Missoula Flycoons win national title

The Missoula Mental Toss Flycoons club ultimate frisbee team returned home from a fall Florida getaway with more than a nice tan. 
The co-rec team beat out the Seattle Shazam Remains 15–11 last Sunday to grab the Ultimate Players Association mixed division national title.
The Flycoons played the Shazam, the reigning national champs, a handful of times in the past but could never beat them, said team captain James Kennedy. But the Flycoons handily defeated a couple of teams throughout the four-day tournament, giving them some much-needed confidence for the title match.
“We were pretty much dominating most teams we played,” said Nevin Root, a University of Montana student who plays for the Flycoons. 

“This year, we were a lot more confident coming into the game,” Kennedy said of the championship match.
Sixteen teams competed in the mixed division. The Flycoons, who entered the national tournament ranked fifth, played eight games total over the four-day weekend, facing off against teams from Boston, Minneapolis, Seattle, Philadelphia and Cambridge, Mass.
They went 7–1 overall, including the finals. Their first loss came on the first day of play and helped refocus the team, said Root, who has played for the Flycoons for two seasons.
The first two days of the tournament were pool play. Teams must play high enough in pool play to make it to the bracket. Of the 16 teams, only eight make it to the bracket. This was the first year the Flycoons advanced to bracket play, Kennedy said.
“We trusted each other as teammates more than we have in the past,” Kennedy said.
The team features men and women from around Missoula, including three current UM students: Root, a sophomore English major, and seniors Hugh Carey and Kenneth Billington, who both work for the Kaimin. Team captain James Kennedy said their team has grown and matured over the last year, including their three UM members.
“They made a really huge contribution this year, all the way to the finals,” Kennedy said.
While the team wasn’t expecting a national championship, Kennedy said they would have been unhappy not at least making it to bracket play.
This was the third year the Flycoons have gone to the national tournament. The team placed ninth at last year’s nationals. 
whitney.bermes@umontana.edu