Everyone's seen it: the site of students on the freshman quad throwing a frisbee around. But what seems like a hobby to most is actually a team to a few. And this year, the team has had a successful start to their season.

The coed team placed second in their first tournament, the McGill Ultimate Tournament hosted by McGill University in Montreal.

The tournament was the first for both the men's and women's teams. It was played in a four-three format, with each team selecting four men and three women to play at one time. Amherst Ultimate was seeded eighth out of the 20 teams present.

The team dominated on the first day of the tournament, winning against McMaster B-side 13-3; Dalhousie 13-5; McGill A-side 11-8; and accepting a forfeit from the Hazmats, a Canadian team. On the second day, the team posted a win over Torontilla, 13-8, advancing to the quarterfinals match, and a win over Rensselear Polytechnic Institute, 13-9, advancing to the tournament finals.

It was not until the finals that the winning streak ended. The team lost to McMaster A-side, an experienced Canadian team. Slowed by injuries in the beginning of the game, the Jeffs started off down 6-1. Even by halftime, Amherst was still behind 8-4. The team worked together effectively in the second half, pulling to only two points behind at 11-9. In the end however, though the Jeffs played hard, they lost 15-11 for second place in the tournament.

This past weekend, the team played against Amherst Regional High School, a very strong high school team, and won 16-14.

The team is doing well this year despite the graduation of some excellent senior players. A group of 20 new players is ready to fill the void, joining the 10 Ultimate veterans. Team captain Brian Stout '04 praised the "very strong freshman team" for their play so far. On the same weekend as the McGill Ultimate Tournament, the freshmen on the Ultimate team played at the B-side sectionals at Dartmouth College, winning and losing two games.

"Most kids that come out to play have thrown around a little in high school but they have no concept of strategy or teamwork in the sport of ultimate," said sophomore Pete Weiss. "But the new crop of freshmen are learning fast and should be serious contributors by the spring season."

The weekend after fall break, the team plays the biggest match of the season, the Purple Valley Tournament hosted by Williams College. Last year, Amherst lost to Williams College in the sectional tournament, but still continued to the regional tournament where they took third place, placing higher than both Williams and number one seeded Harvard University.