Some of the brightest lights in the US will be making their major international debuts in Australia.
August 30, 2024 by Edward Stephens in Opinion with 0 comments
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The Line brings together lists of sevens from our reporting staff.
Eight years between Worlds is a long time. Fittingly, the composition of the three United States rosters has undergone a massive transformation. Of the 72 players who represented the US in London, only 13 will also cleat up in Gold Coast.1 Only three of fourteen players remain from the 2017 World Games. There has even been significant turnover since the World Games in Birmingham, Alabama two years ago: just eight names shared between the two rosters. This year’s international stage won’t see the likes of gold-winning stalwarts Opi Payne, Jimmy Mickle, or Dylan Freechild.
What we will see in Australia are new American faces who will have a chance – a good one at that – to make their mark at the highest levels in front of the whole world of ultimate fans. With apologies to recent US stars like Claire Trop and Nate Goff who are worth highlighting but have already soared in international play, here is an introduction to a handful of Americans who are bound to make names for themselves over the course of the tournament.
Christian Boxley (Open)
Here’s a nugget for you to chew on: in 2020, Christian Boxley tried out and was *not* selected for a US roster. Was that one of the biggest misses in US tryout history? We’ll never know for sure, but in the years since then he has become one of the most dominant players in US club play, earning Player of the Year honors last season for leading Washington DC Truck Stop to a championship. One of the best finishers and most turnover-averse players in the the game, Boxley will score at will in red zone sets (especially if he ends up on a line with fellow red zone demon Anders Juengst – talk about pick-your-poison) by being smarter, quicker, springier, and more sure-handed than just about anybody on the planet.
Dawn Culton (Women’s)
Perhaps the greatest player in college ultimate history, Dawn Culton just put the finishing touches on a fourth consecutive national title with North Carolina Pleiades. The 2024 campaign, which netted Culton a second D-I College Player of the Year award, included the jawdropping universe point semifinal goal that may be the preeminent highlight of her already highlight-filled young career (and surely will get plenty of votes in our next Catch of the Year bracket). Culton has been a bid-heavy defender and offensive finisher since she first stepped onto the field. In the last couple of years, both with UNC and her club team Raleigh Phoenix, she has grown into a fully-formed offensive player as well. Look for her to be a two-way wrecking ball in Gold Coast.
Dena Elimelech (Mixed)
Dena Elimelech is the rare American star who didn’t play serious youth ultimate before college. She made up for the lost time quickly, leading UC San Diego to a national title her senior year with one of the most thrilling performances you’ll ever see. Universe point from the championship game2 against Dartmouth that year featured everything that we have come to expect from Elimelech over the years since then: impossible catches, unmatched determination, and a seemingly intuitive killer instinct. And it might not even rank as her best universe-point performance from that tournament. She has won all-club honors with three different teams in California3 for her all-around excellence. The only question about Elimelech looking ahead to WUC is how many marquee moments she can amass in a week.
Raphy Hayes (Open)
Raphy Hayes has been doing some of the most ridiculous things ever seen on an ultimate field for more than a decade. He would have had a global debut in 2020 if the pandemic had not forced WFDF to cancel the world championships that year. He was one of the alternates for the 2022 US World Games team – another near miss. Now he finally gets his chance, and by the time the tournament ends it will have been more than worth the wait. As great as the collection of talent on USA Open will be, none of them quite have the same capacity to amaze. All-Club each of the last three years (with podium accolades in the Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year categories), Portland Rhino Slam! lifer4 Hayes will be one of the treats for spectators in the later rounds.
Henry Ing (Mixed)
Legends often start looking like legends early: Henry Ing could end up as one of the sport’s all-time greats. The Philadelphia product has dominated at every level to date, from three straight 1st Team All-American selections (including 2023 D-I Player of the Year honors) for his work with Pittsburgh En Sabah Nur in college to a runner-up finish in the mixed division club player of the year race with AMP last year. It’s easy to see why. Ing’s speed, raw power, and hand-eye coordination lead to unfathomable catches. He’s 99th percentile in both matchup defense and as a deep thrower. He does all the boring little things right in the handler set – and, at the drop of a hat, will drop a defense-breaking, visionary, perfect hammer to an unlikely spot on the field. It’s a safe bet that Ing’s legend grows during his first international major.
AJ Merriman (Open)
One of the player development advantages in the US (compared to most other countries) is a vibrant college division that offers a huge amount of high-level competitive reps for younger players. It’s the most common path to elite club play. Every now and then, though, a player works their way up to the top of the sport via an alternate route: one recent example is the rise of AJ Merriman. Merriman, who quit track to focus full-time on ultimate when he was 18, is quickly becoming one of the most impressive all-around players in the sport. He first made waves as an opportunistic defender and post-turn shooter in the UFA semi-pro league as part of the DC Breeze. He was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in just his second season. Since then, he has been building the foundations of his game in all respects, including world-class throwing range. He was integral to Truck Stop’s USAU club championship last season. Most intriguingly? He is making a go at having ultimate be a full-time career. A big week at WUC would go a long way toward adding an international angle to his already stellar reputation.
Anna Thompson (Mixed)
What do you get when you cross universe-class throwing ability, grizzly bear-caliber defensive ferorcity, proven clutch ability in universe point bracket situations, and years of on-field leadership? Anna Thompson. The three-time USAU national champion – twice with Philadelphia AMP, and then with her current club San Francisco Fury – has been a constant presence at the elite level for the better part of a decade. The 2019 Player of the Year has some of the deadliest deep throws in the world – her only current rival in that department is Valeria Cárdenas, who has considerably more international exposure – both in terms of their gargantuan power and pristine shape. She’ll wreck any handler set in the world with bid-happy defensive pressure. And her generally fearless play style is likely to set the tone for a US Mixed side hungry to add more gold to their cabinet.
Let’s celebrate their accomplishment in a footnote, at least: Claire Chastain, Trent Dillon, Khalif El-Salaam, Carolyn Finney, Kami Groom, Jack Hatchett, Kaela Helton, Eli Kerns, Chris Kocher, Sarah Meckstroth, Raha Mozaffari, Anna Nazarov, Amber Sinicrope ↩
Speaking as a fan, the last point of Dartmouth-UCSD in 2019 remains my favorite all-time in-person memory. ↩
San Diego Wildfire, SoCal Flipside, San Francisco Fury ↩
Hayes has been on the team since 2012 ↩
