Written by Arianna Hurst
COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Harding University men’s ultimate Frisbee team, Apocalypse, played in a tournament on Saturday, Nov. 13 and Sunday Nov. 14 against several schools from across the country.The team won its pool on Saturday and was ushered into a championship bracket on Sunday, but it was defeated 13-6 by Colorado University at Boulder.On Saturday, Apocalypse triumphed over Colorado at Boulder by a score of 11-3 and defeated Loyola Chicago 11-4 and Wisconsin-Milwaukee 11-8.Players said the tournament was very tough and they played against much larger schools, but the competition helped them make strong improvements as a team.”Despite some long, hard-fought losses, the team played well as a unit and gained a lot of chemistry that will help [us] be a better competitor in upcoming tournaments,” sophomore cutter Nick Doores said.The team is independently funded and prides itself in competing against impressive Division I schools such as Kansas, Missouri, Emory, Towson and Mississippi State, all of which they beat earlier this fall. “Even though we are a small school without a huge pool of guys to choose from, Harding has always been very good at hucking (long throws of 50 yards or more),” captain Ryan Rummage said. “We have very fast and athletic guys who can out jump most guys that we play. We try to keep our offense free flowing with fast game play and a long bomb every now and then.”Sophomore cutter Tucker Bankston said Apocalypse features a diverse group of men who represent different social clubs on campus, but the team is a strong “brotherhood.”There are several capable players: Captains and veterans include handler Taren Goins and cutter Tyler Samuels.”Not only their athletic skills, but their leadership skills have really helped the team so far this season,” Rummage said.The team has also welcomed 13 new freshmen, seven of which are starting players; they offer great energy and really keep the games upbeat. Tournaments are divided into sectionals, regionals and nationals. Apocalypse hopes to proceed to college regionals next season. Regional opponents will include larger universities like Texas A&M, University of Texas and University of Arkansas. A subsequent goal is to qualify for the USA Ultimate Division III national tournament.”We have three theme words for this season: efficient, relentless and swag,” Rummage said. “We strive to make our offense efficient. Just like football, you have to be smart, especially when we’re close to the end zone. We want our defense to be relentless. We want to shut down the man that we’re guarding by staying all over him and providing layout D’s [defense] if necessary. If we have fun and make it look pretty, we will have a great season.”Ultimate Frisbee is a year-round sport; Apocalypse’s next tournament will be held Dec. 4-5 on the Harding campus.
