Your guide to the biggest players, teams, and stories of the 2025 D-III college season!

Ultiworld’s coverage of the 2025 college ultimate season is presented by Spin Ultimate ; all opinions are those of the author(s). Find out how Spin can get you, and your team, looking your best this season.

A few weeks after the New Year’s ball drops wrap up, the murmur of the coming college season begins in earnest. By the time it’s nearly February, the whirring of the hype machine is hitting a fever pitch. As the first major tournament weekend approaches, we want to make sure you’re fully prepared for another uproarious college season. Like those that came before it, get ready for the ups, the downs, the thrillers, the stars, the new kids, and all of the wonderful things that make college ultimate so beloved with our annual College Primer.

Major Storylines

2025: Year of Scholarship School Battle

In 2021, Oklahoma Christian burst onto the scene of the division in a big way, winning nationals in their first-ever postseason as a program on the backs of UFA and Austin Doublewide players Kyle Henke and Elliott Moore. They won another title in the spring of ‘22 without Henke, but having added some other future divisional stars like Sammy Roberts. Even after shockingly missing nationals in 2023, they returned to the semis in 2024 to be overwhelmed by eventual champions St. Olaf .

Davenport, on the other hand, is entering only their second season as a program at all, let alone offering scholarships, but their trajectory still seems to be similar to that of OC. They had a middling regular season last year, improving each tournament, but once making it to nationals out of the weak Great Lakes, they really exceeded expectations at Nationals. They were blown out by Middlebury in their first game, but continued to improve, with wins over Carleton CHOP, Franciscan , and Lewis & Clark, all culminating in a universe point loss to OC in the quarterfinals. Led by the inimitable Jacob Felton and premier deep threat Darren Dyer, the Panthers appear to have figured out their identity in a big way.

Going into this year, both teams appear to be boasting even stronger rosters. OC, while losing coach Garrett Taylor, have added another smattering of grad transfers and YCC recruits from the South Central, led by USA U20 player Luke Norby. While fall results should be taken with a slight grain of salt, they had a very strong showing at Missouri Loves Company in November, including a win over D-I Nationals qualifiers WashU. Davenport has retooled to an even greater extent, starting with Team Canada U20 players Kai Creed and Kale Peterson amidst an initial recruiting class of ten grad students and first-year recruits alike. For the spring semester, they’ve added Alex Ballentine, a key player for the Appalachian State Nomads over the past couple of years, as well as Collin Hill, who has been among the best players in D-III for Berry since 2021.

It’s certainly interesting to predict which of these teams should be the favorites going into the 2025 season, but the real question is: can any other programs compete with the scholarship schools? My money’s still on the answer to that question being affirmative, but it could go either way. Who knows what the year will bring?

What’s Next for Last Year’s Finalists?

Roster turnover is always an issue for teams to contend with at the college level, and especially so in D-III, where there are fewer pipelines that allow the best teams to reload year after year. Even considering that, the caliber and amount of talent departing from last year’s finalists, Williams and St. Olaf, is off the charts.

Among the graduates from Williams, last year’s runner up: Danny Klein (3G/40A/7D), Reed Kendall (12G/5A/4D), Karthik Subbiah (2A/5D), Reece Overholt (9G/2A/1D), and Minh-Huy Le (3D). Klein’s 40 assists were second in the division, and 30 more than any other player on Williams. Kendall’s 12 goals were second on WUFO. Subbiah’s five blocks were third (and Klein’s seven were second). Overholt’s goals were fifth. That’s a lot of production that needs to be replaced and, frankly, a new offensive identity that needs to be found. It’s a bit simplistic (and unfair to the rest of the team) to say WUFO’s entire offense was “give the disc to Danny and let him cook,” but Klein’s pure throwing ability was a huge advantage for WUFO. Barring an unforeseen development from Charles Tantum, Kjellen MacBain, Wade Buchheit, Adam Kohn, or someone in that realm, Willams will not have a thrower of Klein’s caliber on their 2025 roster, and will have to adjust accordingly.

