Sterling Payne (left) makes a catch in practice while fellow Flames junior Luke Overlie looks to pass.
Men’s ultimate qualifies for fifth Atlantic Coast Regional tournament in seven seasons
4/17/2025 12:53:00 PM | Men's Ultimate
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Liberty played up to its No. 5 seed to clinch the final autobid to next weekend's Atlantic Coast Regionals back in Axton, Va.
For the fourth season in a row, Liberty University's men's ultimate team qualified for the April 26-27 Atlantic Coast Regional Championships with a fifth-place finish at the Virginia Conference tournament this past weekend at the Smith River Sports Complex in Axton, Va.
The Flames, seeded fifth in the eight-team tournament, finished 1-2 in their pool — losing to No. 2 Virginia Tech, 8-7 on a universal point, and No. 4 JMU, 14-9, before upending No. 7 VCU, 9-7. Liberty then dropped its first playoff game against No. 3 William & Mary, 12-11 on a sudden-death universal point, before rebounding to win two of its three consolation games. The Flames routed No. 8 Radford, 15-2, before falling again to the Dukes, 12-8, and overcoming George Mason, 11-9, to clinch the fifth and final regional bid.
"We had a good weekend, but could have done better," said Liberty seventh-year Head Coach Kevin Habermas, who has led the Flames to the regional tournament every year since 2019, when they placed fourth in the conference, except in 2020 and 2021, when the event was canceled by COVID-19. "Our goal was to finish in the top three, but this was probably the toughest year in our conference I've ever seen. There was not a single upset."
He said the Flames had to overcome a halftime deficit against the Patriots.
"Our defense really stepped up and got a few needed turnovers in the second half and broke them and then our offensive line closed it out," Habermas said, noting senior handler Luke Carlsen (10 assists) set up the game-winning score with a pass to sophomore cutter Rupert Armentrout on the goal line where he threw it to senior Andrew Peters in the end zone. "Overall, I am very proud of the team and how they stayed composed. The last couple years, in the (fifth-place) game to go (to regionals), we've been relatively stronger than the other team. George Mason is a really strong team with some really strong players, and they were beating us at halftime before we pulled away to win by two."
Senior Andrew Peters, who led the Flames in plus-minus with a plus-15, also tied sophomore Rupert Armentrout in goals scored with 11. Senior primary handler Ian Rankin distributed 34 assists in seven games despite playing in only two points against Radford.
Freshman Reese Trumbo contributed seven goals and five defensive breakups in key moments of games.
"Both will be at regionals, and we are really looking forward to that tournament," Habermas said, noting the Flames also played without freshman Micah Moore, who dislocated and fractured his foot in a moped accident before the team's previous tournament.
Fellow freshman Drew Brechner played well in Moore's place at cutter, scoring seven times and tying Rankin for the most defensive knockdowns with eight.
"He played offense and defense, and he was working hard," Habermas said of Brechner. "He's a workhorse. Micah still leads a lot of huddles and shows spiritual leadership, often leading the prayer afterwards against other teams."
He said the Flames will likely be seeded No. 13 out of 16 teams at regionals and placed in the same pool as No. 1 UNC Chapel Hill, which has won three of the past four USA Ultimate Collegiate National Championships, as well as No. 8 North Carolina State and No. 11 UNC Charlotte, a team the Flames already defeated this season.
"When we play UNC, which is nicknamed the Dark Side, that will be my first time coaching against the No. 1-ranked team in the nation," Habermas said, noting the Flames will have to overcome evil with good to reach the national tournament from May 24-26 in Burlington, Wash., with only one team advancing out of the regional field. "People go to school there just to play ultimate. They are at the pinnacle."
The highest the Flames have finished at regionals was 11th place last spring.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer ?Men's ultimate players meet with Radford for a prayer following the Flames' Virginia Conference tournament triumph in Axton, Va.
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