Founded by Jeff Landesman PZ ’83, the Braineaters combine fun and competition in a way few teams do on campus. Having won the 2011 Division III National Championship among other appearances, the team looks to show the field what they have been working towards at nationals this spring.
From call-and-response chants to gift-giving traditions, Captain Jamie Miller PZ ’26 believes what sets the Braineaters apart is the culture that first drew him in.
“Ever since I’ve started, the Brains have just been a lovely community,” Miller said. “I distinctly remember on my first day meeting so many people with so many crazy nicknames. My friend Isaiah brought me to my first practice, and I was instantly struck by the beautiful community.”
The strong connection between teammates is apparent as soon as you step on the field, built through team traditions such as giving nicknames to all the players. Fellow captain Johnny Russel CMC ’26 explained that during practice, the Brains don’t use anyone’s real name.
“The goal is you don’t want to know someone else’s government name,” Russell said. “Every rookie at a certain point, when they’ve been on the team for long enough, gets a different nickname. That’s a passing tradition that means you’re truly a brain.”
For first-year Suhas Beeravelli CMC ’29, the team culture was a welcome shift from the environments he had experienced in other sports.
“I think team sports, especially in high school, could be pretty toxic, but everyone on the Brains is so welcoming,” Beeravelli said. “I remember first practice, everyone had these goofy nicknames like forP, Pam and Snoop. It just made everything light-hearted. I still don’t know everyone’s [real] name to this day.”
The team hopes their community and spirit translate to success on the field. Aiming to build on their past success toward a competitive spring season, the Braineaters are currently ranked 9th out of 25 in Ultiworld’s DIII Power Rankings.
For the first time, the team split into varsity and JV, a transition that shows their commitment to winning. Dubbed the “Rainbeaters,” the B team offers players an opportunity to play and grow within the same systems on a less intense schedule.
“Folks who play on the Rainbeaters are there for all sorts of different reasons,” Miller said. “Some of them are Harvey Mudd students with seven classes and can only make it to one practice a week, yet they still want a space where they can come play. Other folks are just learning about the game. Other people want to focus on running around and learning, rather than traveling to tournaments that are farther away.”
For Russell, the team offers both an opportunity for growth and competition at the highest level. On the A team, the Braineaters, he hopes to build on their improvement over the past few years.
“I define my time on the Brains as a constant upward trajectory,” Russell said.“In my freshman year, we lost in sectionals. In my sophomore year, we made it to nationals, but we finished 15th out of 16 teams. Then, in my junior year, we made it to the quarterfinals. This year, we’re really gonna be competitive and even try to compete for a national title.”
Leo Godsberg PZ ’27 enters his third season with similarly high aspirations. He had never played ultimate frisbee before committing to Pitzer, but nevertheless shared his excitement for the team’s most tangible chance at seeing national success.
“Building on the momentum from those previous experiences [of playoff losses] and also having no seniors graduate last year … we think that this is the year that our team as a collective can make that final push to make having a real shot at winning nationals this year and becoming a staple frisbee team in Division III ultimate frisbee,” Godsberg said.
Hopes to make their mark at nationals can only come with even greater intensity than previous competitive seasons, a point of emphasis for the team’s leaders as the spring semester begins.
“There is a lot more commitment and buy-in from everybody on the Braineater roster, from mandatory once-a-week throwing, weightlifting and running sessions on top of our three practices a week, along with a lot more tournaments,” Godsberg said.
Over the past weekend, the team drove up to Stanford University for the first tournament of their regular season. Seeded second in a field of eighteen teams, they came in with high hopes to kick off the year. In the end, they fell short in the semifinals but eventually finished with a win to clutch third place.
This weekend, the team will travel to Portland for the DIII Grand Prix as the fourth seed in a pool of ten schools.
Regardless of the outcome, the Braineaters always have fun, combining both a competitive spirit and a welcoming community. For Miller, it is the welcoming environment that sets the sport apart, and something that he prioritizes as a captain.
“ We always pride ourselves on a team that takes spirit very seriously,” Miller said. “For me, that spirit is what makes frisbee so unique.”
“We always pride ourselves on a team that takes spirit very seriously,” Miller said. “For me, that spirit is what makes frisbee so unique.”
To that extent, the team embodies this message, radiating connection from the field to the 5Cs campuses.
“The motto this year that everybody on the team is echoing is failing at 100 percent,” Godsberg said. “No matter what you’re doing on the field, no matter how tired you are, giving it your all is what matters most this year.”