And for the champions, while the discussion of St. Olaf’s losses does not end with Will Brandt, it’s impossible to start anywhere else. Brandt is (arguably) the most decorated player in D-III history, as one of just two players to earn three First Team All-American nods ¹ and has earned a remarkable seven places on awards podiums, ² easily the most all time. He led the Berzerkers last year with 26 assists (ten more than the next closest player), was third on the team in goals with eight, and his four blocks tied for fourth on the team. Also graduating for St. Olaf? Eric Crosby Lehmann (4G/7A/6D), Gordon Larson (19G/8A/4D), and Matthew Kompelien (6G/16A/8D). That’s four of St. Olaf’s top ten in goals, four of their top five in assists, and again four of their top five in blocks, all graduating. For the likes of Jonas Geere, Cade Ashland, Grant Klebig, and Max Sponseller, those are some massive shoes to fill.

Neither of 2023’s finalists returned to the semifinals in 2024: Middlebury were upset by Richmond in quarters, and Colorado College missed Nationals entirely. With Williams’ and St. Olaf’s losses, we could be in for a repeat occurrence in 2025, and how well each side develops their next generation will determine whether they’re more like Middlebury or Colorado College.

Strongest Year Ever for Connectivity

There’s never been a better time to be a D-III men’s ultimate player. For the first time in the division’s history, there will be three D-III-specific tournaments.

D-III Grand Prix: Following a successful inaugural year, Lewis & Clark Bacchus/Artemis is once again hosting an early-season D-III tournament. While last year’s event primarily featured teams from the Northwest, this year’s iteration boasts an expanded field, including top teams from the Northwest, South Central, and Southwest regions . The Grand Prix plans to use a round-robin format to create the best possible matchups, giving fans an early glimpse into inter-regional connectivity. Expect to get a good look how the highly ranked Whitman, Lewis & Clark, and Nationals hopefuls like Colorado College. Additionally, it will also give a preview of the Southwest regional finals between Claremont and Occidental. Notably, this is also the only D-III women’s tournament as well, making it a key event for the entire division.

D-III River City Showdown: In 2025, former D-III editor Mike Ball stepped down from organizing the esteemed FCS D-III Tune-Up, long regarded as the premier regular-season D-III tournament. A big shoutout to Mike for his years of dedication and efforts to elevate the division.

This year, the Richmond Spidermonkeys have stepped up to host a tournament the same weekend of the former FCS, providing a midseason competitive tournament. Seven regions are represented, including eight teams who are currently in our rankings. This will give a great glance at last year’s Nationals qualifiers Carleton, Richmond, Rochester, Oberlin, and Franciscan. Lastly, Puget Sound, which briefly appeared in our rankings last year will also make its first-ever trip out east. Multiple bids could be decided in just one weekend, making it an extremely important tournament for teams fighting for their region.

D-III Easterns: Hosted alongside the best regular season D-I tournament, D-III Easterns hopes to become a similar version of its D-I counterpart. Already in its rookie year, Wilmington has attracted some of the best teams on the East Coast. Teams making the trip down include Middlebury, Williams, Bates, Richmond, Franciscan, and Berry (ok they are making the trip up). Lewis and Clark are flying over from Portland, and we’ll see the Metro East’s biggest challenger Wesleyan in action. With Ultiworld also streaming, this tournament is a must-watch.

It’s fantastic to see the best teams in the country decide to travel the extra distance, making the division so much more exciting to watch this season. Interestingly, we won’t get a good glance at our top two teams in Oklahoma Christian and Davenport(despite the fact the varsity schools fund their team’s travels), as well as the former champs St Olaf. Some other tournaments that will include some of these teams, among other D-III squads to watch out for with D-III talent will be the Commonwealth Cup, Old Capitol Open, Midwest Throwdown, and Huck Finn.

