Wow, what an amazing end to the journey that took place this season. Iowa would rise up to reach full potential yet again, and would come very close to reaching the final game, instead settling for 3^rd place in the country, the best finish in school history.

It began about a week earlier, when most of the team traveled to Denver to stay with friends and alumni (Ross would have to arrive late, and Jimmy and Nation would miss Nationals due to Rock camp and a wedding). This would be a great week of hanging out, practicing every day, having fun, and most importantly getting acclimated to the altitude. Many people attributed much of our success to our ability to understand the wind and air, and I think we all got used to the mountain heights pretty quickly, allowing us to play at our top level.

On Thursday, we headed to Boulder, and received our replacement coach (or Assistant to the Head Coach) Mike Denardis. The team had already begun prepping for the first day, and it continued in a light walk-through practice, and then a meeting that night, studying the film of Pitt. What was probably so remarkable was the teams mentality going into Nationals, knowing they would face the overall #1 seed in the first game. It wasnt €˜Oh Im excited to try to beat these guys, it was €˜We are going to win. It is a must win, that simple, it changes our whole Nationals. Earlier talk on Skyd and RSD, and a bit of a snubbing by the All Region/ Freshman of the Year voting had gotten the team pumped up to prove that they werent just a team that could win in the wind. IHUC wanted to prove that they werent overrated. That mentality was what carried the squad through the game the next morning.

Friday was sunny, with light breezes, and a big crowd on hand. Pitt opened up with two breaks and things looked shaky, but again, the confidence the team had was absolutely critical, and throughout the game, even when down by quite a few points, Iowa was not afraid. The d-line came on for an O point and after a long battle, finally scored. 1-2 Pitt in the lead. IHUC would go on 3-0 run (counting that offensive point) and take their first lead 3-2. After a few trading points, IHUC would get another break 5-3.  Fierce defense was the name of the game here- both teams were making mistakes, and it was the team that capitalized most that would get the win. IHUCs pulls were absolutely brilliant, and the defensive line simply would not quit.  Still, Pitt broke to take half 8-7. IHUC started on D, got the turn, but couldnt convert and then Pitt would score, and get a break of their own going up 10-7. Several long points would ensue, with IHUC cashing in, getting back breaks, going on a 6-2 run, and at last the score was 13-12 IHUC, the Iowa squad taking the lead again at last, game point on soft cap. A final fantastic pull would land in the back corner of the end zone, downfield defense would be great, swill would go up, and Shark had the chance to finish the game with an epic Callahan and he dropped it. Sanchez swiftly picked up the disc and ran to the endzone to tap it in. The stall would go up, but he would eventually get the swing off, and then after a few throws, Sanchez would score the final goal, and the upset would be complete.

IHUC wanted to be careful to avoid last years problem of staying out in the sun, and so the team set up Little Iowa City under a few tents and settled down to revel in the victory. However, too much reveling might have taken place. The crowd was buzzing about the region and the upset, the team might have looked past Tufts a bit. Very little was known about them besides the fact that they ran Vertical Stack, and the meeting featured very little prep time for them at all. These factors combined to make the game very close. After a quick O point and then a very easy break, most team members expected a blowout after being only up 2-0. However, the D-line wouldnt get a break again, for the rest of the game, frustrated beyond belief by Tufts flawless fundamental play. However the Offensive Line stepped up huge and played outstanding, only allowing one break, trading out until Universe point was called and IHUC was able to seal the deal. It wasnt pretty, but Iowa went 2-0 on the first day, and the entire region was undefeated, including two upsets by Luther (over Florida and Santa Cruz). That night, the team went to a cookout at a really nice house with the girls team and then had a long meeting about Illinois, not wanting to overlook them (as they had almost done to Tufts). The team largely agreed that if the D and O lines could have a game where both played at their top level, the team would be largely unstoppable, and many were looking forward to the next day where they thought to see that happen. There was the added bonus that- because Illinois had beat Colorado College on Universe point- if Pittsburg won their first round game, a victory could clinch the one seed out of the pool.

It was an early morning game, but the team went to bed early, and the next morning saw a long warmup. The game started with fire, and Iowa jumped out to a big lead, largely by running their variety of zones and taking advantage of the Illini turnovers. The D-line pushed to take half 8-3, and then kind of let their foot off the gas pedal a little bit. However, the O-line responded brilliantly, taking over the second half without any falter, and the game would end with a 15-10 win, each line taking over part of the game to finally defeat Illinois by a solid margin. Good news arrived when the team heard that Pitt had won big, meaning that the pool was IHUCs.

