The Luther Ultimate Flying Disc Association (LUFDA) lost 15-7 to the Grinnell College Grinnellephants in the 2024 Division III Ultimate Frisbee West Plains Conference Championship on April 13. LUFDA was attempting to repeat as West Plains Conference champions.
Luther hosted the championship game, which took place on the intramural fields out past the soccer pitch. LUFDA was the number two seed going into the championship game.
LUFDA and the Grinnellephants are currently the only two teams in the West Plains Conference. But historically, the West Plains Conference has not been this small. According to LUFDA alum and current Miller Hall Director Calvin Harper (‘22), the West Plains Conference used to be a size similar to that of the American Rivers Conference and included schools such as Nebraska Wesleyan University.
“There were many teams in the conference and we always would kind of dominate because every other team was pretty small,” Harper said. “A lot of those smaller teams folded during the pandemic, so now it’s just us and Grinnell.”
Current LUFDA captain Simon McDonald (‘26) reflected positively on the championship game and acknowledged the performance of the Grinnell team.
“I was happy about how it [the conference championship game] went,” McDonald said. “Obviously, we lost by a moderate margin, but they [the Grinnellephants] are a tough team.”
The championship game was followed by a scrimmage between LUFDA’s current roster and the alumni who came to cheer on the team. McDonald appreciated having the LUFDA alumni back, saying it was “a good experience to have an outside view on the team.” He also appreciated that former players gave him some tips to being a better captain.
“It’s always just fun having [the alumni] back and playing against them and getting to talk to them,” McDonald said “We always learn a lot when we play with them.”
Harper echoed McDonald’s sentiment, saying that the scrimmage was “a lot of fun.” He said that LUFDA benefited from competing against alums who had their own extensive careers in ultimate frisbee while attending Luther.
“Almost all of the alumni that came played 3-4 years on the team when they were here, so it’s a lot of experience to throw at the [current] team,” Harper said. “Most of this current team is rookies this year, so it’s just fun for them to see a different level of play.”
LUFDA’s current lineup consists of one senior, one junior and five sophomores, while the remaining majority of the team is first-years. While LUFDA is a young team, McDonald felt that with support from a passionate pool of alumni and strong upperclassmen leaders the future is bright for the team.
“We are going to be looking really good in a couple of years.” McDonald said.
LUFDA will be back in action on April 27, where they will compete in the North Central Division III College Men’s regionals, which will take place at James W. Cownie Soccer Complex in Des Moines.
