As the regular season draws to a close, teams are jockeying for position in the bid race and attempting to get one last look at their regional competition. This weekend, many of the Northeast’s top teams will make the trek to Manheim, PA to play one last regular season tournament at
Keystone Classic. This tournament is the last tournament of an 8-tournament series run by Without Limits, an organization dedicated to creating opportunities for women’s ultimate players.
The tournament was largely built upon the support of the top teams in the newly formed Ohio Valley Region.
Ohio State captain and former Junior Worlds standout Cassie Swafford committed to bringing her team to Manheim, saying, "Fever is very excited for Keystone - we made a commitment this year to travel to tournaments where we could see more out-of-region competition, and going to QCTU and MWTD made that happen. Keystone Classic will be our final chance to see in-region competition before the series begins." Host team
Penn State, and cross-state rivals
Pittsburgh and
Pennsylvania round out the top teams in the Ohio Valley, and on Sunday at Regionals, any one of those teams could be the last one standing. This weekend will be a good indicator of where teams stand going into the Conference Championships.
The tournament is also providing an opportunity for some of the younger, less developed teams in the region.
Shippensburg captain Amanda Swank said, "Coming to a tournament like Keystone Classic is a great opportunity for young teams to learn the basics of the game while also playing competitive ultimate. The skills clinic gives girls at every level an opportunity to learn something they do not typically get the opportunity to. A tournament this large, of only women, shows the new girls how big women's ultimate is and encourages them to strive for greatness and never give up." While the bar is being raised each year for the college women’s division, growth and development remain key aspects at the college women’s level.
Top seed
Tufts University is coming off an outstanding performance at last weekend’s
Women’s College Centex, where they bested some of the country’s top teams en route to a 3rd place finish and the best finish a New England team has had at that tournament in recent history.
Ottawa, another top team, is making the trip down to Manheim this weekend as well. They have not played in the States since Pres Day in mid-February and they will be looking to get some final games in before the Series. Captain Kathryn Pohran said, "Since returning back to Ottawa we've had a chance to work through our zone offense as well as making adjustments on our defensive strategies in both man-O and zone-O. Keystone will be a prime opportunity for our players to gain experience leading up to Conference Championships, as well as to have the opportunity to work with a "sister" high school team full of up-and-coming female ultimate frisbee athletes. Not only will this provide a learning experience for our players, but it will also aid in the development of women's ultimate - something that the Gee Gees have been involved with, in our home town of Ottawa, for years. Totally looking forward to everything this weekend will bring!"
With a snowstorm hitting the area earlier this week, and teams scrambling to meet the College Rostering Deadline on Tuesday and get games in before the end of the season, Pohran’s sentiments sum things up nicely. It should be a great weekend of women’s ultimate, featuring high school teams, up-and-coming college teams, and some of the best teams in the college women’s division. Stay tuned to the Without Limits Twitter Feed for updates, and check back here next week for a recap of the event.
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