BOULDER, Colo. (4/24/11) - The University of Colorado men's ultimate team "Mamabird" will look to win the program's second ever national championship this weekend.
The Buffaloes will compete against 19 of the best teams in the country at the 2011 USA Ultimate College Championships beginning Friday and going through Monday at the Pleasant View Sports Complex in north Boulder.
"We are a better and deeper team this year," said CU head coach Jim Schoettler. "We will be playing on our own turf here in Boulder. Anything short of a national title will be a significant disappointment."
Colorado's only championship came in 2004, and the Buffs will have to get through some tough competition on the first two days of the event in order to advance out of pool play and win the school's second national title. CU will begin play on Friday at 8:30 a.m. against Stanford before playing Oregon later in the day at 12:30 p.m. The Buffs will start Saturday's competition against Virginia at 10:30 a.m. and will play Texas at 2:30 p.m.
The top two teams from each pool will advance to the championship bracket on Sunday and Monday. If the Buffs, who are the top seed in Pool B, finish as the top team in the pool, they will play in the quarterfinals on Sunday at 8:30 a.m., but if they finish second, they will play on Saturday in the pre-quarters at 5 p.m.
The semifinals will be held on Sunday afternoon and the championship game will be on Monday at 2 p.m.
Colorado is coming off of a great performance at the South Central Regional Tournament on May 7-8 where they went 7-0, and did it without starters Timmy Beatty, Matty Zemel and David Barnes. The Buffaloes are 29-7 this season and are on a 14 game winning streak. Their last loss came on Mar. 20 in a close 15-13 defeat to Pittsburgh.
Schoettler said his team's chemistry is what makes this 2010-11 Mamabird squad special.
"Our team is a family," Schoettler said. "This year, the guys have become closer than any other team I've coached. They are a great group of young men, and I expect they will put on quite a show at the championships."
The Ultimate College Championships will air on the CBS Sports Network as part of their Alt Games coverage. The national championships will be broadcasted on June 24 at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., June 25 at noon and 1 p.m. and June 26 at 1 p.m. The championship games will air on July 15 at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. For a complete on-air schedule, go to: http://www.cbscollegesports.com/thealtgames/thumbs/altgames_airdate.pdf.
The Pleasant View Sports Complex is managed by Boulder Parks and Recreation and is located at 3805 47th Street in Boulder. The complex was the home field for the University of Colorado women's soccer team until 2002.
Colorado's Pool Play Schedule
Friday May 27th
8:30 a.m. vs. Stanford
12:30 p.m. vs. Oregon
Saturday May 28th
10:30 a.m. vs. Virginia 10:30 a.m.
2:30 p.m. vs. Texas
5 p.m. - If CU finishes second in pool
CU Men’s Ultimate website: http://www.mamabird.com/
National Championship information: http://www.usaultimate.org/competition/college_division/college_championships/
