On March 25 and 26, the Strath Haven girl’s ultimate frisbee team competed in the Youth Ultimate League of Arlington (YULA) East Coast championships in Arlington, Virginia.

Going into the tournament, the team was 15th in the country, and by placing third in the tournament, they are now 13th.

“Technically we are the third best on the East Coast,” sophomore captain Lilly Hodges said. “However, there were quite a few teams that could not make it or simply were not invited. This makes it hard to say we’re the third best so early in the season.”

Hodges acknowledged the importance of regular season tournaments, where the team plays nearby schools like Lower Merion and Radnor, citing them as an opportunity to get better.

Tournament play allows the team to diversify their competition, and out-of-state tournaments allow for experimentation and new tactics.

“We get a chance to play teams from other states in tournaments, and this is great because we get to try out new strategies and play new teams that we don’t normally play.” 

Noting the team’s greater success this year, Hodges attributes this to a greater commitment to the team.

“We have a lot more commitment this year,” Hodges said. “Everyone is showing up and we also seem to have a better bond. We gel really well together which makes us play better.”

The season isn’t done, though, and the team has high hopes for the remainder of the year.

“Next for the team is a bunch of practices and a tournament that helps to get so much better,” Hodges said. “We also hope to go to the national tournament and if we do well at this tournament, it could improve our chances of going.”