The men's A- and B-teams and the women's A-team traveled south over spring break to participate in the Southerns Tournament at Georgia Southern University.
In what proved to be a promising spring break outing, the E-Men came out strong, placing second out of 40 teams, falling short only of California's Chico State.
The week provided the team with much-needed practice time, as well as the opportunity for players to stretch their legs in outdoor play after preseason training in Gantcher. They also managed to squeeze in some time for relaxation, following the competition with trips to Savannah and Georgia's Tybee Island, where they enjoyed some decidedly warmer weather than the Boston winter.
In Savannah, the A-team practiced for the Ultimax XXXV Tournament to take place the following weekend in Greenville, North Carolina, while the B-Men played in the High Tide Tournament, also in Savannah.
Following the High Tide Tournament, the B-team returned to Tufts, while the E-Men made the short journey to North Carolina for Ultimax. The team successfully made it to the pre-quarterfinals, but lost 3-1 to the University of Tennessee to end its run.
"This year's spring break allowed us to practice together as a team," said sophomore B-team member Aaron Schutzengel said. "We did well at Southerns, and the time on Tybee Island was great."
Senior captain Sam Kortz explained that despite the loss at Ultimax, the team is performing well as a whole, and continues to show improvement on the field. The most important tournaments of the season are approaching, and the E-Men are continuously preparing for the playoffs.
"For the College Championship Series, winning does not count until Sectionals, Regionals and Nationals," Kortz said. "Until that point, we'll be working hard as a team and we're confident that we'll be ready when it counts."
Schutzengel shared his enthusiasm for the upcoming tournaments, citing the strength that makes up the core of the team.
"I'm really excited for both teams' prospects this season." Schutzengel said. "Last year we had the best A- and B-teams in Metro Boston, and, despite losing nine really strong senior players, I expect we'll do as well or better this spring."
The loss of last year's seniors is a challenge that the team is hoping to overcome, and looks to the strong base of juniors and seniors that make up the core of the group.
The teams' schedule will heat up soon, as the E-Men will play in two tournaments hosted by Yale and the University of Massachusetts before the championship series begins with the Sectionals Tournament. The UMassacre Tournament will be held on April 2 and 3 in Amherst, Massachusetts, and the Yale Cup will be held in New Haven, Connecticut on April 9 and 10. The E-Men hope to work their way up in the Ultimate Players Association (UPA) rankings heading into the playoffs.
The B-Men, meanwhile, will also play in two tournaments hosted by SUNY-Albany in New York and by Wheaton College in Warwick, RI.
The Metro Boston Sectionals Tournament on April 16 and 17 will follow the Yale Cup, leading up to the Regional and Nationals competition. The Sectionals will be held at Tufts, and the E-Men will face rival schools such as MIT, Harvard, Boston University and Northeastern.
