisbee team prevailed at the regional ultimate tournement last weekend with a tournament record of 5 and 3, qualifying them for the Nationals in late May.

"I've never had a sporting experience like that...I've never had a team pull together like that," first-year Todd Daloz said.

The Horsecows began the two-day tournament Saturday with a win against Carlton College's 'C' team 13-7.

After a by, the Horsecows rolled over Winona State 13-3.

The team then entered the formidable game against mighty Colorado University. Oberlin played point for point against the high ranking Colorado until the second half when Colorado pulled ahead winning 13-6.

"There wasn't the intensity that there was in the second Colorado game, and they basically showed it to us," first year John Fedota said.

The Horsecows finished out the day with a neck and neck game against Indiana University who surprised Oberlin with a 16-14 win. Oberlin hadn't lost to Indiana in at least four years and this was a rebuilding year for Indiana.

"It was quite possibly the worst ultimate I've ever been a part of. We lost to a bunch of tools from the corn fields," Fedota said.

At the end of the first day, the Horsecows did not know if they would break to the second day. But because they beat the Carlton team by such a wide spread, they made it to the second day of the tournament. The Horsecows hoped to be first place in their pool to avoid beginning the day with the powerhouse Madison University, but they scraped by as second in their pool.

The Horsecows stumbled against Madison, losing 15-4. But at this double-elimination phase of the tournament, the team stayed alive to play the tired Iowa, beating them handily 15-7.

"They were a really good team. We knew we had bigger fish to fry in the afternoon so we didn't go all out and kill ourselves in that game," Fedota said.

The Horscows were then faced with playing Colorado again. Oberlin jumped off to an early 3-1 lead, stunning the cocky Colorado team. The teams played point for point until a lightning/sleet storm stopped the game. The stormy weather invigorated the Horsecows, remining them of their home turf. The weather soon abated and play resumed.

After two forced turnovers, the Horsecows won the emotionally charged game, shocking Colorado with a prevailing 17-15 score.

Oberlin's fate wasn't fulfilled yet. The Horsecows had to play Ohio University, who they lost to in Sectionals, before they could celebrate a trip to Nationals.

With Oberlin racking up injuries and overdosing on ibuprofen, the game started out feeling very long.

Both teams were giving up lots of unforced turnovers when midway through the game the men found out that the women were going to nationals.

The Horsecows jumped to a lead of 10-6 which was the boost that lasted.

"When we started playing the big games, everyone was focused," Daloz said.

"Everyone played really well. We had incredible support from the reserve squad. It was sorta crazy, but it was really fun," Daloz said.

"Our team was the most turbo 747 that we've been all year," Fedota said.

With a final win of 17-12, the Horsecows squeeked into nationals.

"We're incredibly pumped for nationals. It was really, really neat," Daloz said.

"It makes failing classes worth it," Fedota said about going to nationals.

The Horsecows will attend the national tournament at the University of California, Davis, from May 30 to June 1.

Huckin' comin': Sophomore Dan Feldman launches one at the Sectionals last week in preperation for Regionals this past weekend. (photo by John Matney)