Whether moving the disc or racking up points, these players were the best to do it in 2024
November 14, 2024 by Graham Gerhart, Kelsey Hayden and Edward Stephens in Awards with 0 comments
Ultiworld is pleased to announce our annual Club Awards. 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 Offensive Player of the Year, recognizing the individual, and two runners-up, who we felt had the most impactful and productive seasons helping their teams score. They set up goals, finished off points, and produced yardage at consistently high levels against the top defenders.
Player of the Year Award
All-Club First Team
All-Club Second Team
Defensive Player of the Year Award
Offensive 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 Offensive Player of the Year
Carolyn Finney (San Francisco Fury)
What more is there to write about the great Carolyn Finney? The ever-aggressive, relentless, cannon-armed “handler” – I put it in quotes because Finney so often subverts the norms of the role – can add another adjective to the list: ageless.
The entire 2024 club season saw her in turn-back-the-clock splendor, bouncing playfully around dizzied defenders in the red zone, springing for high discs like a deer, and shaving her already miniscule reaction time as a thrower – 1.) search for a target; 2.) acquire target; 3.) fire a laser-guided, turbo-charged forehand – to an infinitesimal interval. A famously creative and determined offensive pillar for many years, in 2024 she reached an apotheosis of her style that renders adjectives inadequate. She wasn’t creative and determined: she was creativity and determination. While it’s clearly too early to pen a Finney retrospective – the way she’s going it could be another decade before something like that is in order – 2024 may go down as a career-defining performance. She scored more goals (6) and threw more assists (14) than during her legendary 2018 Player of the Year campaign.
In truth, there were several good candidates for this year’s OPotY award. Finney’s otherworldly play in the national final, when she torched a stingy Scandal side for three goals and six assists en route to the title, cemented her case.
– Edward Stephens
First Runner-up
Yina Cartagena (New York BENT)
Many offensive superstars could be described as having a preferred play style where they really dominate – they like small ball, they have the best deep shots, they’re steady and maintain possession. Every once in a while however, a player shows that it’s possible to do it all, and they become a true offensive machine, and that’s Yina Cartagena. You need her to go every other all the way down the field? Sure. You need her to huck to one of BENT’s many exceptional receivers? No problem. You need her to work through a zone like she’s playing against juniors? You got it. Cartagena’s throws are something to be studied and her confidence in using them to propel her team to victory is second to none. If you ever need to point a young player towards someone to prove practicing every throw is important, look no further than Yina Cartagena.
– Kelsey Hayden
Second Runner-up
Kaela Helton (San Diego Flipside)
What year is it? Helton and Finney being two of the best offensive players in the world sure seems like a throwback to College Nationals in 2009. Fifteen years later, the two are still among the most dominant players in the sport. Much has been said about Finney this year, but Helton’s season has been no less impressive. She led all players in assists at Nationals (29) and added double digit goals to her statline for good measure. Watching her in person is every bit as electric as the stats would suggest. Flipside are a disciplined team with a regimented play style that goes into overdrive with Helton on the field. When she’s on, their offense plays the same way it feels to drive a luxury car: seems smooth and easy, but somehow still pacing at 120mph. That’s the Helton effect.
– Graham Gerhart
