The Shippensburg University women’s ultimate frisbee club finished first in an eight-team field Saturday and Sunday at the Country Roads Classic in Morgantown, West Virginia.
The Bellwethers breezed through pool play on Saturday, winning their pool with a 3–0 record.
Shippensburg opened the tournament with an 11–4 victory over Carnegie Mellon University and followed it up with a gritty 10–7 win over Georgetown University. The Belles carried the morning’s momentum into a 13–2 blowout win over Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Saturday’s undefeated performance earned the Belles a first-round bye in Sunday’s bracket play. The bye was key, as Sunday’s brutal weather conditions included snow, hail and strong wind gusts.
In the semifinals, Shippensburg defeated Georgetown once more, this time by a score of 9–5. The Belles overcame the merciless weather conditions in the championship game and were able to walk away with an 8–5 victory over the University of Mary Washington.
“When we face poor weather like that, our key is to keep a positive attitude and never give in,” Hannah Bryant, senior captain and club president, said. “We have faced wind advisories, flood warnings and below-freezing temperatures, and it’s never stopped us from giving 110 percent.”
The women’s ultimate frisbee program has faced roster turnover similar to that of the men’s program in recent years. Still, the club has made tremendous strides.
“This weekend was an amazing representation of how far this organization has come,” said Nora Ormsbee, junior captain and club vice president. “Even with so many girls that are new to the sport, we worked together to accomplish something that may have been impossible before.”
The Belles now have two weeks off to prepare for the postseason, which will begin on April 13 at the Pennsylvania D-III Conference Championships in Allentown.
“Conferences will be our most competitive tournament of the semester, and we’re really looking forward to it,” Bryant said. “Luckily, we have faced a few of the teams that will be there before so I’m confident that we’ll be ready to show them what we’re made of.”
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