The first-years who have already established themselves among the division's best overall players.
June 18, 2024 by Calvin Ciorba and Bix Weissberg 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.
The Rookie of the Year award recognizes players who impressed in their first college ultimate seasons. That includes both freshman and true rookies. Each season, it feels like this group of players becomes more impactful; as the level of youth play and of coaching and development rise, so does the bar for the division’s best rookie. Whether they come to the college game from years of youth experience, a background in other sports, or none of the above, these players made debuts to remember in high-level college play.
- Player of the Year
- All-American First Team
- 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 2024 Rookie Of The Year
Jacob Felton (Davenport)
Davenport were the shock team of the 2024 season, as the first year program soared towards the top of our rankings after a highly impressive Nationals run that saw them place tied for fifth overall. Leading the charge was Jacob Felton, who, despite rumors of his sky-high potential, shattered all reasonable expectations on his way to a First team All-American selection and the 2024 ROTY Award.
Felton’s calling card was his ability to do whatever Davenport asked of him on offense. Whether it was uncorking a full field huck, cutting deep himself and skying a defender, or methodically working the disc up the field, defenses were largely unable to stop Felton. He has an almost supernatural ability to sense where the open space on the field is, or is going to be, and possesses the athleticism required to get to those spaces with ease, or the throwing skill required to get the disc to those spaces. The result of this wonderful blend of skills and sense? A division-leading 43 assists at Nationals, with another 18 goals (tied for fifth in the division) for good measure. It’ll be hard to top those numbers in years to come, but if anyone is capable of that feat, it’s Felton.
– Josh Katz
First Runner-Up
Adam Kohn (Williams)
For most players, it takes a couple of years to build the trust of their teammates to be a main contributor to their team. For Adam Kohn, however, that trust was immediate. Kohn was a mainstay for Williams’ efficient offense and a big reason they found success this season. He had speed and agility necessary to get open for cuts, but also every throw in the book. With eleven assists and seven goals, Kohn made a major impact for WUFO. More importantly, Kohn turned the disc over only four times on the entire weekend, a fantastic feat for a young player.
Kohn is WUFO’s third freshman in a row on a ROTY, and will be a name to remember as a new era of William’s begins next year.
– Calvin Ciorba
Second Runner-Up
Rowan Jamieson (Davenport)
With a team that had it’s first ever season, its almost unsurprising that Davenport had two players on the ROTY podium. Canada’s U20 star Rowan Jamieson had arguably the most hype coming in, and certainly lived up to it in Milwaukee. The freshman hauled in the second most goals in the entire tournament at 22, while managing to also throw five assists, make five blocks, and only turned the disc eight times. Jamieson’s offensive aggressiveness made him dangerous downfield or around the disc, though he was at his most powerful in the bigger cutting lanes. He could roof his defenders, grind under cuts, provide a bailout option deep, you name it. Big things are in store these next couple of years for the Canadian phenom.
– Calvin Ciorba
