Whether layout blocks or shutdown defense, these players made life miserable for opposing offenses
November 14, 2024 by Kelsey Hayden, Graham Gerhart and Jenna Weiner in Awards with 0 comments
Ultiworld is pleased to announce our annual Club Awards, starting with the First Team All-Club in each division. While we consider both regular season and postseason performance, because of the nature of the Club division, we weight success in the Series and at Nationals above all else. This year, with an uneven regular season, the postseason emphasis is perhaps greater than ever. The Club Awards are voted on by Ultiworld reporters, contributors, and editors.
Our awards continue with the Defensive Player of the Year, recognizing the individual, and two runners-up, who we felt were the top defensive performers this club season. Whether through generating blocks, shutting down options, helping out teammates, or all of the above, these defenders stood out doing the tough work that too often go unrecognized.
Player of the Year Award
All-Club First Team
All-Club Second Team
Offensive Player of the Year Award
Defensive Player of the Year Award
Breakout Player of the Year Award
Coach(es) of the Year Award
Club Awards Voting Breakdown
Snubs and Superlatives
2024 Women’s Division Co-Defensive Player of the Year
Sarah Jacobsohn (Toronto 6ixers)
Defense in ultimate can oftentimes be hard to measure, but a player like Sarah Jacobsohn makes it easy. Throwers know to think twice about putting the disc near Jacobsohn, and for good reason. We can look at stats all we want — ten blocks is a staggering total, especially for an offensive powerhouse like the player they call Bear — but what makes Jacobsohn unique is the pressure she exerts on the field.
She does this in a number of ways. Jacobsohn’s athleticism makes for an intimidating presence on the field, but not because she bullies players off the disc, rather she has a smoothness to her play that allows her to find a step on her mark that baits throwers into tight windows. She is also a field general, making sure the other players are in position and picking up slack where she needs to, but also trusting her teammates to have her back when she makes bids.
This presence and ability gives her a soft power too, which she uses as a scalpel to dismantle offenses. Take, for example, the 6ixers bracket game against Fury. In this instance, 6ixers have turned over the disc, giving Fury the chance to get a break back and equalize the game. Against the odds on favorite, 6ixers can’t afford to give up that kind of momentum. Jacobsohn (#14 in white) she makes sure the deep threat is covered while Fury is setting up, then communicates with her teammate to spy Ruden uncovered in the middle of the field and marks her. Finney taps in the disc and Ruden makes an under cut, then quickly gives up and goes to clear. Finney makes a beautiful inside flick to Ruden, who isn’t even looking. Ruden is a ten-year veteran of Fury and great player in her own right, but didn’t even think that she’d be open against Jacobsohn to the point that Fury ends up turning over the disc in bad field position. That’s the sign of an elite defender.
– Zack Davis
Allie Wallace (Washington DC Scandal)
After being a central piece in Scandal’s 2023 offensive unit, it came as a shock to see Wallace on the defensive line for DC. As the season wore on, it became abundantly clear why that decision was made: Wallace was exactly the matchup the D-line needed to checkmate their opponents throughout the season, especially at Nationals. With Wallace leading the charge, Scandal were able to play larger and faster than almost every offense in the nation, turning yardage gains into inchage gains. Or going one step further: turning open passes into turnovers.
Wallace’s size and athleticism cut the field in half, giving her teammates more opportunity to get blocks of their own. But it wasn’t just her help downfield that made her a threat. As a mark, she would eliminate huge swathes of the field from a thrower’s arsenal. Between handblocks and high stall situations, the imprint Wallace left on every point she played cannot be overemphasized. Any player that can shut down momentum the moment they start stalling has to be respected, and there was no one better than Wallace this year at forcing the offense to reset.
This year more than ever highlighted the value of height and speed on the defensive line. Throwers have become more confident in their hucks over the last five years and the necessity of a player that can command the deep space is crucial. Wallace fit that category and exceeded the limits of it by being versatile and switchable. Her teammates could get more aggressive with their defense knowing she’d pick up any player necessary and dominate the matchup. No team was able to get a mismatch on Wallace – Wallace was the mismatch. That alone is enough to make her Defensive Player of the Year.
– Graham Gerhart
First Runner-up
Dena Elimelech (San Francisco Fury)
Try to name another player with as many showstopping, poster-worthy defensive bids as Dena Elimelech. I’ll wait.
An offensive line hates to see Elimelech coming. If you’re the unlucky player to draw the matchup – first, you should feel honored you’re seen as that much of a threat – but second, you should get to work because it’s going to be no easy task to get that disc. Dena is relentless in her pursuit of the disc. She will go to any lengths (and heights) to get the block, as shown in her nine takeaways at Club Nationals this year. She is one of the most exciting players to watch in the division and a perfect example of how when hard work and natural talent meet, great things can happen.
– Kelsey Hayden
Second Runner-up
Shayla Harris (San Francisco Fury)
Shayla Harris is your favorite defender’s favorite defender, and why wouldn’t she be? Harris has all the tools that you’d want in a prototypical defensive stopper and uses them with precision. She has a preternatural awareness of where the disc is at all times, and as a result picked up numerous deep blocks at Nationals as a help defender. Harris made it look easy too, regularly seemingly appearing out of nowhere after anticipating the offense’s motion and just before springing into action to earn yet another block. Her defensive flexibility meant that her assignments ranged from the most athletic cutters to the most shifty handlers, and Harris managed each and every assignment without issue. For an already defensive-minded team in Fury, Harris was one of their best, and earned her second DPotY podium spot in the past three seasons.
– Jenna Weiner
