Elon’s men’s ultimate frisbee team, known as the “Big Fat Bomb,” placed fifth in the 2025 USA Ultimate Division III College Championship. It was their first appearance at nationals in 10 years, and their second-best finish in team history.
Of the 25 players on Elon’s roster, 23 made the cross-country trip to Burlington, Washington, where the tournament was held from May 17-20.
The tournament began with an initial round of ‘pool play’, where the Bomb competed in three matches against lower-ranked schools to determine tournament seeding. Elon, which was ranked No. 2 entering the tournament, cruised past the No. 11 University of Rochester and No. 14 Berry College before running into a tougher matchup against the College of Charleston, which was ranked No. 7.
Elon senior and club president Brady Jackson said the team was caught off guard.
“It was our third game of the day, and against the other really good team in our pool,” Jackson said. “I think a lot of people weren’t able to lock back in. Our mental game was disconnected.”
A 10-14 loss gave Elon a 2-1 record in pool play, which was not good enough to receive a first-round bye in the championship bracket. That meant the Bomb would play No. 6 Oklahoma Christian University in the pre-quarterfinals.
Elon found themselves in a back and forth battle. The two teams ended regulation tied 11-11, meaning they would play a deciding high-stakes ‘universe point’. Whoever got the next point would advance to the quarterfinals.
That’s when the Bomb ignited for a clutch score, clinching the match 12-11.
“Oklahoma Christian was a good team,” Jackson said. “Beating them on universe point was really good for us. We just wanted to keep it going.”
The close victory advanced the Bomb to a matchup with No. 1 Davenport University in the quarterfinals.
“Davenport was really the favorite to win the whole thing,” Jackson said. “They’re on scholarship. They’re from all over the country.”
Davenport’s ultimate frisbee team has two coaches on staff and receives funding from the school’s athletic department. Scholarships to play ultimate frisbee are available to students.
The Big Fat Bomb is a club team at Elon University. They were the only team at nationals without a head coach.
The Bomb played Davenport close, but ultimately fell behind, losing 11-15. The 4-point deficit was the closest any D-III team had played Davenport all season.
Davenport would lose in the next round to Middlebury College 11-15.
“I like to think that we put some fear in them,” Jackson said. “We put in the back of their minds that they could lose.”
While the quarterfinal loss knocked the Bomb out of the championship bracket, the team played No. 3 Whitman College in the 5th place consolation match. For Elon, it was a chance to celebrate their best season in a decade.
“It was a very chill game,” Jackson said. “We were putting our rookies and seniors on, and we honestly made a connection with the other team. It was a good chance to have fun.”
The Bomb beat Whitman 13-11, sealing Elon a fifth-place finish at nationals. Although placing fifth was not what the team was initially hoping for, Jackson thinks the season was a success.
“Coming in as the No. 2 seed, we wanted to make it to the finals and win,” Jackson said. “But zooming out and looking at the fact we hadn’t been there in 10 years, getting fifth is a pretty big accomplishment.”
The Bomb’s achievement is even more monumental considering the team’s lack of an official coach.
Jackson says it could also be the team’s biggest area for growth. Without a coach, the Bomb relies on captains and veterans to keep the team mentally focused. It gets hard.
“That causes a conflict between players and leadership where no one is coordinated,” Jackson said. “I think if leadership is willing to make more tough calls next year, we can get even further.”
The Bomb also hopes to show up strong at Elon’s next organization fair.
“This is our last year with a really solid core of juniors and seniors,” Jackson said. “So it’s important to recruit. We always have a lot of people show up early, but it’s about getting them to stay.”
As the team looks to find more players to stay on the team, they also hope to stay at the championship level. The Bomb did damage in 2025, but they hope the success is the start of something more.
“Getting fifth this year was great,” Jackson said. “Now it’s about doing it again.”