The Diablos look to soar back into the national spotlight. Photo courtesy of Stefan Hill.As the weather cools off and the summer fades, a popular backyard sport becomes real as the ASU Ultimate Frisbee team tries to make their way back to the national spotlight.
Ultimate is the name of the game for these high-flying athletes.
If you’re not familiar with the game, think football but with a flying disk replacing the pigskin. There is no running with the Frisbee, so defenses expect the pass on every play. The game is played on a football field, giving the players 100 yards of open field to catch the soaring disk.
As for the Diablos-- which is Spanish for Devils-- the fall semester is being used for preseason tournaments in preparation for the spring semester regular season.
Their ultimate goal?
“Qualifying and competing in nationals,” Stefan Hill says, the President of the Men’s Ultimate team at ASU. “After the sectional and regional competitions, our goal is to compete at the nationals at a high level.”
To Hill, this team looks ready for the competition and explosive.
“This years team has a much stronger drive than I’ve ever seen,” Hill says. “They really want to do well and that definitely stands out to me.”
Hill expects big plays and a high level of competition from the “A” team, especially from some experienced players on the squad. “We have good experience on our team from Nate Bridges and Travis Dunn,” Hill says.
The two combine for five years of experience playing for the Diablos.
The preseason will give us only a sense of what they are capable of in the spring.
The tension builds as the team will mix up different combinations of players on the field to build their Ultimate team.
“We’re extremely excited to see what we can do this season,” Hill says. “The sky is the limit.”
If you’re interested in learning more about the ASU Ultimate team, you can visit their home page at www.ArizonaUltimate.com
You can reach me at etrianta@asu.edu.
