The Ave Maria University Men's Ultimate Frisbee Team showcased their skills at the recent Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) tournament on February 9th and 10th in Estero.

 Kicking off the tournament against FGCU on Friday night, Ave Maria faced a slow first half, trailing 7-3 at halftime. However, a strong comeback in the second half, with a 6-0 run, secured a decisive 13-3 victory. Noteworthy moments included Matthew Lesniewski scoring 5 times, and JP Pontarelli contributing 4 assists. The highlight of the game was John Paul Pontarelli's impressive "Greatest" – a move where the disc is thrown out-of-bounds, and a player jumps from in-bounds, catches the disc in the air, and throws it back into play before landing. This play to John Durand in the endzone before halftime marked a turning point in the game.

Building on their success, the team faced the University of Miami in their next matchup, holding a solid 7-2 lead at halftime and securing a final score of 10-4. Isaac Carney, with 3 scores, and Liam O'Rourke, providing 4 assists, were key contributors.

In their game against the University of North Florida, the Gyrenes maintained control throughout, winning convincingly with a score of 12-2. Matthew Lesniewski continued his strong performance with 5 scores, complemented by Liam O'Rourke's 6 assists.

The tournament concluded with a dominating 12-0 victory over the University of Central Florida B-team. John Durand led the scoring with 3 goals, while Liam O'Rourke showcased his playmaking abilities with an impressive 7 assists.

 Reflecting on the team's progress, Coach Middendorf commented, "The team got better with every game that they played, and we will be looking forward to the upcoming tournament at USF." 

The team is now gearing up for the Florida Warmup tournament at the University of South Florida on February 24th and 25th.