14 exceptional players and six alternates were chosen to represent USA at the World Games.
March 12, 2025 by Keith Raynor in News
The 14 rostered players and six reserves who will comprise Team USA at the 2025 World Games were announced Wednesday by USA Ultimate.
Seven returners from the 2022 gold-medal team are back for this iteration, including Dylan Freechild, Chris Kocher, Carolyn Finney, and Grant Lindsley, who all will compete in their third World Games. Returning for their second turn are Kaela Helton, Claire Chastain, and Claire Trop.
After an initial tryout in San Antonio, TX cut the group down to 34, the coaching staff of Head Coach Matty Tsang, assistant coaches Miranda Knowles and Nancy Sun, and selection assistant Carlos Lopez assessed the final pool at a challenging and windy tryout in the same location.
World Games 2025 Team USA Roster
| Name | Club Team |
|---|---|
| Marques Brownlee | New York PoNY |
| Claire Chastain | Denver Molly Brown |
| Dawn Culton | Raleigh Phoenix |
| Carolyn Finney | San Francisco Fury |
| Dylan Freechild | Portland Rhino Slam! |
| Kami Groom | Washington DC Scandal |
| Raphy Hayes | Portland Rhino Slam! |
| Kaela Helton | San Diego Flipside |
| Henry Ing | Portland Rhino Slam! |
| Michael Ing | San Francisco Revolver |
| Chris Kocher | New York PoNY |
| Grant Lindsley | Denver Johnny Bravo |
| Anna Thompson | San Francisco Fury |
| Claire Trop | Washington DC Scandal |
Here are the six alternates
- Christian Boxley (Washington DC Truck Stop)
- Brett Hulsmeyer (Atlanta Chain Lightning)
- Kirstin Johnson (San Francisco Fury)
- Jonny Malks (Washington DC Truck Stop)
- Lindsay McKenna (Philadelphia AMP)
- Olivia Player (Boston Sprocket)
All seven of the women-matching players were 2024 All-Club selections, including back-to-back Player of the Year Claire Trop and runner-up and reigning Offensive Player of the Year, Carolyn Finney. Kami Groom, coming off of her ninth straight All-Club selection, went through the grueling tryout process for the third time and was awarded with her first selection after twice being named an alternate. Anna Thompson, who won Player of the Year in the mixed division in 2019 and has twice been a runner-up, was a major part of Fury’s 2024 title run. Claire Chastain returns, coming in with eight All-Club selections, as does Kaela Helton, who has made three consecutive All-Club First Teams. Dawn Culton is the youngster of the group, but famously has oodles of awards and titles as essentially the winningest player in collegiate ultimate history.
LISTEN: Deep Look LIVE: On the Ground Report from World Games Tryouts Round 2
There’s plenty of accolades for the male-matching set as well. The first siblings to play for the US at the World Games, Henry and Michael Ing are both getting their first shots after impressing both during WUC and the club season. Henry helped propel Portland Rhino Slam! to its first club title, and he’s joined by fellow Rhinos in returning star Dylan Freechild, one of the team’s top statistical performers last cycle, and 2024 Player of the Year Raphy Hayes, an alternate from last cycle. The POTY runner-up, Chris Kocher, returns for Team USA. He’s flanked by New York PoNY teammate (and YouTube superstar) Marques Brownlee, whose rapid ascent through the national team ranks has found him at the apex. Grant Lindsley rounds out the group, a seasoned veteran who essentially missed this past Nationals but has had a fruitful career with teams around the country.
LISTEN: Deep Look LIVE: World Games Tryouts Round 2 Reactions
The World Games will take place August 7-17 in Chengdu, China, with ultimate competition occurring August 12-16. Ultimate Disc, as it is called as a discipline of Disc Sports, is included in the program, as well as disc golf. The USA won the gold medal in 2022, extending their run to five straight at the World Games, only failing to achieve the feat in 2001. The US did lose in pool play to Germany last year, only their third loss since their medal streak began, but went on to defeat Australia in the final. Both Germany and Australia will be a part of this year’s field, along with France, Japan, Colombia, Canada, and the host country, China.
