USA Ultimate

The stage is set in Corvallis, Ore., for the 2013 High School Western Regional Championships. This year, 19 teams from all across the west, including teams traveling from as far as Colorado, will be competing in a two-day showcase of some of the top youth ultimate in the West. Girls Scoreboard     Open Scoreboard Event Guide (PDF)

Open Division

In the Open Division, five Oregon teams will look to defend their home turf, with the top-ranked South Eugene Axemen leading the charge. The Axemen have historically been contenders for the title at Westerns, with top finishes as recent as 2010. They will have very stiff competition to deal with from the Colorado State Champions, Monarch High School, as well as the Colorado State runners up in the Fairview High School Knights.

Oregon’s neighbors from the north are no slouches either. The Washington State Championship runners up, the Franklin High Quakers, as well as the fifth-place Roosevelt High Riders, are just a couple of the strong Washington teams who have been working hard in their offseason for the illustrious title of "Best in the West." The Garfield High Purple Haze feel that with all the work they have put in and a little luck, it could be their year. Rounding out the northern squads are the gritty Nathan Hale Raiders, who are ready to claw their way as far as they can.

The south brings tough challengers as well. The 15-3 Berkeley High Coup from Berkeley, Calif., have plans to see what kind of a splash they can make. The second-year program Atascadero High School Mud Pit Gladiators from Atascadero, Calif., have already had successful tournaments this season finishing 3-1 at both. They too will be looking to make their mark.

Rounding out the tournament are the local boys. Another Eugene team, the Sheldon High School Irish, have had considerable success at mixed tournaments this year and look to see what their Open team can accomplish. Corvallis is fielding two teams of its own, the Corvallis High School Spartans and Crescent Valley High School Tribe. The Spartans are anxious to take the field and see what they can do as a whole team after being undermanned at their only other open tournament this season. Tribe are hoping to create a stir after a number of strong finishes this season, with many close games against the other Oregon teams. Lastly, but never to be discounted, is Summit Storm form Summit High School in Bend, Ore. They have now combined their team after spending the season as split squads. They have put up some impressive results this year, including narrowly missing the crown in the Oregon State Championships, with a loss in the finals to the South Eugene Axemen. They are looking to use the second-place finish as fuel to take Westerns by storm.

With so much talent in the field, it really is anyone’s weekend. Look forward to an exciting weekend full of close, hard-fought games.

Girls' Division

With the return of Westerns to Corvallis, after a one-year year hiatus in Orem, Utah in 2012, the girls’ division is back and stronger than ever. This weekend, six teams will bid for the title of 2013 Western Regional Champions.

Colorado’s Monarch High School girls’ team is aiming to continue their dominant in-state success in Oregon and claim the Westerns Championship crown. Three Oregon teams and two Washington teams will attempt to unseat the top-seeded Monarch. Monarch, founded nine years ago, put together a compelling argument for the number one seed. The team’s 29-player roster dominated Colorado’s state tournaments and made it to the semifinals of the Amherst Invite.

Westerns will showcase the future of girls’ high school ultimate in the West. Many of the teams that hope to challenge Monarch are in various stages of development. Each team except South Eugene and Monarch will field fewer than four seniors. While Monarch has built a solid program in its nine-year existence, several of the younger Oregon and Washington schools could play spoiler to Monarch’s ambitions. South Eugene notably picked up three players from the Oregon State Champion Sheldon High School girls’ team. The added depth should strengthen the REBEL squad’s bid for a spot in this weekend’s championship game. Corvallis Ladies Ultimate looks to follow up a second-place finish in the Oregon State Championships while Summit, Roosevelt and Garfield aim to perform up to their potential at Westerns.

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