Will Hoogendyk IV, Campus Carrier sports editor

Berry students are known for their busy schedules and involvement on campus. With the many clubs and student organizations offered, Berry students have many opportunities to engage with. 18% of students at Berry play on an official athletic team during the school year, but there is a smaller population that participates on a club team at Berry. The Berry College Ultimate Frisbee Club, or Berry Ultimate, is a popular option for students that are looking to continue their athletic careers but don’t want to commit to a full-time athletic team on campus.

Berry Ultimate is split into a men’s and women’s team. Ian VanOrder is captain and president of the men’s team known as the Berry Bucks. A senior at Berry, VanOrder is entering his fourth year playing for the Bucks and his third year as their captain. VanOrder’s experience and seniority have led to more responsibilities for the 2024-25 season.

“[As captain] you’re supposed to be the main guy to go to when they need to know about ultimate, or really just teaching the game,” VanOrder said.

Because frisbee is not an official athletic team at Berry, they receive all their funding from the Student Government Association (SGA) rather than the athletic department. VanOrder’s presidential duties include handling the budget and overseeing logistics for tournament travel and lodging.

The Bucks have been very successful in recent years, winning the Southeast Regional championship every year since 2019. Their streak of five straight titles is second behind Middlebury College’s six for longest active streak. VanOrder attributes this continued success to the Bucks’ team environment. 

“I would say the biggest thing is putting fun first in frisbee,” VanOrder said. “In order to have a team with a good culture we look for people with good attitudes who want to have fun on the field and want to have fun with the opponents and just represent Berry well.”

The Bucks have already started practicing in preparation for their first tournament in Auburn, Alabama from Oct. 19-20. VanOrder has noticed the increase in players that have come out to fall practices, with the number sitting at around 40. For in-season tournaments, VanOrder and the other captains are looking to have a travel roster of around 26-30 players. One way VanOrder and the other captains will get the roster down to this size is by evaluating them during practices and seeing how they cooperate with others.

“I’m looking for really just their character on the team,” VanOrder said. “How well they are supporting their teammates, their skill level as well, athleticism [and] knowledge of the game.”

Berry Ultimate has been around for many years, but it wasn’t until 2017 that the team competed in their first collegiate tournament with USA Ultimate (USAU). Since their debut, Berry has had much success in regular and post season play. The Bucks compete against other teams in the Eastern Southeast region to vie for a spot in the division 3 National Championship. The championship, organized by USAU each year, will be held on May 18-20, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this year.

As the Bucks look to continue their streak of Nationals appearances, VanOrder has high hopes set for the team this season.

“Last year we thought there was a chance that we could have won the whole national tournament,” VanOrder said. “This year we still have that opportunity, and we are just going to build off and be better than we were last year.”

Because ultimate frisbee is not an NCAA sanctioned sport, schools that have teams register through the USAU to compete against other colleges. This also means that division 3 schools like Berry College can go up against division 1 giants like Alabama, Tennessee or University of Georgia. While Berry may play against these schools in tournaments throughout the year, USAU separates their national championships into division 1 and division 3 categories. Even so, the Bucks will have their work cut out for them this season, as they play in a one bid conference for nationals meaning that the Bucks’ best shot at Nationals is to win the Southeast Region. 

In April 2023, the ultimate frisbee teams hosted the Southeast Regionals at home. While there are no home tournaments currently on the schedule for Berry, VanOrder hopes to be able to do it again, as he appreciates the support that the teams get from the students. This year, VanOrder is looking for players with characteristics that blend in with the culture that Berry Ultimate is known for.

“[Players] able to just hang with the community and be involved and [who] want to be involved with people,” VanOrder said. “Those are the people we tend to get and [who] tend to really stay because a lot of us just end up being friends. A lot of my best friends are on the team, and that’s really how we get most of our players is really just being present with people.”

Being a club sport, the time commitment is not as demanding as a regular athletic team, but players on the travel roster are still expected to be present for tournaments and practices. The Bucks practice from 5-7pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 8-10pm on Sundays. Practices are held at the Lower Ford fields between the baseball and softball fields. For more information about the club, you can contact them on Instagram @berrybucks.ulti or by emailing the captains through Berry Ultimate tab on the Berry Presence app.