Players to Watch

Some of the players we think will define the 2025 college season.

Charles Tantum (Williams)

As outlined above, Williams are graduating many of their best players from last year’s team. Tantum, however, is still around, and his presence will be vital as WUFO try to remain among the division’s elite teams. Previously known as a defensive stalwart, Tantum elevated his offensive game in a massive way in 2024, becoming a monstrous two-way force and earning a spot on the POTYium. He posted a triple-double at Nationals (18G/10A/11D) despite largely playing on defense, though he was often the first to cross over when WUFO decided to stack a line. Possessing both incredible athleticism and great disc skills, the sky’s the limit for Tantum in 2025, and he enters the season as one of the favorites for the Player of the Year award.

Daniel Snider (Bates)

The reigning BPOTY , Daniel Snider’s Nationals was a sight to see. Snider tallied a whopping 8G/38A/6D, carrying a tiny Bates roster nearly to the quarterfinals in their first-ever Nationals appearance. Snider has it all– quick handler movement, hucks, break throws, he was practically unguardable all of Nationals. Despite what his 28 turns at Nationals say, Snider’s ability to make the right throwing decision was commendable considering his workload on the field. If Bates wants to make it back to Nationals, they will need to heavily rely on Snider once again.

Calvin Ciorba (Richmond)

Fresh off a U24 tryout and club season with Richmond Revival, Calvin Ciorba enters his final year as a Spidermonkey. Tallying 24 assists and 7 blocks at Nationals earned him a All-Second Team spot, and he was a key factor in Richmond’s fifth semifinal appearance. Although he had a higher turnover rate than most, Ciorba finds tight windows and makes crafty throws few can. Moving to the D-line this year, Ciorba’s big pulls and defensive pressure will try to lead Richmond back to their ninth Nationals since they first qualified in 2014, despite Richmond graduating 12 of their seniors.

Colin Hill (Davenport University)

One of the most talked about names in the last three years, Collin Hill is taking one final year as a grad student at Davenport. Hill accrued quite the accolades at Berry– including a Donovan finalist, two second-team All-American spots, two USA U24 tryouts, and ROTY podium in 2021. Rare for a star his caliber, Hill’s best feature is his consistency. Yes, he can make all the crazy throws or big skies, but he instead consistently takes the 95% look, earning the respect of his opponents and teammates. Now paired with a much stronger core, Hill will be an integral part of the much anticipated season for the Wildcats.

Jacob Felton (Davenport University)

As a slightly older rookie with multiple years of experience in the club division and with the UFA’s Detroit Mechanix under his belt, Felton was incredible for a Davenport team that outperformed expectations in big ways at Nationals in their first year as a program. He frequently made outstanding plays for the Panthers, with massive layout grabs being pretty much a given once you saw him chasing any slightly overthrown reset pass. He also has a huge bag of throws, and his booming hucks got Davenport out of a lot of stagnant situations, often to one of the team’s fantastic deep targets, such as Darren Dyer. Felton’s got four more years of eligibility as he didn’t play college ultimate before 2024, so expect him to remain among the top of the division for years to come.

Kai Kirsch (Whitman)

We only saw Kai Kirsch at Nationals last year after he spent a semester studying abroad. Although his impact was limited, expect a big senior year for Kirsch. One of the most athletic players in the division, Kirsch uses his height and speed to make spectacular layouts, skies, and blocks. In the last couple of years, we said Whitman would be a top contender for the national title, but they have not met expectations despite great regular seasons. Kirsch will be one of the most integral players if he wants the Sweets to make their first semis since 2010.

Louis Douville Beaudoin (Middlebury)

Save for a brief attempt to rescue Middlebury from their quarterfinal bow out, we have not seen LDB play since he suffered a collarbone injury at the beginning of the 2024 regular season. And after the lengthy absence, it would be easy to count him out. But it would not be excusable. Despite his injury woes, he has spent the past two summers gathering club experience with Boston juggernauts DiG and Slow. Should he remain healthy, that high-level experience should catapult him back into the spotlight.

