Pranksters fall at New England Regionals

Author: Kevin Carpenter

The Pranksters were unable to quell their opponents at New England Regionals this past weekend at Dartmouth as the Middlebury men's and women's ultimate Frisbee teams both fell short of receiving a bid to Nationals. The top two teams from each tournament received a bit to Nationals, which takes place at the end of May.

The men entered New England Regionals riding a 14-game winning streak and kept their momentum going through the first three games. The experienced squad rolled through their first two games, beating New Hampshire and MIT 15-6 and 15-5, respectively. The Pranksters met Harvard, who finished fifth at Nationals last year, in the semifinals.

"The game that stands out in my mind as our best of the tournament was our semifinal against Harvard," said Tri-Captain Peter Prial '09. "People made great plays, both on the offensive and defensive ends, at critical times which allowed us to escape from a 3-0 deficit to 8-7 at the half."

The team was performing at their peak against Harvard, noted Prial.

"In the second half," continued Prial, "we worked as well as I've seen us work with the disc, maintaining a very patient offense and taking the underneath cuts which Harvard gave us and not forcing any deep throws. On defense, we maintained a high level of intensity and channeled that intensity into a patient offensive game."

The satisfying win was merely a prelude to the final match against a ferocious Tufts squad. Prior to the game, Tufts boasted a 21-9 record coming into the game against a 31-5 Middlebury. Unfortunately for the Pranksters, Tufts had no intention of clowning around and came out strong.

"We ran as hard as we could every single point of every game, and it was a joy to be a part of the team," said Prial. "We played very well the whole weekend, and just were a little fatigued on Sunday. There were also a few injuries that hurt us."

Middlebury ultimately lost the finals but still had a chance to go to Nationals with a win against Williams in the second-place bracket.

The squad had beaten Williams twice, yet with the injury of Joe MacDonald '10, Middlebury's mismatch on offense was no longer an advantage. In a highly contested match, the men ultimately fell 15-14 and missed finals in a one point loss.

The women put up an equally valiant fight in their quest for a spot to Nationals. The lady Pranksters entered the tournament in the third seed and destroyed Connecticut and UMass in the first two matches.

"I think that the team did a great job of combining both intensity and a great spirit to make the weekend not only successful, because we placed fourth, but also a whole lot of fun for everyone on our team," said Hannah Waite '11.

The squad fell, however, in the semifinal match against Dartmouth, the host team and second seed in the bracket. The loss brought Middlebury to the second-place bracket where Middlebury met top-seed Harvard.

"Having played five games already in the weekend," said Waite, "we were all completely exhausted against Harvard, but we pulled together as a team and really gave it our all. Even though we lost, we put up a really great fight, and all of our girls played incredibly."

Middlebury lost a contested 15-13 match to Harvard, yet the close score reflected a truly gritty battle for that spot to Nationals.

Both the men's and women's programs have experienced incredible success this season. The teams have managed to increase their skill and stamina while still sticking to the outrageousness of the Prankster doctrine.

In looking to the future, both teams foresee solid teams.

"I think the team has a bright future, not only for next year but the years to come," said Prial. "The juniors and sophomores on the team this year improved dramatically over the course of the season, and I fully expect that improvement to continue next year."

The women will likely lose no players this year and look to have a lethal roster going into the fall. ? "Considering more than half of our roster consists of freshman, we have great potential for the future," said Waite. "Those freshmen will definitely improve over the summer and with most of our players returning next year, the future of the Middlebury Lady Pranksters looks very bright."

Despite falling short of Nationals, the Pranksters have established a winning program that is sure to experience unbounded success in future years.