Tournament Dates: Saturday, May 4, and Sunday, May 5, 2024
We are Back! The 2024 Amherst Invite will be located on the UMass playing fields in Amherst!
Click here to go to the bid form!
We are excited to announce that the Amherst Invite is a 2024 High School National Invite qualifying tournament. The HSNI qualifying tournaments provide a way for teams to qualify for HSNI earlier in the season and start planning for their trip earlier. The winners from the Amherst Invite Gx Division 1 and Open Division 1 will be invited to participate in the 2024 High School National Invite.
Go to the schedules section for links to the ScoreReport schedule pages for each division.
- selected teams
- frequently asked questions (including How To Pay)
- location & directions
- schedules
- received bids
This page last updated on Fri Apr 26, 2024
Selected Teams
Gx Division 1
Amherst Regional High School Varsity
Columbia High School Varsity
Four Rivers Charter School Varsity (18)
HB Woodlawn (22)
Lexington High School
Newton North High School (19)
Northampton HS Varsity (17)
Strath Haven High School (12)
Gx Division 2
Amherst Regional High School JV
Bard High School Early College Manhattan
Columbia High School JV
Lincoln Sudbury
Lower Merion
Northampton HS JV
Northfield Mount Hermon
Winchester High School
Gx Waitlist (both divisions)
Burlington HS
Open Division 1
Amherst Varsity
Arlington High School
Brooklyn Technical High School
Columbia High School
HB Woodlawn
Lexington High School
Lower Merion High School (12)
Pennsbury High School (11)
Open Division 1 Waitlist
Four Rivers Charter School
Strath Haven High School
Northampton High School
Open Division 2
Amherst High School JV
Amherst Regional Middle School
Bethlehem Central High School
Monument Mountain
Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School
PVPA
Wellesley High School
Winchester High School
Open Division 2 Waitlist
Concord Carlisle High School
Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School
Note: () number indicates Ultiworld ranking as of Fri Apr 26, 2024
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the tournament?
The tournament will take place on Saturday, May 4, and Sunday, May 5, 2024.
How much does it cost?
The entry fee for the tournament is $500.
How do I pay?
Who is allowed to play in the tournament?
We will (for the most part) be using the USA Ultimate Youth Competition Guidelines to determine if your team and players are eligible to attend our tournament. HOWEVER, in our tournament ALL members of a team must attend the same high school.
Do we need to be USA Ultimate members?
All players on all teams must be USA Ultimate members to play in the Amherst Invitational. USAU is strongly committed to the growth of high school Ultimate, and becoming a member will support their efforts. You can sign up on the USA Ultimate web page. (note: make sure you are signing up for a 2024 membership.)
Do the teams need Certificates of Insurance or Liability Waivers?
Yes. Accepted teams will get instructions in February.
Who is in charge of this tournament?
The directors (TDs) of the Amherst Invitational are Jim Pistrang (coach, Amherst Regional Middle School) and Dan Kaplan (coach, ARHS Girls Varsity) and Josh Seamon (coach, ARHS Boys JVA) and Joe Costello (coach, ARHS Boys Varsity). All decisions regarding eligibility, acceptance of bids, seeding, and rules will be made by the TDs.
How do you decide which bids to accept?
We expect to receive well over 40 bids, and we only have room for 32 teams (including the six Amherst teams). We will use the following criteria: Open I and Gx I: we will give preference to the most competitive teams who apply from around the country. Open II and Gx II: we will give strong preference to developing teams and teams who apply from the Northeast Region, particularly New England. Important: For all divisions, we want a sense of how you have contributed to the growth of juniors ultimate in your school, town, or area.
Are there good parties at the Amherst Invitational?
We are quite sure that you will have a wonderful time at the tournament. However, all drugs, alcohol, and tobacco are strictly forbidden, both on and off the field. In addition, teams staying with a host family must abide by all rules and curfews that are set by the host. Failure to follow these rules will result in the expulsion of your team from the tournament (and we won’t want you back next year either).
What do we get for our money?
Some of the money goes for things that you will see: trophies, team boxes, the printing of the program, port-a-johns, and on-field trainers. We also have unseen costs such as custodial fees and field fees.
Where will we stay in Amherst?
We will attempt to provide housing for all teams that have requested it, but this is not guaranteed. If we provide housing your hosts will be Amherst Ultimate team members and their families. Teams must indicate in their Registration Form whether or not they need housing, and how many people are on the team. Some teams will be able to stay together at one house, others may be split between two houses. At least one adult chaperone must stay with the team. Visiting teams must bring sleeping bags, pillows, etc. Most likely you will be sleeping on a floor. After you are accepted into the Tournament (in February) you will be contacted by our Housing Director.
Do we need an adult chaperone?
Absolutely. You must have an adult chaperone if you want to play in the tournament, and the chaperone must be with your team for the entire weekend. Failure to have a chaperone may result in expulsion from the tournament.
How do I know if my team belongs in the A Division or the B Division?
The Registration Form includes a place where you can describe your team and give us some info from your seasons last fall and spring.
Location and Directions
The tournament will be on fields at UMass in Amherst. There will be more info here soon!
Schedules
Schedules can be viewed in ScoreReport (links below). The final seedings will be set in late April.
There will be a total of 32 teams broken down into 4 divisions as follows:
Division I Gx: https://scorereport.net/2024/youth-girls/event22376
Division I Open: https://scorereport.net/2024/youth-open/event22367
Division II Gx: https://scorereport.net/2024/youth-girls/event22377
Division II Open: https://scorereport.net/2024/youth-open/event22375
Note: Gx = a division for players who are a girl or do not fit into the gender binary and believe this is the right division for them.
Received Bids
Bids Received as of Thu Feb 8, 2024
GX Divisions
Amherst Regional High School V (Gx)
Amherst Regional High School JV (Gx)
Bard High School (Gx)
Burlington HS (Gx)
Columbia High School (Gx)
Columbia High School JV (Gx)
Four Rivers V (Gx)
Four Rivers JV (Gx)
HB Woodlawn (Gx)
Lexington HS (Gx)
Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School (Gx)
Lower Merion (Gx)
Newton North HS (Gx)
Northampton HS V (Gx)
Northampton HS JV (Gx)
Northfield Mount Hermon (Gx)
Radnor High School (Gx)
Strath Haven High School (Gx)
Winchester High School (Gx)
Open Divisions
Amherst Regional High School JVA (Open)
Amherst Regional High School JVB (Open)
Amherst Regional High School V (Open)
Amherst Regional Middle School (Open)
Arlington High School (Open)
Bethlehem Central High School (Open)
Brooklyn Technical High School (Open)
Columbia High School (Open)
Concord Carlisle High School (Open)
Four Rivers V (Open)
Lexington High School (Open)
Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School (Open)
Lower Merion (Open)
Monument Mountain (Open)
Needham High School (Open)
Newton North HS (Open)
Northampton High School (Open)
Pennsbury High School (Open)
Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School (Open)
PVPA (Open)
Strath Haven High School
Wellesley High School (Open)
Winchester High School (Open)