Max Zwerin (Lewis & Clark)

One of the few cutters on this list, Max Zwerin showed up and balled at D-III Nationals in 2024. Zwerin tied for the second-most goals at 22, and even added ten blocks on top of that. Zwerin’s hops and speed make him such a lethal cutter, proven by his U24 tryout as well as a First Team All-American slot last year. With Bacchus playing below average at Nationals the last two years, Zwerin will try to get his squad to their first quarters since 2016.

Rising Stars

Big contributors to their teams who could make waves in the national spotlight for 2025.

Adam Kohn (Williams)

Kohn got some well earned recognition as the first runner up for ROTY last year, so one could argue he’s already “broken out.” I, however, would say we’ve barely scratched the surface of the player Kohn can become. He excelled in a complementary role on Williams’ offense last year, and you’d expect for him to get the first crack at filling the Danny Klein-sized hole in the handler space for WUFO this spring. Based on what he showcased in Milwaukee, he’ll be more than up for the challenge as WUFO enter their new era.

Brayden Morrison (Elon)

Expectations are high for the second Morrison at Elon , as first-year Brayden joins the elder Kalen to form a dynamic duo that has the potential to rival the Suelflows (see below) for the best sibling pair in the division. Brayden enters his college career with plenty of high level experience, including on the USA U20 Open team last summer and with Raleigh-Durham United in the Club Open Division. He’s capable of affecting games in a number of different ways, but his primary skill will always be his throwing. Morrison can hit just about any throw available on the field, a skill that BFB have been lacking at times over the last two seasons. Pre-season plans are of course always subject to change, but rumors are that BFB plan to install Morrison right at the heart of the O-line and let him take advantage of BFB’s numerous athletic cutters. It’s risky to put that much faith in a first-year, but Morrison has the talent to let that trust pay off. If Elon make it back to Nationals for the first time in a decade, he’ll surely be garnering not just ROTY consideration, but All American consideration as well.

Luke Norby (Oklahoma Christian)

Coming in as the biggest recruit for Oklahoma Christian in 2025, Luke Norby may be one of the best recruits in the entire college division. Norby comes in as a 2024 YCC champion with Dallas Nightfall and a U20 World Mixed Championship. At YCC’s, Norby was two blocks away from a triple double and threw the third-most assists at the tournament at 18. Joining an already stacked Eagles roster, all eyes will be on where Norby fits in the rotation as Sammy Roberts and Alex Santai hold down the O-line handlers rotation. No matter where he finds himself on the OC roster, expect to hear his name a lot more in the next four years.

Matthew Gregor (Franciscan)

One of the biggest surprises of 2024 Nationals, Gregor made a name for himself last May when he went on a scoring spree, tallying a tournament-high 26 goals. In a span of only 48 hours, he managed to solidify himself as a divisional talent. And yet, despite his premier performance, he did not receive OPOTY honors during last year’s awards season. What gives? Perhaps Gregor was deserving then, and we dropped the ball (because with only 2 turns he sure wasn’t dropping it) Or, perhaps Gregor is going to be even better this year. Perhaps Fransican will make semis. Perhaps they’ll win in the semis. Perhaps Gregor will drop a triple-double with a 102-degree fever in the final. Perhaps he’ll skip OPOTY entirely and find himself in the POTY conversation. All of this is entirely plausible, so I encourage you to keep your eye on this guy.

Suelflow Twins (Macalester)

It seems a little far-fetched to place both Owen and Kyle Suelflow in the same blurb, so I want to be sure to give them their individual flowers. First, there are some similarities (beyond the twin aspect). Both had no competitive ultimate experience before arriving at Macalester in 2022, just a little bit of pickup and league in Seattle. Both are fantastic athletes, and quickly made an impact for Flat Earth, with few in the division able to hang with them 1:1, especially in the air. They both were rostered for Minneapolis Drag ‘n’ Thrust this past club season, and got significant playing time in their first ventures into high-level club on a team that made the national semifinals.