Many of the spectators and players at Nationals- including the Pitt and CC guys- expected Iowa to throw the Colorado College game (which was to be played on the showcase field, as it had been previously anticipated that this would be the game to decide the second and third seed in the pool instead of the first and fourth spot). Instead, IHUC opened up their lines, resting a few starters, giving everyone a chance to contribute. The game was tight throughout, but Iowa felt pretty comfortable with trading points, especially confident in the offensive line that had found a great groove during the tournament. Late in the game, during a few key points, the energy was really amped up and some of the lines were stacked to get the breaks that won the game. The winning streak continued as IHUC won 15-12, undefeated winners of Pool A.

Elsewhere the North Central teams had done well. CUT was undefeated, winning their pool, the Hodags won Pool C, and Luther had managed to make pre-quarters by beating Florida and Santa Cruz. So with three teams guaranteed a spot in the quarterfinals, IHUC went home, rested a bit, and then many headed back to scout out who theyd be playing the next morning. It would either be Oregon or Washington. The Sundodgers, despite opening up a big lead, would fall to Ego, and IHUC would get a rematch of Easterns at 8:30 the next morning.

Iowa would be up early again, ready to take on Oregon. The weather was a bit chillier and there was a slight breeze blowing across the field. Both O-lines would score and then Ego would take the first break going up 2-1. They were playing a very poachy D, occasionally throwing in a junk zone, and when IHUC was impatient, the squad made mistakes. However, the D-line was forcing turns as well and then often hucking to get breaks. IHUC took the lead 4-2. Ego would tie it at 5s, getting breaks of their own, but then the D-line would push again, and take half 8-5. Pulling after half, IHUC got a turn, but couldnt convert and then Oregon would use their momentum to get another break narrowing the gap to 8-7. IHUC would not give in, going up 12-9, but again Ego would take a break back and narrow the score to 12-11. In the end, Oregon, tired and frustrated, would begin making some chippy calls, and Iowas effort would give them opportunities at contested discs. Iowa would pull away 15-10, advancing to semi-finals, set to face Cut who was coming off of a relatively easy victory against Stanford.

At this point there were three Central region teams in the semi-finals. IHUC v Carleton was set to go off first on the showcase field. IHUC rested, got a good warm up in, and then was introduced for the cameras. The team huddle saw an incredibly impassioned speech by Jake Bradley, encouraging the team to remember the players that built this program in the Gleason era, and Denardis was equally passionate, urging Iowa to remember their victory over Carleton at Regionals.

The game started off well. IHUC receiving, the O-line scoring on a quick huck. The D-line would get a turn on a deep D, but was unable to convert. At that point, things started to get shaky. CUTs defense was solid, and the O-line would get high in the stall counts often, having trouble getting a smooth offense going. Carleton would earn a few breaks, and their O-line would play very solid ultimate, IHUCs defense largely unable to do anything in the first half. Carleton would take half 8-4. But in the second part of the game, IHUC fought back, and was able to slowly chip away at the lead, the offense settling down largely, and the defense finally getting some scores. The gap narrowed to something like 9-11, but a few of the critical, multi-turn points were won by Carleton, as Iowa had trouble taking advantage of CUTs few mistakes and could not seem to run solid red zone offense. IHUC fought till the end, but would lose 10-15.

Afterward, an emotional huddle would take place. There are many departing players on this years squad, guys who have seen the rise of Iowa once more, and have been a part of many great things for this program. Iowa finished tied for 3^rd, the best placement in school history, five points away from reaching the championship final (an incredibly windy championship game won by Carleton over Wisconsin 11-5, which Iowa feels they could have done very well in). The loss was heartbreaking, but the team is proud of their finish (as well as proud of the region which placed 1^st,2^nd,3^rd, and 12^th without Minnesota present).

A team meeting took place and Captains were elected: Jimmy Wiesbrock, Jake Kersten, and Alex Rummelhart. Though many people are leaving, those remaining are ready for the challenge that next year will bring: probably the most critical season of recent memory, as Iowa wishes to continue to build a program, and to improve on recent victories.