MILWAUKEE (May 20, 2022) – The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on collegiate sports, and Ultimate was no exception. However, the resulting scheduling chaos has resulted in a rare – and perhaps unprecedented – opportunity for Oklahoma Christian's club program.
Because there was no collegiate Ultimate postseason in spring 2020 or spring 2021, USA Ultimate – the sport's governing body – decided to hold the 2021 postseason at the end of the fall 2021 semester, a time when most Ultimate teams usually are playing preseason matches or scrimmages. Under the unique setup,
OC won the Division III title in December in Norco, Calif.
With the sport now back on a somewhat normal schedule, the 2022 postseason – as it usually is – is being conducted during the spring 2022 semester and OC will be in the field for this year's Division III Championship, set to be played from Saturday through Monday at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee.
Thus, coach
Garrett Taylor's Eagles could pull off a most unusual double – two national titles in the same sport in the same academic year under the same governing body.
Despite their December success, it wasn't a given the Eagles would have an opportunity to defend their title just five months later. Weather played havoc with OC's spring schedule, cancelling the Eagles' opening tournament in Tulsa, Okla. OC managed to play only one regular-season event, and punched above its weight class to do so, facing a field of Division I schools in the prestigious Centex tournament in Round Rock, Texas. The Eagles
finished a respectable fifth among 16 teams.
OC breezed through the first round of the postseason, going 5-0 in the
Ozarks Conference tournament in Rolla, Mo.. But the second step – the South Central Regional in Commerce City, Colo. – didn't go so smoothly. The Eagles lost 15-9 to Missouri S&T in the opener and
had to win four consecutive games to advance to nationals as the consolation-bracket winner. The Eagles downed Missouri S&T 15-12 in the match to determine who would earn the region's second berth to nationals.
Because the Eagles didn't qualify as the regional champions, they are the No. 6 seed in the 16-team national field, which could make their journey this weekend more challenging. OC is in a pool with third-seeded Berry (Ga.), 10th-seeded Ithaca (N.Y.) and 15th-seeded Scranton (Pa.).
Joining Berry as the top seeds in their respective pools will be St. Olaf (Minn.), Middlebury (Vt.) and Colorado College, which won the South Central Region title. OC beat Middlebury in the Division III title match in December, led by the duo of
Kyle Henke and
Elliott Moore.
Henke – named by Ultiworld.com as the
Division III player of the year for 2021 – has moved on, but Moore is back to anchor the OC lineup along with
Jonathan Costello. Ultiworld.com also named Moore as a
first-team All-American for 2021, while Costello was on the
second-team list.
Pool play will be conducted Saturday, starting at 8:30 a.m. OC will face Scranton at 8:30, Ithaca at 10:45 a.m. and Berry at 3:15 p.m.
The top three teams in each pool will advance into the championship bracket, which will start at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. The pool champions will receive a bye into the quarterfinals. The pre-quarterfinals, quarterfinals and semifinals will be played Sunday, with the title match and consolation matches scheduled for Monday.
Certain matches will be streamed on Ultiworld.com, a subscription service. Check the OC Ultimate's team schedule page on
www.oceagles.com for live-stats and broadcast links.
