For the past three years, Penn State’s ultimate frisbee team has taken the ten-hour trek from State College, Penn. to Wilmington to compete in the annual UNCW Fall College Open.

The Nittany Lions have made the trip worthwhile by winning the tournament championship each year.

Penn State has made it look easy to succeed in their sport. But the reality is quite the opposite; add in all the extra hours practicing, raising money and traveling and the objective becomes much more of a challenge. Along with practicing for two hours every night during the week, the players also spend much of their free time raising money.

“We are allotted a certain amount of money from the school’s Club Sports Department, depending on our size and success,” team captain Sarah Lahm said. “But it is never enough, so we have to find other ways to raise funds and sometimes even use money from our own pockets.”

The team members spend many Saturdays working at Penn State football games selling Nittany Lion memorabilia, receiving a percentage of the sales. They also conduct other small fundraisers when needed.

“Since tournament entry fees are generally expensive and we play in at least three tournaments every fall, the expenses can add up,” Lahm says.

To go along with entry fees, the team also rents a 15-passenger van and pays for gas, food and hotel rooms.

Lahm knows that all the hard work the team does gets rewarded when they come to UNCW.

“We really enjoy coming to North Carolina,” Lahm said. “We get to see new faces, the tournament is well run and the weather is usually beautiful.”

In order for the athletes to arrive in Wilmington in time for the tournament this weekend, they skipped Friday classes.

When asked about 10-hour drive from Pennsylvania to Wilmington, Lahm said, “We are all really close, so it is kind of like going on a long road trip with all of your best friends. We bring laptops to watch movies on the way down, but on the way back everyone sleeps so they can make it to class on Monday.”

The squad’s string of success does not stop in Wilmington. They have already competed in two tournaments this fall, winning both. The Penn State girls have also been to Nationals the past two years, finishing in 11th and 5th place.