The Brandeis men's ultimate frisbee team, Tron, has come a long way to get to where it is now. After placing second at the Ivy League Tournament 2 weeks ago, Tron will compete this weekend in the UOA Nationals Tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C. It will be the first time that the men's ultimate team will compete on the national level.The team qualified because of its successful fall season; Tron has amassed a 26-3 record for the season and has placed first on several occasions, including Sectionals in Maine, New England Regionals, and a tournament hosted by Connecticut College.

It was the team's success at the Ivy League Tournament that qualified it for Nationals. Despite being seeded seventh out of eight teams, Tron beat Yale University, Brown University, Harvard University, University of Massachusetts Amherst and Columbia University before losing to Dartmouth College in the finals by a score of 15-11.

Aaron Louison '11 says that the team was successful because there was little pressure on them to succeed.

"[We were] able to play so well at the Ivy League tournament because we had our backs up against the wall from the beginning," Louison said. "We were not seeded high, and thus we had nothing to lose. We played as best as we could, because we were not entitled to victory like most of the teams that were there."

Louis Chai '12 agreed that the tournament showed that any team has a chance to win any given game.

"What that tournament has showed us is that no team can be unbeaten," Chai said.

The team believes that its work ethic has been key to its success. "We have endured a time-consuming schedule of practices and tournaments, at which we have pushed ourselves to our potential," Brian Dahlben '12 said.

"We have conditioned ourselves physically and mentally over the course of the season so that I believe we can stick with any team," he continued.

Dahlben also attributes the team's success to each player's individual efforts and dedication.

"No one player reserves any special privileges but is merely a piece of the team," he said." Our selfless dedication has facilitated our achievements this season, and each player is motivated by the knowledge that everyone else is pushing himself for the benefit of the team. As Kipling wrote, 'The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack,'" Dahlben added.

The squad also attributes this year's success to the fact that many of the players have now been playing together for several years.

"What makes this team unique compared to previous years is that we have a group of seven seniors who have been playing together since our first year at Brandeis," Louison said.

"We have extremely high team unity and a great understanding as to everyone's abilities. We're more than just a team because our entire squad has been best friends throughout our time in college," he continued.

Despite being placed low in the tournament bracket for nationals, Louison is confident that the team will exceed expectations again.

"We plan on going to [South] Carolina to prove to the nation that a small liberal arts college has more potential to be national champions than the large mid-Atlantic state schools that we'll face, he said. We would not be going if we didn't think we could win.