HU: Apocalypse flies high to kick off spring

by HEIDI TABOR studen writer

With their end-of-theseason goal set firmly on Division III Nationals, the Harding Apocalypse Ultimate Frisbee team members kicked off their spring season Jan. 29-30 with a tournament at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Apocalypse finished 11th out of 24 teams overall, playing against big-name teams such as Florida State University, Georgia University, University of Mississippi and Vanderbilt University.

“Overall it was a very good tournament,” said

Ryan Rummage, one of three elected players who make up a leadership trio called the Triumvirate. “We were missing two of our best players, so it was a good opportunity for a lot of the younger guys to step up and play. All of them really played well throughout the weekend.”

Because they were missing two of their starting players, the freshmen on the team encountered higher expectations than at previous tournaments.

“We took 16 guys, 10 of which were freshmen,and every game we had two freshmen starting,” Rummage said. “For them to be playing for only about five months now against guys who have been playing for three or four years from big schools like Florida State and Kansas State was awesome.”

Another member of the Triumvirate, Taren Goins, said he was pleased with the team performance, especially during the game against Florida State University.

“We ended up losing 11-8, but our team showed a lot of determination and hard work against Florida State,” Goins said.

Bankston agreed and said that the game against Florida State was Apocalypse’s best of the tournament.

“FSU is a national contending team, and no one expected us to do that well against them,” Bankston said. “We played really well, but they were just a good team. If we were on defense, our first goal was to get a turnover, then to put our score in, but we focused on getting the turnover first.”

According to Goins, this year’s team is looking sharp. With their sights set on going to Division III Nationals for the first time in Harding Apocalypse history, the team is taking every opportunity to improve.

“It is our goal this season to make it to Division III Nationals and to play to the best of our abilities there. It wouldn’t even be out of the question to try to win the championship when we get there, but that is further down the road in May,” Goins said. “Right now we just take it week by week in practice and game by game during tournament weekends.” Their next tournament will be this weekend, Feb. 12-13, at Hendrix College in Conway, Ark.

“Harding Apocalypse is a team of brotherhood,” Goins said. “We have a team motto, ‘Si vales, valeo,’ which translates to ‘If you are strong, I am strong.’ We hold to this motto, and we treat one another like family and with the highest respect and love.”