Ultiworld’s 2021 Throw Of The Year Bracket

We've narrowed it down to the eight best throws of 2021 caught on tape.

February 24, 2022 by in Awards, Opinion with 0 comments

One of our most popular series to begin each year, it’s time to look back at last year and let our readers decide some of the top plays of the year from 2021.

We watched many hours of game footage and highlight reels to hunt down the hucks, breaks, bombs, dimes, and everything else; believe us, there were more than enough options to fill up this bracket, so even some worthy nominees were left on the cutting room floor. Over the next week, we’re inviting you, Ultiworld readers, to vote for your favorite of the finalists selected.

Check out all of the nominees and vote below, then check back to see which clips advance for another opportunity to participate. The first round of voting starts now and closes on Friday, February 25 at 4PM Eastern.

Abra Kadabra, It’s In The Endzone: Long vs. Sanders

Is it simply illusion or brilliance, or could it be both?

Elijah Long – Raleigh Flyers (AUDL)

Elijah Long

+1 mark, -1 look. The defense didn’t see it coming, but neither did the offense! Was it the championship game? Yes. And for more, shall we say, risk-averse and conservative throwers, that might mean putting away the bag and sticking to the standard tools of the trade. For an artiste like Long, it means painting with the brightest and most brilliant colors on his palette. While the play didn’t stand, it was worth a point in our hearts.

Joren Sanders – Ghent Gentle (European Club)

Joren Sanders

The xEUCF semifinals are no small stage either, but that didn’t stop Joren Sanders from sneaking this wonderful backhand past the defense for a classy assist in an upset bid for Gentle against Clapham. A mistake here could have put the game out of hand,¹ but instead the disc was in the hands of the receiver after a little Belgian wizardry and guile brought Gentle within three goals and kept their hopes alive.

Curve Controllers: Babbott-Bryan vs. Kolick

The closest thing to telekinesis.

Claire Babbott-Bryan – Middlebury Pranksters (USAU College)

Claire Babbott-Bryan

The D-III 2021 Player of the Year made perhaps her signature play of the season late in the semifinal round against Truman State. There’s something almost whimsical about the way this throw glides and ducks around defenders before landing softly into the hands of its target. Multiple different defenders had hope of a registering a clutch block on this play, only to have those hopes wrenched away by a perfectly drawn flight path.

Alan Kolick – Washington DC Sweet Cat (USAU Club)

Alan Kolick

Most people see a tower of metal rails and wooden planks next the field as an obstacle to a thrower. “What if I want to throw on the sideline and it is in my way? Imagine getting a turnover because you hit Ultiworld’s scaffolding! How embarrassing,” they think. Alan Kolick sees opportunity, a curveball the defense won’t see coming. And curve that ball he did, as the lethal lefty looped as a lengthy backhand from the front cone to the red zone that past right by the camera.

Power Puts: Torres vs. Farren

Two memorable semi-pro highlights that don’t come with downsides.

Alejandra Torres – Medellin RevoPro (PUL)

Alejandra Torres

Revo has remained undefeated in the PUL and Alejandra Torres has been one of the fledgling league’s most prolific offensive forces. The experienced handler sees the field well and plays the telltale Medellin system with aplomb, but she also has a live arm with the pop to open up the field. This distant forehand against the Austin Torch at the International Championship Series was just another in the big pile of assists Torres has stacked up.

Nicky Farren – Nashville Shine (USAU Club)

Nicky Farren

Folks, finesse is overrated. You know what they say about brute force? If it ain’t working, you’re not using enough. Nicky Farren had plenty and then some with his backhand bomb from within his own end zone into the scoring space, maybe with a brief detour in outer space. A casual 85-ish yards on a platter is an extra large helping of the good stuff.

Sauce on the Big Stage: Bosscher vs. Miller

This type of flare is worth a follow, like, and a share.

Georgia Bosscher – Milwaukee Monarchs (PUL)

Georgia Bosscher

This is truly a rare moment: a play that appears in both the Catch of the Year and the Throw of the Year bracket. Perhaps Bosscher’s buzzer beater can outperform the round one exit of Keila Strick’s catch. What’s amazing about this throw is that there was no other option. With only a handful of moments to line up a scoring throw that gave the receivers a chance, with the mark well aware of the situation, with all the odds against her — Bosscher managed to find enough inside space to rip this one to force OT.

Adam Miller – Georgia Jojah (USAU College)

Adam Miller

It is proven scientific fact that pointing where you’re going to throw makes it cooler, and that goes double if it is a field-spanning assist. Early in their Nationals semifinal, Georgia got a break after Miller dialed up a dime, a backhand assist from near his own goal line that added some extra horizontal yardage across the field for a well-placed rocket huck.

1. Which it eventually was, Clapham triumphing 15-10. ↩