Recognizing the top seven performers of the 2024 season.
June 10, 2024 by Bix Weissberg and Calvin Ciorba 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 Player of the Year has been awarded first, this year we open our Awards with our First Team All-Americans, displaying the top seven players who had the best seasons. Listed in alphabetical order, the First Team now serves as a finalist list for the Player of the Year Award, which will be announced live tomorrow on Deep Look.
- All-American First Team
- Player of the Year
- All-American Second Team
- Offensive Player of the Year Award
- Defensive Player of the Year Award
- Breakout Player of the Year Award
- Rookie of the Year Award
- Coaches of the Year Award
D-III Men’s All-American First Team
Will Brandt (St. Olaf)
The star player for St. Olaf, the star player at Nationals, and the star player over the last four years, Will Brandt will go down in history as one of the best players ever in the D-III division. 2024 was no different, where Brandt led the Berzerkers with eight goals and had the third-most assists at 26. Considering Brandt’s usage rate, his completion percentage is phenomenal, only recording eight turns on the entire weekend. This is his fourth All-American spot, and most likely his sweetest, as he finally was also able to lead St. Olaf to a National Championship.
Jacob Felton (Davenport)
The Ultiworld team had heard reports that Jacob Felton would be Davenport’s best guy at Nationals, but we had no clue he’d be the truth. Felton racked up an absurd stat line, leading the tournament with 43 assists on top of finishing fifth in overall goals at 18. This performance included the fifth-place game, where Felton threw fourteen out of the fifteen total assists. With at least three years left in his college eligibility, Felton will be a name to remember for a while.
Danny Klein (Williams)
Already considered one of the best throwers in the division, Klein excelled this Nationals once again. The lynchpin of WUFO’s offense, Klein could hit his cutters no matter where they were on the field, eventually tallying up a whopping 40 assists. What differed from years past, however, was Klein’s decision making – in the semifinals against Richmond, he only turned the disc twice, a problem he had in years past. From wicked scoobers, dialed-in hucks, and disgusting break throws, Klein reached a new level for WUFO.
Gordon Larson (St. Olaf)
Eligibility, shmeligibility. There was nothing sweeter than to see the Berzerkers reunited with their favorite role player, and as it turns out, getting Larson back for one last hurrah was just what the doctor ordered for Nationals. Larson’s prior experience was well reflected in his offensive capability, as it seemed he was just a step above the division’s corps of cutters in terms of agility and game IQ. It seemed that at no point during the weekend did Larson have any serious trouble getting open. Upon his return to Olaf, Larson single-handedly took the Zerks’ O-line from good to great.
Daniel Snider (Bates)
In classic D-III fashion, Bates Orange Whip earned a spot to Nationals this year out of nowhere, on the back off a couple of talented players. Most notably, Daniel Snider showed out tremendously, notching 38 assists, eight goals, and often going nearly every other with the disc. But most impressive was the way Snider played like a veteran despite only being a junior with no club experience. He could get open, strike at will, and more importantly choose the smart throwing decisions, making it quite difficult to force turns on him.
Charles Tantum (Williams)
If you’re looking for evidence that Williams has some of the best player development in the division, look no further than Charles Tantum. Tantum was already a budding talent when he made his first Nationals appearance in 2022. By 2023 he had established himself as a defensive star. But this time around was the first instance where Tantum rivaled Klein as Williams’ most indispensable player. What’s changed? Simply put, Tantum’s offense efficiency improved exponentially. Compared to 2023 Nationals, Tantum had triple the points (18) with half the turns (6). Tantum’s rapid growth is largely responsible for Williams’ capability this season.
Max Zwerin (Lewis & Clark)
It’s a typical Nationals phenomenon: A player on a semi-obscure team who’s flown under the radar for the better part of his college career gets a chance at the big show and proceeds to carry his team to unexpected heights. Last year it was Owen Hevly of Kenyon, or Jack Basset of Navy. Taking up the mantle this time around was Zwerin. With his high motor and aerial dominance, there was little opponents could do against the impending deep shot to Zwerin. His offensive prowess amounted to a shocking 22 goals, more than double that of any other Bacchus player. Needless to say, Zwerin helped keep Lewis & Clark competitive against the division’s best.
