Recognizing the next seven top performers of the 2023 season.
July 6, 2023 by Fiona "Scotti" Nugent and Zack Davis in Awards with 0 comments
Each year, Ultiworld presents our annual College Awards. Our staff evaluates the individual performances of players from throughout the season, talking to folks around college ultimate, watching film, and look at statistics, voting upon the awards to decide those to be honored. The regular season and the college Series are both considered, with extra emphasis for performances in the competitive and high-stakes environment at Nationals.
Our All-American teams recognize the top performers across the division. While in the past we have closed our Awards with our First Team and Second Team, displaying the top seven and next seven players who had the best seasons, they have been moved up in the schedule.
D-III Women’s All-American Second Team
Frankie Saraniti (Carleton)
Every player dreams of getting a layout grab to score the last point of an important streamed game at Nationals. Such a statement play was our introduction to Frankie Saraniti of Carleton Eclipse. Upon review of her stat sheet, Saraniti scored a total of 14 goals for Eclipse’s offensive line. She’s fast and leverages her height against her opponents, able to leave her mark in the dust and receive OPOTY Maya Kalmus’ pinpoint throws.
Gemma Munck (Whitman)
Gemma Munck scored 22 individual goals over the course of D-III Nationals, making her not only the top scorer for the Whitman Sweets, but for the entire tournament. To further pad her stat sheet, Munck threw an additional 18 assists to help the Sweets finish 10th overall. Munck was clearly central to the Sweets’ overall success this year as they made the jump from D-I to D-III with aplomb.
Harper Brooks-Kahn (Carleton)
Harper Brooks-Kahn already has a stacked trophy cabinet from 2021 and 2022, so it’s no surprise she was a major component of Eclipse’s run through the bracket in Ohio. Playing quiet offense on the Carleton O-line, Brooks-Kahn was able to slip away from her defender and grab 11 goals and throw 10 assists throughout the weekend. When lines tightened up in the final, it was Brooks-Kahn right at the center of the play, keeping the energy calm and the plays smart.
Leina Goto (St. Olaf)
Lefty handlers are always a challenge to guard and Leina Goto made every opposing team’s life harder with her speed and height. Demanding the disc on every play and quickly putting up a buttery backhand over the stack to the back corner of the endzone, it’s obvious how Goto was able to rack up 19 assists over the course of College Nationals. St. Olaf’s success through quarterfinals wouldn’t have been possible without Leina Goto, and considering how young St. Olaf Vortex’s team is, the upward growth is exciting to anticipate.
Madelyn Lander (Middlebury)
Mady Lander played a silently dominant game in Middlebury’s final against Carleton Eclipse. Her contributions were crucial to Middlebury’s three-peat championship. Covering the deep space to generate blocks and box out Eclipse cutters, Lander was able to quickly transition and streak deep to convert goals. After DPOTY first runner-up honors in 2022, Lander has shown growth in the offensive space and become an intimidating double threat.
Makaley Krueger (Portland)
Makaley Krueger has been a dominant cutter for Portland since 2021, but this year she was essential to their tied-for-3rd place finish. Krueger played the majority of points and seemed to be everywhere on the field. On the stat sheet, Krueger scored 9 goals, threw 12 assists and generated 7 blocks for UPRoar. As her photo shows, Krueger knows how to leverage her height against opponents. But perhaps more profoundly, she was a crucial part of helping build UPRoar into the perennial nationals powerhouse they’ve become.
Skylar Yarter (Williams)
Skylar Yarter showed a knowledge of the game that can often be lost in the excitement of College Nationals. The role of a central handler isn’t an easy one, yet Yarter kept her composure and directed her offensive cutters to where she wanted them. With an impressive stat sheet including 25 assists thrown – good for third-most in the division – and 11 blocks, Yarter is the essential Division III player that any team needs to lock down success.
