The varsity Ultimate Frisbee team captured another New England championship on Saturday May 18, winning all four games in impressive fashion to cap a standout season.

The Bearcats (16-4) played with confidence against Wooster and Andover in morning pool play before defeating Deerfield in the semifinals and Andover again in the finals to nab the title, the third in the team’s history (2009 and 2015).

The win was truly a team performance for Hotchkiss, but by far the standout performer on the day was David Vega ’20, who scored 22 of the team’s 43 goals. By comparison, the next highest total was Taylor Clayton with five goals. Vega also led the team with seven defensive blocks and added three assists for good measure.

In morning opening action, the Bearcats beat Andover for the first time by the score of 10-3. Vega led the game with five goals, and co-captain Brian Wong ’19 led the team with three assists.

The second game saw Hotchkiss ease past Wooster 11-1. The balanced effort saw six different players score goals (led by Vega with six). Clayton led the team with four assists.

The two wins put Hotchkiss at the top of its pool and created a semifinals matchup with Deerfield, the second-best team in the opposite pool. In the 11-5 win, C.J. Mitchell ’21 scored three goals, and Clayton led the team with five assists.

The Bearcats likely expected a finals matchup with host NMH, who had led the other group after pool play. But Andover upset the Hoggers in their semifinal to set up a rematch, which Hotchkiss won 11-6. Vega saved his best performance of the day for last, scoring seven goals to propel the team to their third championship.