The 2024 World Ultimate Frisbee Championships brought together teams from 24 countries for a week of games in Gold Coast, Australia. Former member of Varstiy Ultimate Frisbee Qxhna Titcomb ’11 competed as a member of the U.S. National team.
Titcomb started playing Ultimate in middle school and continued to play at Hotchkiss. She said, “I was one of three girls on the [Hotchkiss] team. That was hard, but it was also fun. Under the leadership of Varsity Ultimate Head Coach Dave Thomspon, I learned a lot, and we won the NEPSUL championship. Outside of Ultimate, Hotchkiss taught me academic rigor and independence. I also learned gratitude, because the school grounds are so nice, the faculty is amazing, and the learning is out of this world.”
After graduation, Tibcomb played at Tufts University, and continued on to the club Ultimate scene. She has won world championships with multiple U.S. national and club teams and professional championships in both pro women’s leagues, including with the Seattle Tempest in 2021 and 2022 and the Raleigh Radiance in 2023.
She also has been an advocate for women in the sport, organizing the All-Star Ultimate Tour in 2015, which promoted women’s Ultimate around the country.
After moving to North Carolina in 2023, Titcomb won the East Coast professional women’s league championship with the Raleigh Radiance, playing alongside Theresa Yu ’19. In 2023, Titcomb was selected as one of the top 25 Women’s Club players in the nation, and in 2024, she was named to the U.S. Women’s National Team.
“Qxhna is an elite athlete. She has been a champion in every division of post-college Ultimate, at the club, professional, and national team level,” said Coach Thompson. “In 2009, when Titcomb was a starter on the first Hotchkiss New England Championship team, it would have been impossible to imagine how tremendous an athlete and role model she would become.”
This year’s World Championships is the first since the cancellation of the 2020 tournament, for which Titcomb was also selected.
“Every country runs their team selection process slightly differently, but in the U.S., you apply and get invited to one of two tryouts,” said Titcomb. “Ultimately, you are selected for either the women’s division, men’s division, or mixed division team.” Titcomb was selected for the women’s team.
The World Championships was full of ups and downs for Team USA.
They were 5-0 in pool play, winning their first three games by more than ten points.
The final two games of pool play were more competitive, with wins over Japan 15-11, and Australia 15-10.
In the first game after pool play, Team USA lost a close game to Colombia 13-15.
In the match for the gold medal, the U.S. faced Colombia, to whom they had lost twice in May and a few days prior.
Titcomb said, “Team USA was the favorite, but at the same time, a lot of people thought that Colombia was going to win because they have some players that are insanely good.”
Team USA won 14-12. “The experience was exhilarating,” Titcomb said. “Not just because we won, but because I was able to share this experience with my sister, Rohre Titcomb ’05, who was an assistant coach for the team. It was really special to have that experience with her.”
