In case you missed it, the Carleton Ultimate Team (CUT) finished second in the nation last spring. If you think that this gives them a huge edge in the cross-town rivalry, don't get too far ahead of yourself.

Last spring, the St. Olaf Men's Ultimate Team, the Sanuk, was only four points away from qualifying for Nationals after losing to Winona State at Regionals, held at Carleton. And although they aren't a powerhouse yet, there is reason to believe that this team has a lot of potential.

Graduation stole seven players from the lineup; both their ability and leadership need to be replaced. However, senior Andy Tyser and junior Loren Schieber have taken over as captains and have brought a new perspective to creating a more cohesive unit.

"We're looking good," said Tyser. "We lost a strong set from last year, but we're coming back." Tyser and Schieber have embraced a lot of new faces, and they've been able to depend on the solid core of experienced players that have returned.

"We don't have coaches out here, so being a peer captain is more difficult," said Schieber. "The guys can learn from me when I'm wrong and learn from our other experienced guys, but we're going to be someone that the new guys can befriend."

Seniors Matt Kleven, Marcus Arneson, John McBride, Nate Martin, Dan Cunningham and Tim O'Connor, along with junior Noah Holm, share that experience and leadership with Tyser and Schieber. "It's a bunch of good guys who really work hard," said Arneson. "There's a lot more structure this year, we're more disciplined."

Sophomore Ross Cram was one of the players who continued playing with club teams throughout the summer, along with sophomores Ben Toht and Andy Eklund, in addition to cross-training on his own. "I played in a summer league six days a week," said Cram. "I'm definitely feeling confident about this year. We're a little rusty, but it's sort of a rebuilding year."

The luxury that the Sanuk has over other sports is the fact that they play year round. While first-years are just getting familiar with the sport in the fall, they can have the opportunity to make an impact in the spring when the serious competition begins- what seems like a rebuilding team now could come a long way by late April.

Toht worked his way into the lineup as a first-year last year and became a valuable member of the team by the spring time. "He's got a sprained ankle right now from our first tournament in Madison [University of Wisconsin-Madison]," said Tyser, "but he's got solid throws and his experience helps."

Throughout the year, the Sanuk will compete in one to two tournaments a month. While there aren't any major tournaments in the fall or winter, a weekend of five to six games allows the Sanuk to measure itself against the competition and see where they are as a team.

"We played some really tough teams at Fall Sectionals in Madison a few weeks ago," acknowledged Tyser. "We had a good showing, but some of those club teams from the cities are really good."

The next opportunity for the Sanuk to meet the opposition will be at Saint Cloud State University on October 14-15. Over Fall Break, October 28-29, the team will be at Winona State for "Hallo-Winona," usually the last outdoor tournament of the season-- where players show up wearing Halloween costumes.

While Carleton is still the "cream of the crop," the Sanuk have reason to be optimistic about the coming months. "Winona State barely beat us at Regionals last year," said Tyser, "and they lost a lot to graduation too." Hopefully for St. Olaf, those four points will wind up on their side the next time around.