Girls Ultimate Co-Captain Iris Liu ’26 discovered the team during her Junior year and quickly fell in love, evolving from recreational beginnings to becoming Co-Captain this season.
Liu highlighted the inclusive nature of Ultimate that drew her in, despite having no experience at the beginning.
“I started playing my freshman year. I remember wandering into Snyder and seeing this ‘Ultimate open house’ that the returning players and captains were hosting, so I joined them for some throwing and scrimmaging. It was really fun, and everyone was super supportive, so I decided to try it out. I played recreationally that fall and then joined the JV team in the spring. Ultimate felt a lot less intimidating than other sports, which made it easier to give it a shot, even though I had never played before,” said Liu.
Teammate Samantha Gong ’28 reflected on how Liu helped preserve the same atmosphere that once drew her in.
“On the field, Iris is very flexible. She makes sure that a lot of people get playtime and that people get the disc. She’s also a really strong player when it comes to advancing and playing forwards. Off the field, she’s very positive, very cheery, very happy, and it really brings up team spirit,” said Gong.
Fellow Girls Ultimate Co-Captain Selene Xu ’27 recalled Liu’s welcoming demeanor to newcomers on the team during Xu’s Junior year.
“When [Iris] was a Lower, she really helped me feel comfortable on the team. She wasn’t intimidating at all as an upperclassman, and she would joke around with me, and that’s when I really started to feel welcomed. Even now, she’s one of my best friends on the team,” said Xu.
When asked about future plans for her seasoned career, Liu spoke of her excitement for the transition to the collegiate level and the opportunity to meet a new team.
“The college I’m planning to attend has a women’s Ultimate team, and I’m really excited to meet everyone, whether that’s during revisit days or at the start of next year. At this point, Ultimate has become such an important part of my life that I wouldn’t choose to give it up unless something else made it necessary. I’ve also heard that college ultimate is pretty different from high school ultimate, so I’m excited to experience that for myself,” said Liu.
