#13 Jay Huerbin

At First Night of Flight this year, Jay’s team found themselves locked in an intense game with a team from across the state. It wasn’t an angry or chippy game, but tensions were rising on both sides as big plays were being made by each team’s big players. On a long Score By Attrition point where probably everyone had a turnover, Jay made a strike cut near the endzone. His guy stumbled and Jay got wide open, clapped the disc with his foot a few inches before the goal-line, gave a jubilant victory “WHOOP” and tossed the disc into the air in a style spike befitting the moment. A couple of the other team’s players near the sideline started gesticulating and making “not in” shapes with their mouths as Jay rounded the path of his post-scoring jog towards where I was standing behind the endzone. The carousel in Jay’s mind had turned to jovial during this motion and he looked at me and said “I wasn’t in was I,” big inappropriate smile on his face. I gave him the old shoulder-shrug wincing-face, and he seemed to understand this. An opponent sheepishly offered his perspective, and Jay magnanimously acquiesced.

I think everyone that knows Jay can attest to his jovial side, it’s the one he’s showing most often. I first felt accepted by the team when Jay came chuckling up to me at a rest stop on the drive back from Wilmington and said “Hey Ari!… you suck.” He’s kind of a cock, but in that ironic way, you know? Jay’s a friendly dude, everyone knows it. I think this is why I find his intense side so interesting. He’s one of my favorite people to partner up with at workouts because when he switches to intense mode, he switches entirely. He takes no breaks in workouts, and he demands the same of you. He has this deep fire that competitors have. He wants it. And he puts in the work so that near as I can tell, whatever “it” is, more often than not he gets “it.” My most striking memories of Jay are of a big layout D on game point in Wilmington and of getting beat in a practice, screaming, then punching a garage door.

I hope when people think of Pitt, they think of Jay Huerbin. Cocky, friendly, intense, and determined. -Ari

I’ve been playing Ultimate since Spring 2005 when I was a junior and high school. I have not been playing too long, so I am always trying to improve my game. I’ve known a good amount of the Pitt players from playing in various rec leagues throughout Pittsburgh, and they’re a great group of guys. That’s something crazy about Ultimate: Your best friends are also your teammates.