Pre Season Record: 15-2 Series Record: 12-4 End of Season Standing: 14T USAU College Championships eliminated in the pre-Quarters by California Berkeley (15-17)
Coach: Jay Janin (2009 – Present)
Recent History:
2010 Tournaments: Trouble in Vegas, 1st The Stanford Invite, 1st Centex, 1st Oregon Sectionals, 1st Northwest Regionals, 14T USAU College Championships
Oregon had the best regular season of any team in the country in 2010. Led by a group of seven fifth year seniors, Oregon won the Stanford Invite, Centex, and Regionals carrying the number one seed into Nationals. Unfortunately for Ego, their performance at Nationals did not live up to expectations. They finished third in their pool and were knocked out in the pre-quarters by a Cal team they had beaten 15-5 less then a month earlier.
Ego’s core of fifth year players had been with Ego since Ego made a surprise run the the quarterfinals in 2006. Those players had experienced the ups and downs of 4 dramatic years for Oregon Ultimate. After making it back the the quarters in 2007, Ego missed nationals in 2008, then got disqualified from the UPA Championship Series in 2009.
Roster Turnover and Offseason Club Experience:
In 2008-2010 Ego had arguably the most talent of any college team in the country. In total Oregon graduated ten players in 2010, 6 of whom (including Callahan winner Eli Friedman) started on offense. With the graduation of so many quality players also comes relief from the burden of high expectations. Despite returning a core of experienced players, the massive graduation will allow Ego to fly under the radar this season.
2011 Ego will feature twelve returners from 2010, two players from 2009 who did not play last year, and three new potential stars. Five of their players have top flight club experience via Portland Rhino. In addition to returners Cody Bjorklund, Sam Brickwedde, Topher Davis, and Josh Wardle, all of whom played with Rhino this past summer, Ego gains the services of John Block. Block played with Rhino in 2008 while he was still in high school, before taking a couple of years away from the national scene. Ego has a long history of strong incoming freshman with experience playing high level ultimate and 2011 is no exception. Oregon is picking up Dylan Freechild who played on the Junior Nationals team and Ian Campbell, a local high school star from Eugene.
Past Strategy:
Oregon is known for an offense that moves the disc quickly and fluidly. They’re always trying to keep their O moving with passes within the first 5 seconds of the stall count. 2009 and 10 marked a slight departure from Ego’s usual style with the O often featuring isolation pull plays, whether out of a side stack or a spread formation. Defensively, Ego plays very physically, looking to rattle the opponent early and capitalize on mistakes quickly with the fast break.
Fall 2010 Performance:
More than any other region in the country, the NW is isolated in the fall. Given the rainy and poor conditions not much can be gleamed from fall tournaments in this region. That being said, Oregon had one loss all fall, and that was to an alumni team.
Scheduled Regular Season Tournaments:
Presidents Day Invitational, Stanford Invite, Easters
2011 Outlook:
Ego can rejoice over the redraw of the regions. They are left in a weakened NW with their only real competition for the foreseeable future being UBC. Look for Ego to have an up and down regular season as they adjust to their new look roster. In a way, this will help Oregon because it will allow them to peak effectively instead of having to maintain a standard of excellence throughout the winter and spring.
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