The Ultimate Trailblazers: From Change Project to Championship Contenders

What began as an eighth-grade initiative has evolved into a powerhouse sport. The Ultimate Frisbee team, now a launchpad for talent with many alumni playing in college, draws national attention at the annual River Campus Classic hosted at University School of Nashville. Guided by dedicated alumni coaches, the boys and girls teams consistently win state championships, embodying a legacy of excellence and innovation.
The story of Ultimate Frisbee at University School of Nashville is something straight out of a PG sports film: Middle Schoolers discover the sport, build a ragtag team, learn the game on their own, and, after a few dreadful years, go on to win a national championship. 

You could even add a sequel where the legacy they built endures nearly 30 years later as their children take up the sport. The girls and boys Ultimate Frisbee teams both won state championships in 2024. It was the third title for the girls, and a back-to-back title for the boys. The teams consistently look promising.   
Where it leaves the Hollywood script behind, though, is the trailblazers’ grassroots-style undertaking. They learned as they went and made do with what they had. At that time, there was no official USN-sanctioned team.

The story of Brutal Grassburn, as they are known, happened at all because of the culture at USN, one where students think nothing of forging their own paths.

“I want people who read this to know that this would not have happened at another school,” said James Harper ’99.

The team achieved success because of its willingness to self-motivate for love of the game, and because these student-athletes had their parents’ trust. They were eighth graders, after all.
“I think that’s a good lesson, to let your kids’ passion drive where they’re going,” said Nathan Terry ’99. “We did it because we loved it. We wanted to have these experiences for ourselves.”


About Ultimate Frisbee 
This flying disc game is a seven-on-seven match-up on a field about the size of a soccer pitch. Athletes play for 75 minutes per game as they try to throw the Frisbee to each other, advancing down the field to throw to a player in the end zone. It is an extremely high-paced and exciting game to watch. Over the course of USN’s two-day River Campus Classic tournament, players run roughly 10 to 15 miles of sprints.
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School News

List of 3 news stories.

  • University School of Nashville students Eleanor Mixon '27 and Dylan Omary '27 voted first the first time on Thursday, October 29, 2026 at the Scarritt Bennett.

    Seniors take field trip to cast first ballot

    All 40 eligible University School of Nashville students in the Class of 2037 registered to vote ahead of the voter registration deadline, and Eleanor Mixon '27 and Dylan Omary '27 walked across the street from USN to the Scarritt Bennett Center to cast their first ballots on the final day of early voting.
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  • The ballot box and beyond: USN Seniors civically engaged

    Students in High School History Teacher Cameron Parsons' Advanced Topics: American Government and Politics Class have been working diligently on civic engagement projects that required them to participate in the democratic process.
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  • An evening of erudition: 22 seniors enter Cum Laude Society

    Congratulations to the Class of 2027 inductees of the USN Cum Laude Society: Jack Barrett, Charlie Blau, Alder Brandon, Olivia Brown, Elisabeth Crane, Alexandra Drewry, Lucia Gellert, Melis Kurtulus, Abigail Manoukian, Lily Margalit, Eleanor Mixon, Louisa Nordberg, Mia Orefice, Karsen Puzniak, Ruchika Ramachandran, Jacqueline Seale, Elliott Spiller, Laine Theobald, Alexander Truss, Yifan Wang, Madeleine Wiseman, and Julia Young.
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Archive

Athletics News

List of 3 news stories.

  • Mountain Bike Team Takes on “Electric" State Champs Trails, Dehner Snags Overall Podium Medal

    Steve Smail & MTB Team Coaches
    With trail names like Megawatt, Electric Avenue, High Voltage and Livewire, the mountain bike team knew it was time to pedal out some extra watts for their NICA/TICL State Championships at Raccoon Mountain, and survive the technical trails above Chattanooga full of boulder gardens, rock drops and sandy rubble.
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  • Mountain Bike Team Takes on Winged Deer Trails, HS Makes Podium Appearance

    Steve Smail
    Winged Deer Park and trails in Johnson City hosted our 4th race on Sunday October 11th, and despite a bit of hurricane outwash winds and showers - and reduced team numbers due to fall break and distance from Nashville - our racers utilized all available skills and speed which helped “wing" Sophomore Claire Dehner to a 4th place podium spot, our first podium appearance and medal for the season.
     
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  • HS athletics recaps for September 11-17

    Tiger golfers have officially qualified for the region tournament, and our other teams are not far behind. Volleyball sits near the top of the district, finishing up regular season play next week with Senior Night. Girls soccer continues to hold first place in the district after another 9-0 win, and our cross country runners are chasing after some school records. To round it all out, our mountain bike team traveled to Oakfield to continue to improve on their times for the season. There’s plenty more where that came from- so be sure to come out to the River Campus, Sperling Gym, or out on the road to cheer on our Tigers before their seasons end.
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Contact

Edgehill Campus
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212

Phone:  615-321-8000
Fax:       615-321-0889 
Email:    info@usn.org

River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218

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USN Mission: 
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.