Elon men’s ultimate frisbee has qualified for the Division III Men’s National Tournament for the first time since 2015. Teams will compete in warm-up play before starting the national tournament on May 17 in Burlington, Washington.
The team, more commonly known as “Big Fat Bomb,” will be the only team in the tournament to compete without a head coach. The lack of an official coach doesn’t faze Club President and Elon junior Brady Jackson. Instead, it’s a source of pride.
“We’re just a player-driven team,” Jackson said. “A coach is usually somebody that can make sure a team’s mental game is just as good as the physical. Obviously, since we don’t have that, it’s on us. We’re ready for that.”
Jackson, alongside the Bombs’ three team captains, made sure Elon was ready to compete throughout the season. Team captain and junior Ben Bronstein thinks this foundation of mentorship is a key reason for the Bombs’ success.
“It really roots in the new leadership here,” Bronstein said. “We’ve always had leadership struggles. This year we’ve had a really strong group of captains that have led this team to where we are now.”
In the absence of a coach, stability in leadership has led the Bomb to expand their capabilities on the field. The physicality of the team has always been strong, but the mental approach has grown to new heights.
“In previous years, we’ve kinda just gone out and played, letting our athleticism carry us,” Bronstein said. “But now we’re at the point where we’re learning new frisbee systems, which we’ve never really worked on. It’s clicking.”
Those systems, which Bronstein explained to be certain plays and strategies, have paid off. The Bomb rocketed to a 24-5 season record this season, becoming the No. 2 D-III team in the country.
“I never expected us to be in the situation we’re at now,” Bronstein said. “We’ve really just played more by the book. That’s something we never did in the past, but it’s worked well for us.”
The Bomb have previously had quality seasons but not much success in the Atlantic Coast regional tournament.
In 2023, the team lost in a heartbreaking 10-12 regional semifinal game against Davidson College. The team advanced to the finals in 2024 before losing to the University of Richmond by three points.
With these past close calls in mind, this year’s team went to regionals with a mission.
“We definitely came back with a sense of vengeance,” Jackson said. “When we showed up to regionals, we were hot. We worked everybody.”
The Bomb held the No. 1 position in this year’s regionals. A dominant 15-12 victory over the University of Richmond, who beat them two years prior, earned the team an automatic bid to nationals.
“I couldn’t be happier with how we’ve performed this year,” Jackson said. “A lot of times we’ve been placing highly. But this year, to win, it’s great.”
The Big Fat Bomb huddle at practice on May 6 at the Elon University intramural fields before heading to the D-III national tournament.
Jackson said the bid has shown just how big the Big Fat Bombs’ community is.
“I think the biggest thing is for our seniors and the people who have graduated the last couple years,” Jackson said. “People have hit us on Instagram, or GoFundMe’s when we’ve had to go to Nationals, and really just brought the community together.”
When the Big Fat Bomb go to nationals, they will be playing for more than the current team.
“There are people who’ve graduated that weren’t able to make it to nationals,” Jackson said. “They experienced that heartbreak we had the last couple years. I think with that community, we’re not just doing it for ourselves, we’re doing it for them.”
Although this year’s team has brought a new level of strategy and physicality, it might be the Bombs’ camaraderie that truly pushes them to victory.
“The bond on this team is just at another level,” Bronstein said. “We really are just one family, on and off the field. It’s the strongest it’s ever been in my time here with the team.”
As the team nears the start of nationals play, Bronstein has one thing in mind.
“I just want to win,” Bronstein said. “I can’t ask for anything more.”
The tournament will be streamed live on the USA Ultimate's Facebook and YouTube pages.