St. Olaf men’s ultimate team wins national championship
The Berzerkers, the St. Olaf College men’s ultimate team, won the 2024 Division III national championship.
The team took the title with a 15-12 win over Williams College in the finals of the USA Ultimate Nationals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, May 18-20.
The road to the national championship included a number of spectacular plays, including a diving catch by Will Brandt ’24 that was featured at No. 7 on ESPN SportsCenter’s Daily Top 10 Plays.
Brandt says the throw from Gordon Larson ’24 floated perfectly, and he was able to get a good step on the layout to make the catch. “The moment was electric,” Brandt says. “It’s incredible to see that others think it’s worthy of a SportsCenter Top 10. Every kid’s sports dream, right?”
Yet Brandt emphasized that winning the national championship was truly a team effort, and the depth of this year’s roster was on full display.
“So many players stepped up this weekend to carry us to a championship,” he says. “I feel like the final game really showcased the talent and development of our team.”
Both men’s and women’s ultimate has become an increasingly dominant force at St. Olaf in recent years. Vortex, the women’s ultimate team, won the national championship in 2018 and this year finished third. Both teams have competed at the DIII championships multiple times, regularly finishing near the top.
This year’s national championship was the first title in the St. Olaf men’s ultimate program history.