The masterminds behind the division's best teams
November 21, 2024 by Calvin Ciorba and Laura Osterlund 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.
The Coach(es) of the Year closes our annual awards. As so many teams have added more and more sideline-savvy consultants to their roster with less asked of a single head coach, this has essentially morphed into “Coaching Staff of the Year.” Coaches can impact the game in so many ways — tactics, motivation, communication, personnel management, program development, skill-building, etc. — and it can be hard to divine what exactly each has contributed to their team. But good coaching is something that we feel that “we know it when we see it.”
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 Mixed Division Coach(es) of the Year
Cody McInnis, Lizzie Jones, Tom Matthews, Kate Patterson (Boston Sprocket)
Perhaps one of the biggest surprises of the entire Nationals was Sprocket’s championship game appearance in the mixed division. While Sprocket had undeniable talent, this was a team whose highest finish at Nationals previously was a quarters appearance in 2021 and didn’t add any superstars, while also losing the likes of Clara Stewart. They did not even look like the best team in their region for most of the season, losing convincingly to crosstown rivals Boston Slow at Northeast Regionals. However, they put it together by the time October came around, and much of this reasoning can be attributed to coaches Cody McInnis, Kate Patterson, Lizzie Jones, and Tom Matthews.
Despite a slight hiccup of a choked loss to Shine in the first game of the tournament, Sprocket coaches helped build and grow the team as each game went on, each more convincing than the last. They more than avenged their prior postseason loss to Slow, beating them by six, and then defeated the reigning champs by four to win their pool. This preparedness, strategic planning of matchups, and energy guided this eight seed further along the tournament. Sprocket’s coaches also changed up their line calling system this year, to be more O- and D-line focused, rather than three even lines. This boosted players’ chemistry immensely, and it was on full display in semis as they took down tournamant favorites BFG in another convincing fashion.
Although they couldn’t win it all, this Cinderella story was one of the most exciting of the season, and Cody McInnis, Kate Patterson, Lizzie Jones, and Tom Matthew lead Sprocket to unseen heights.
– Calvin Ciorba
First Runner-up
Bailey Besser (Ann Arbor Hybrid)
For years, Hybrid have been close to greatness, but they could never quite find a way to get all the way there. As it turns out, they were missing a key piece to the puzzle – one that brought them a prosperous season in terms of results when they added it. That missing piece was Coach Bailey Besser, who, after serving a five-year tenure as a player1, proved a major asset this season. Her level-headed presence on the sidelines helped the team to stay calm and rise in the biggest moments.
“We needed Bailey’s steady hand, that was the thing. Bailey is the reason that we’re so even-keel now,” said Hybrid captain Mark Whitton after their success at US Open. “I also think the team has matured a little bit, but Bailey being there to say ‘Hey, that didn’t work…’ [allows us to] be honest with ourselves… Bailey’s like, ‘Hey you sucked at that.’ and we need to be like ‘Pkay, let’s devote more time to that’ and stuff as opposed to just going based on how things felt. It’s another set of eyes too.” Besser’s steadying hand at the helm led to program’s first championship.
– Laura Osterlund
Second Runner-up
Tanner Kinkead, Ryan Watson, Megan Schoellhamer (Sacramento Tower)
When Sacramento Tower built themselves up to become a Nationals-contending team this season, many gave most (if not all) of the credit to the new talent the team gained, such as Robyn Fennig, Morgan Greenwood, and Tom Doi. While these players certainly elevated Tower’s ceiling, the unseen heroes that pushed the team over the edge to see its potential were their trio of coaches: Ryan Watson, Tanner Kinkead, and Megan Schoellhamer. While Kinkead was brought on in the middle of last year to help with line calling, the additions of the coaching staff this season, all with their own individual roles (Kinkead served as the Offensive Strategies, Watson as the Defensive Strategist, and Schoellhamer as the Player Development Coach) brought the team to the next level and served to create sustainability in the program. Working in lockstep with the captains and strategy committees, they ensured the team always knew the game plan. Even in unwinnable games, the coaches were honest with the team about adjustments they had to make to prepare for the next matchup. With a program that found itself just breaking into the Nationals scene, the coaching staff made sure that, top to bottom, its players found support and saw growth.
“Our coaching staff this year is next level,” said Tower captain, Lucy Campbell. “I really value the coaching and I feel like that sets us apart from any team I see in our region, I feel like it’s special for us.”
– Laura Osterlund
she missed 2018, but played ‘17-’22 ↩