By the end of the 2024 club season, Owen found himself as a consistent fixture on Drag’n’s O-Line, primarily as a finisher and deep cutter. The threat of him in the end zone also predictably allowed him to eat up huge unders and horizontal cuts in Minneapolis’s disciplined vertical stack. He’s also a great thrower, particularly with his lightning fast flick. He’s got huge range on his hucks and a nasty inside. For Flat Earth, he’s often an every-other sort of player, hitting break throws, winning upline battles, and bailing out the offense as a thrower or receiver in stagnant situations.

Kyle is more known as a defensive monster, which is surely a big reason he was selected to the U24 Mixed Team. He can defend all types of players, as his quickness for his size enables him to stay with smaller handlers, while he’s also got top-flight foot speed in the cutting space. As mentioned before, he’s a nightmare in the air. I’ve watched Suelflow play in countless games for Flat Earth, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him get skied, and rarely does he fail to come up with the disc.

All in all, I just wish the Suelflows still wore ski gloves to play, that was so impressive. Nevertheless, they could be the reason Macalester is brought to new heights in 2025, mittens or not.

You’re All Underrating…

Berry Bucks

We get it, Collin Hill graduated. Berry’s superstar of the last four years is no longer on the team, but that doesn’t mean the Bucks are doomed. Players like Ian Van Order, Mikey Curtis, and Eli Hoshide have been developing under Hill’s leadership and now it’s their time to shine. There is already proof of this, as Berry won T-Town Throwdown last weekend, beating Southeast rival Union. With Ave Maria moving to D-I this year, the Southeast is a very manageable region, meaning Berry could easily qualify for their sixth Nationals in a row and even possibly make the bracket again.

Colorado College Wasabi

I know 2023 feels forever ago, but don’t forget Colorado College won the championship that year. Sure they graduated insane talent with Lincoln Grench and Oliver Kraft, but they still have some heavy-hitting names, including 2023 ROTY Oliver Van Linder. Last year, because of unfortunate injuries, they failed to earn a bid and lost in the game-to-go. However, now they have a year of building off their young squad and could be primed for a big bounce back year.

Elon Big Fat Bomb

Elon has undoubtedly been an exciting team to watch the last two regular seasons, but have had wildly mixed results in competition. Big Fat Bomb are led by the mercurial Reed Burkert, who could not only be a division-pacing thrower but is also a great athlete who can stretch the field. The addition of U20 standout Brayden Morrison, as referenced above, could have the potential to take Elon to the next level. If they live up to expectations, they could not only make Nationals, but a bracket run is within play.

Kenyon SERF

Since the pandemic, SERF have had a steady pattern going. They make Nationals in odd years and miss in even years. With 2025 being odd, that means SERF are a lock to make their third trip in five years. In all seriousness, this is a team that finished fourth in a difficult Ohio Valley last year despite some injuries that proved too much to overcome. But they graduated very little from last year’s team, and with a bit more injury luck, it wouldn’t be surprising to see SERF in Burlington in May.

Wesleyan Nietzsch Factor

Maybe I’m writing this because we lost to them in the High Tide bracket last year, but I’m ready for a big year out of Wesleyan. Last year they picked up former PoNY coach Bryan Jones and have quietly been building a very solid program. Jack Noble, Daniel Glickman, Dennis Cha are very talented players who will certainly make a big impact for Nietzsch Factor. Add in the fact they graduated very few while gaining rookies with prior ultimate experience, and Wesleyan should be a name to watch at Metro East Regionals. They are making the long trip to D-III Easterns, demonstrating their commitment to compete and, hopefully, make Nationals for the first time since 2021.

Claremont Braineaters

I don’t know but I know. Y’know?