LUFDA hosts invitational, alumni dominate

Nine ultimate frisbee teams from seven colleges and universities around the Midwest came to Luther College to compete Oct. 24-25. As the college hosted its first Luther Ultimate Invitational Tournament, the team of LUFDA alums ultimately emerged victorious.

The tournament included LUFDA and Pound, the A and B squads from Luther, as well as the University of Iowa, Iowa State University A and B, Grinnell College (Iowa), the University of Northern Iowa, St. Olaf College (Minn.) and Winona State University (Minn.) Ultimate squads, and eventual champions LUFDA alumni.

The LUFDA alumni showed that they still possess the ultimate skills to compete at the competitive level.

“This was more of a time to get people playing, and get our feet wet again,” LUFDA member Eric Johnson (‘12) said. “Both days were a lot of fun to watch, and I can’t wait to play with those guys again.”

Before this invitational, only regional games were previously held at Luther.

“It was so good to have a tournament here at Luther, the home of LUFDA,” Johnson said. “It’s so important that we are able to host tournaments here so people can come watch us play, and it shows that other teams are eager to play us.”

The tournament was organized by splitting the teams up into two pools, where they played every team in their pool. Once the seeding was organized in the pool, they faced off against teams in the other pool in knockout format.

LUFDA, the Luther A-team, has been ranked among the top teams in the nation the past few years, culminating in a run to qualify for the national Ultimate Players Association Championship Tournament in 2009.

Win or lose, the tournament has given the team much to consider. The visiting teams represent some of the powerhouses in the UPA Central Region, and the tournament may be a preview of what Luther can expect from the competition at the UPA Central Region in April.