Earlier this year, Lewis & Clark’s two ultimate frisbee teams competed in the 2025 DIII College Championships in Burlington, Washington. Both teams ended their seasons with historic wins — Bacchus ranked first in the men’s division and Artemis tied for third in the women’s division.
Ultimate college teams are not connected to the NCAA. Instead, they play for USA Ultimate (USAU). As of 2022, there were 162 teams competing on the DIII level nationwide. Teams qualify by competing in conference or regional championship events, and bids to the championship are granted based on regular-season rankings calculated by USAU’s algorithm for eight geographical reasons. Each region is given at least one automatic bid to nationals, and teams can then earn additional wildcard bids for their region based on their rankings. 16 teams total in each division advance to the final championship tournament.
This is not the first time either team has gone to nationals. Both teams went in 2024, and Bacchus in 2023. Before this year, Artemis’ closest record was ninth place in 2019 and Bacchus’ was a third place win in 2016.
Both teams strategized and trained to reach the championships this year. According to Bacchus’ Head Coach Ben Whitenack ’16, a Bacchus alum, their recent win was the result of a three-year plan and a team dedicated to improving.
“We had a lot of buy-in from a large number of people, so the team was very deep and they’re very committed throughout the entire year — and for the last three years, the mission and the project of making Bacchus competitive at the national stage,” Whitenack said.
Bacchus won the championship game against Middlebury 15-14. When asked if there was a particular play which sealed the win, Whitenack explained how the team worked together throughout the entirety of the game to secure first place.
“Everyone on the roster made the plays that had to happen throughout the game. It wasn’t just one great catch and one great score. It was throughout the game. 10 great catches and 10 great throws were what made the game possible to win,” he said.
USAU championships begin with a pool-play format before advancing to a bracket. Bacchus started off the game in Pool D, competing against two teams that had beat them in recent games. During this initial phase of the tournament, they lost to Middlebury 15-9.
“We entered the tournament having lost to Whitman and Wesleyan. We beat both of them on the path to the finals. We lost to Middlebury earlier in the day in the tournament, and then we beat them in the finals. I think one of the coolest parts is we kind of faced our demons and we took down everyone who had given us a challenge throughout the last few years,” Whitenack said.
Player Orlando Impas ’26 also emphasized the team’s dedication. After placing ninth at the 2024 championships, Bacchus set its sights on bringing home the 2025 title.
“It was like ‘this year is going to be the year.’ Like 2025 was almost predetermined. We all felt that, either consciously knowing about it or unconsciously, just kind of picking up on cues from leadership that this is where — this is when — we’re going,” Impas said.
Both Whitenack and Impas highlighted a back-line catch by then-captain Leo Farley ’25, which made it onto the first spot of SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays that day.
This marks the first national championship win for Bacchus since the team emerged in 2000. [Need more..]
Over on the women’s side, Artemis staged an impressive run. Climbing from No. 11 in the rankings to winning third, Artemis emerged as the tournament’s underdog. After competing in three pool play games, Artemis battled through pre-quarters, quarters, then semifinals to reach the podium.
Clare Corson ’26, a current Artemis team captain, attributes their win to consistent instruction from Head Coaches Jacob Artz and Christine Beaulieu, alongside a team built from the ground up over the last four years.
“I feel like in my three years with the team, I’ve seen us just get more and more competitive. Not necessarily competitive, but to compete at a higher level. I’ve seen us grow in our capabilities and our commitment and drive,” Corson said.
After struggling against Whitman in the past, Artemis won the game and advanced to the semi-finals. Suzie Myles ’26, a co-captain with Corson, described her favorite point in the championship.
“Frisbee has a thing called universe point, which means the game is tied. Whichever team wins that point wins the whole game. We made it to universe point, and historically, Artemis tends to struggle in universe point; we lose a lot more than we win the universe point. There was this beautiful point where everybody was just exactly where they needed to be the whole time. And every throw was perfect. And then we scored,” they said.
Though winning was nice, part of the fun of competing is watching dedication lead to results. Myles reflected on the team’s journey to the championships.
“It was really cool to be like, oh, maybe we can do this. We can keep going. I think it’s cool to have moments like that where you’re like, oh, I should just be believing in myself and playing and having fun.”
Both teams hope to continue developing their programs at LC. Impas drew attention to the wider values the teams aim to instill in their members.
“The frisbee teams, we aim to be a program and build a legacy. Winning is really great, but we want to be a place that fosters positive community and is a place for people,” Impas said. “Something we’’ve talked about this year is LCC, which is learning, community and competition. Holding up those core tenets and practicing them not just as ultimate players, but as people.”
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