Players Of The Week: Preying Manti
May 6, 2016
Sophomore Maya Howard-Watts jumps to make the grab against Swarthmore College Saturday. In Oberlin’s first Ultimate Frisbee tournament in decades, the Preying Manti faced teams from Haverford College, Swarthmore College, Xavier University, Ohio Wesleyan University and Lehigh University. During the qualifying rounds on Saturday the squad went 2–2. On Sunday, the team didn’t lose a game heading into the championship match against Haverford College. With the score tied at 6–6 on a universe point — a game-winning point in an Ultimate game — and a nationals bid at stake, it looked like the Manti’s season might be wrapping up early. But double-degree first-year Abby Cheng had other ideas, knocking the frisbee out of her opponent’s hand and making a diving grab to snatch the disc before it hit the ground. She landed in the end zone, scoring the winning point for her squad and sending the Manti back to nationals for the first time since 2013. The play, also known as a “Callahan,” is extremely rare. Senior Manti player Joelle Sostheim described the play as “one of the most exciting and shocking moments of my life.” Ultimate Frisbee nationals take place during Commencement weekend from May 21–22, meaning that none of the Manti’s senior members will be able to make the trek to Raleigh, NC, due to familial and personal obligations. However, with a crop of talented underclassmen, the Manti’s prospects look promising heading into the competition.