Going into the Ultimate Players' Association Championships, the men's ultimate Frisbee team had not won a national title since 2000. With a talented and senior-heavy roster, it appeared this would be Brownian Motion's best chance to bring a title back to Providence. The men did not disappoint, and at the end of an emotional weekend, Brown was crowned UPA's National College Champions.
The squad had not lost a game since March 20, nor had they even had a closely contested match since the Ultimax Tournament on March 26. Routing every team in the Northeast Region, Brown was unstoppable heading into Nationals.
"You want to peak at Nationals," said Colin Mahoney '07. "It starts in the fall ... but you train to play your best there."
Despite its impressive winning streak, Brownian Motion arrived in Oregon ranked third, with Colorado and Stanford taking the first and second seeds, respectively.
Brownian Motion opened the tournament with wins over the University of Texas, Michigan State University, Carleton College and the University of Washington before heading into the semifinals to face Stanford. Neither Brown nor Stanford made it past the semifinal at last year's Championships, and each squad had its sights set on making it to the finals this time around.
On paper the match had the promise of ending Brown's quest for the title, as the second-seeded Cardinal came into the weekend on a roll after winning the Northwest Region. Brown remained resolute, winning 15-7.
The finals would not be as easily won, as 2004 Champion Colorado took the field looking to defend its title. It would also be a match-up of MVPs, as Brown's Josh Ziperstein '05 - the 2005 UPA MVP - lined up opposite the 2004 MVP, Josh Ackley.
Colorado's Mamabirds came out of the gate strong, and soon the score was 4-1. At halftime, Brown was in an unfamiliar position, entering the second half behind for the first time in the tournament. Trailing 8-5, Brownian Motion was unsure how to stop the unrelenting Mamabirds.
"It's rare that a team will recover from something like that at Nationals," Mahoney said.
Brownian Motion fought back and slowly closed the gap. In a dramatic comeback, Neale Mahoney '05 made a strong defensive move that put the disc back in the hands of Brown's offense, and soon Brown was up 14-13. Colorado scored, and the score was tied 14-14 - double game point. Brown moved the disc, with Alex Bowman '05 sending a deep pass to Dan MacArthur '05 to earn the win and the National Championship, 15-14.
"It was a full effort from everyone on the team," Mahoney said. "You have seven guys at a time out there giving everything. We were just really deep this year."
W. crew misses repeat, takes third
Boasting four of the past six national titles going into this year's NCAA Championship, women's crew hoped to defend its 2004 title. However, despite strong performances, Brown took third overall, tallying 49 points. The University of Virginia and the University of California, Berkeley took the top two slots, with 67 and 63 points.
The Bears have finished in the top three every year since women's crew was made an NCAA-sanctioned sport.
"We're not thrilled about how this season ended up," said captain-elect Caitlin Flynn '06. "But sometimes that's only in comparison from the year before, so I think coming off last's year's championship is where the disappointment comes from."
The Bears advanced the second varsity eight and varsity four boats to the grand final, but the varsity eight failed to qualify. Because the varsity eight boat score accounts for a large portion of the team score, the team knew that it would be nearly impossible to repeat as national champions without their boat in the finals.
"Just because one of our boats didn't perform to the level we'd hoped doesn't diminish the accomplishments of the other boats," Flynn said. "We came together as a team this weekend. We faced tough competition and put forth a great effort."
In the grand finals, Brown found itself in tightly contested races twice. The varsity four pulled off a runner-up effort, clocking 7:20.08. While the Bears were over a second behind winner Virginia, Bruno beat the University of Washington in a photo finish, crossing the line only .07 seconds ahead of the Huskies.
In the second varsity eight, Virginia and Cal-Berkeley pulled away from the field immediately, leaving a three-way race for third. Brown, Michigan and Ohio State traded leads throughout the race. A strong finish allowed Bruno to outpace the Buckeyes, Wolverines and surprise contender, Michigan State, who came up on the pack at the end of the race. The Bears finished in 6:38.98.
Brown's varsity eight contested the petite final, and commanded the race from the gun. The Bears' lead was never challenged, as they finished in 6:24.65. Though out of contention for the team title, the varsity eight's win of the petite final added to the team score, securing the team's third-place finish.
The accomplishments did not end for the Bears at the end line of the NCAAs. Assistant Coach Phoebe Murphy was named both the New England and National Assistant Coach of the Year. Meg Anderson '06 collected first team All-American honors for her efforts in the five-seat in the varsity eight boat at Nationals. Catherine Starr '05 was named a Second Team All-American.
"I am really excited about the prospect of next year. We have the potential to get a lot faster," Flynn said. "This time was a nice summary to how we were performing this season, but next year it's our goal to sweep at Nationals."
Men's Crew "takes good with bad" at EARC
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At the EARC Sprints, the young team showed its depth, with both freshmen boats earning gold medals. The first freshman eight beat Princeton to the line with a time of 5:41.78. The second freshman eight dominated the competition with its 5:53.69 finish, leaving the runner-up Harvard six seconds behind.
The varsity eight took second in the first heat behind eventual-champion Harvard. The Bears finished in 5:40.47.
"Coming into the Eastern Sprints we were very confident," said captain-elect Ben Harrison '07. "We'd gone through a lot of adversity through the course of the year and the guys and coaches worked hard to put the best effort forth on that day."
The boat went on to take fifth in the final, clocking 5:41.27 behind national caliber teams Harvard, Princeton, Northeastern University and Boston University. The loss to Boston University came as a surprise to the Bears, as they had defeated the Terriers the week before.
At the IRA Championships, the freshman eight once again rose to the challenge of national competition, winning its race handily in 6:05.17. The men beat second-place Cornell by over four seconds.
"It was the first time in nearly 10 years that we'd won that race," Harrison said. "They were undefeated the whole season, and they really stepped it up for us."
The varsity eight overcame sicknesses that weakened a few key athletes to finish fourth in the B final. In what Harrison called the "most aggressive race of the season," the squad placed above strong teams from the University of Michigan and Yale, but Brown's effort of 5:47.14 was six seconds behind the winning Cardinal boat.
"It was definitely a learning experience for us all," said coxswain Patrick Yu '06. "We took the good with the bad this year and it was something we needed to do to improve for next year."
Returning all but two members of the varsity boat and an undefeated freshman crew next year, the Bears hope to improve upon the successes and leave behind the obstacles they faced this season.
"Dave Coughlin ('07) and I couldn't be more excited to help lead this squad," Harrison said. "It's the highest level of dedication from the guys and commitment to the program we've seen in awhile, and while we would have liked stronger results this year, I think Brown can expect to be one of the top teams in the EARC next year."
