The letters A-S-U weren't seen on the front of their jerseys -- which happened to be sponsored by a local drive-in liquor store -- but 17 students competed in last weekend's New Year's Fest Ultimate Frisbee Tournament.
More than 60 teams from across the country participated in the 23rd annual tournament, combining the look of an athletic event and the feel of a Phish concert.
After going 1-3 in pool play, ASU won two of its last three games. The Sun Devils beat New Mexico and NAU, then suffered a 15-12 loss to the California-based Huckwallas in the Division II championship game.
"I'm really proud of this team," said Vince Noe, the club's president. "We only had two weeks to prepare for this tournament, and we all worked really hard."
Noe said the dedication shown by his team in practices reflects the club's 3-4 finish -- a marked improvement on last year's 1-4 record.
"They showed that they wanted to be the best and that they wanted to win," said Noe, whose team overcame a 6-1 deficit to draw even with the Huckwallas before eventually falling short.
Sophomore Craig Myers said the team overachieved, considering its demanding schedule.
"We played a lot of minutes because we're so short-numbered," Myers said. "We're all extremely sore and playing through injuries."
Each of the seven matches ASU played averaged two hours -- filled with constant running, few substitutions and tallying kept by players because there was no scoreboard.
"We came out hard, which was pretty early after all the partying [the previous] night," Noe said. "We were up pretty late."
The final day's match featured several Ultimate Players Association sectional opponents, giving ASU a glimpse of what to expect later this season.
"The best part was getting to play many of the teams in our division and beating them, all except for UA," ASU senior Patrick Brand said. "That bodes well for our season."
The Valley of the Sun Ultimate Association season starts Thursday. Noe said the league gives players a chance to stay focused for upcoming tournaments.
The Ultimate Players Association sectionals begin in April, with the national championship tournament scheduled for May 27-29 in Corvallis, Ore.
Reach the reporter at michael.fowler@asu.edu.
