The Amherst Regional High School girls varsity ultimate team traveled to Allentown, Pa. over the weekend to compete in its first-ever High School National Invitational tournament, earning the No. 10 seed in a field of 16 teams from all over the country – from California to Massachusetts and everywhere in between.

Starting out on the showcase field with the game live-streamed on Ultiworld, the ‘Canes showed right away that the big stage was not going to stop them from performing at a high level just as they had all season long. Playing a nearly flawless first half with only three turnovers, Amherst was led by Isla Cusick (seven assists in the first half), Felix Goeckel (four goals in the first half) and a balanced attack to get two breaks and take an 8-5 lead into the break. Nathan Hale (from Seattle, Wash. and seeded No. 6) fought back, but the Hurricanes adjusted and stayed steady to win, 15-13.

Next up was Summit (from Bend, Oregon and seeded No. 3), and the ‘Canes stayed sharp the whole way – cruising to a 13-7 victory.

Amherst next met up with Holy Family Catholic (Cincinnati, Ohio and seeded No. 15), who came out strong and fast. Amherst went down 5-2 before re-grouping and finding its footing. The Hurricanes battled back to tie it 6-6 and eventually took an 8-6 lead at half. Their strong end to the first translated to a 14-10 victory, giving them first place in their pool to earn a bye into the quarterfinals. 

On Sunday, the ‘Canes took the field against El Cerrito (from California and seeded No. 4) as a rain storm intensified. Having trouble finding their groove and their grip on the slippery disc, they struggled and went down 3-0. Again they clawed and scratched back, battling to make it 5-2 before rolling off three breaks in a row to take a 7-6 lead.

Cusick was hitting receivers all over the field, with Goeckel, Addie Mager, Myla Peltier and Leah Kalman reeling them in. But El Cerrito scored the next two points to retake the lead. It was tied at nine apiece when the time cap went off, meaning the game would be played to 10 and the next point would win. This time El Cerrito held for the win, snapping the Hurricanes’ impressive 20-game win streak.

Not done yet, they had two games left to play in the consolation bracket. With wins over Washburn (Minnesota) and again against Nathan Hale on a muddy field, they ended the tournament in fifth place – having outscored their opponents by a 75-55 margin over the weekend.

The ‘Canes ended their season with a record of 32-4-1, full of gratitude for so many opportunities to play the sport that they love against so many teams that battled and pushed them to climb to heights they had never dreamed of reaching. While Amherst will unquestionably miss its seniors – Cusick, Mager, Aubin Kevrekidis, Goeckel and Violet Berube – the ‘Canes look to build on this success with 10 returning players in 2026.

Cusick, Mager and Kevrekidis will reunite next year at UMass.