The first-years who have already established themselves among the division's best overall players.
June 18, 2025 by Anna Browne and Zack Davis in Awards
Each year, Ultiworld presents our annual College Awards. Our staff evaluates the individual performances of players from throughout the season, talking to folks around college ultimate, watching film, and look at statistics, voting upon the awards to decide those to be honored. The regular season and the college Series are both considered, with extra emphasis for performances in the competitive and high-stakes environment at Nationals.
The Rookie of the Year award recognizes players who impressed in their first college ultimate seasons. That includes both freshman and true rookies. Each season, it feels like this group of players becomes more impactful; as the level of youth play and of coaching and development rise, so does the bar for the division’s best rookie. Whether they come to the college game from years of youth experience, a background in other sports, or none of the above, these players made debuts to remember in high-level college play.
- Player of the Year
- All-American First Team
- All-American Second Team
- Defensive Player of the Year Award
- Offensive Player of the Year Award
- Rookie of the Year Award
- Breakout Player of the Year Award
- Coaches of the Year Award
- Full Awards Voting Breakdown
D-III Women’s 2025 Rookie Of The Year
Milo Brown (Wesleyan)
This year was an anomaly. Rookies absolutely dominated the 2025 season, with two making the First Team All-American list, and a third making the Second Team. With all three still in play as semifinals loomed, this list could have shaken out in a myriad of ways. Well-rested after a relatively easy semifinal, especially compared to the barnburner between Middlebury and Haverford/Bryn Mawr, Milo Brown really showed their versatility and adaptiveness in the final. Up to this point, Brown was averaging almost two turns per goal or assist. Realizing that the stakes were much higher and responding to a coaching adjustment, Brown was able to completely shift their playstyle to be a diligent and disciplined D-line handler. This adjustment showed, as Brown looked poised in the handler space, excelling with the disc in their hands. Showcasing an arsenal of throws, Brown gave us a glimpse of just how dominant they can be in big games.
Throughout the season, Brown has been the catalyst to a Wesleyan squad that already had many strong setpieces. With their ability to force turns through oppressive handler defense and strong foundational defensive skills, Brown became a centerpiece in an already strong squad. Brown was essentially unguardable in the endzone set, finding whatever space they wanted and cutting for it with ease. What really shined through at Nationals was Brown’s adaptability, which led to numerous break runs for the Vicious Circles enroute to a National Championship. Such a formidable combination of skill and talent across positions makes it clear why Brown sits at the top of a dominant ROTY pool.
– Anna Browne
First Runner-Up
Ella Widmyer (Middlebury)
It’s tough to say more about Ella Widmyer than what’s already been said–amazing throws, perfect cuts, great on defense–but then again her rookie campaign was in many ways transcendent. It’s exceedingly rare to see a rookie of this caliber in any division, and even more rare in D-III. Moreover, it’s even more rare for a rookie to completely take charge of a high pedigree team and be their go-to player. Unfortunately for Widmyer, it happened twice in the same season. “Rookie” is a loose term for Widmyer, who has more ultimate experience than most of the seniors on her team and a resume that’s already dizzying; it’s hard to believe that Widmyer is really only just getting started. What’s more is Widmyer will likely return this summer for her third year with Seattle Riot and continue to improve.
Many have been speaking “Widmyer” and “Babbott-Bryan” in the same breath, and with good reason. CBB to many is considered the greatest player the division has ever seen.1 After winning it all for the third and final time in 2023, Babbott-Bryan had this to say: “I think everything really solidified this game and this season for us, which is a profound feeling because it means that there’s been a past and a present, but there’s also a future.” Did she know the future would be this bright?
– Zack Davis
Second Runner-Up
Rufus Helmreich (Haverford/Bryn Mawr)
It’s rare that a player makes as large of an impact as Rufus Helmreich did this season while being a complete unknown going into the year. We knew that Haverford/Bryn Mawr would be a dominant team on the backs of their top notch senior squad and a stellar group of juniors and support staff. However, no one could have guessed that a rookie would put up the second strongest numbers for a runner-up Sneetches squad, only behind the 2025 POTY Zoe Costanza.
While HBM was missing a good chunk of their seniors for pool play, Helmreich did not miss a beat. They stepped into an initiating cutter role with ease, and were more than happy to fall into the backfield when needed. With an array of throws, including away shots rivaling some of the best in the division, Helmreich sliced up offenses. In addition to their already well-rounded offensive game, their explosiveness on defense is truly what elevated them to this list, generating 17 blocks on the weekend, most of them of the run-through or layout variety. Finally, Helmreich is a complete player, showcased by stellar pulls that put them in contention for best puller in the division. Even considering the strong cast above them on the podium, Helmreich easily has the highest yet-to-be-realized potential that we have seen from a rookie in years.
– Anna Browne
Editor’s note: this is Tulsa Douglas erasure ↩
