Highlighting players who took a leap toward stardom in the division this spring.
June 20, 2025 by Edward Stephens, Emmet Holton and Graham Gordon 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 Breakout Player of the Year recognizes rising juniors and seniors who made themselves known in a new light this season. While our nebulous definition of “breakout” reflects an evolving set of criteria, rather than celebrating the improvement of those from whom big things were already expected, we aim to use this award to celebrate the emergence of those who previously have not been on the national radar. Whether it be through growth in ability, role, or both, the Breakout Player of the Year and runners-up honor those who rose to the occasion with improved and high-impact performance on a new level this season — putting them squarely in the spotlight moving forward.
- All-American First Team
- Player of the Year
- 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-I Men’s 2025 Breakout Player Of The Year
Ryan Shigley (Colorado)
A season ago Ryan Shigley was a strong role player on one of the deepest teams in college ultimate, led by a bevy of star upperclassmen. This year, on a similarly deep outfit, he showed out as one of the truly elite handlers in the division.
A standout thrower from the moment he entered the collegiate ranks, Shigley’s biggest area of growth has been his increased understanding of how to move within the Mamabird offense in order to unlock both his and his teammates’ potential. On top of the tools that allowed him to be an excellent center handler in big spaces, this heightened field sense made Shigley one of the most efficient redzone scorers you’ll find. His 16 goals at Nationals was the high mark on Mamabird and the second highest total across the entire division, and his +25 box score led the team by five. Though Tobias Brooks was the name most often cited as the star of this Mamabird frontline, Shigley was, in many ways, their most effective offensive weapon in their two biggest games of the year, as his steady hand and skill in small spaces was essential to punching in holds consistently in the swirling gusts of semis and finals.
Not only was he often the linchpin to ‘Bird’s offensive success, but his effectiveness defensively made him an excellent D-line crossover, as his long mark and dogged effort on universe point of their quarterfinal game against Darkside was enough to produce the clinching turnover. Though it may not have gone down as a block in the scoresheet, Shigley’s ability to be close on every throw to his defensive assignment was eventually rewarded with the most important defensive stop of the 2025 Mamabird campaign, stamping one more star on an already illustrious season for the Boulder third-year.
– Emmet Holton
First Runner-Up
Callahan Bosworth (Oregon State)
Oregon State’s success this year was in large part due to their high-flying offense and unorthodox windows, and Callahan Bosworth’s arm was at the center of it. His large frame allowed him to access release points that most throwers can’t, and his arsenal of over the top throws with pinpoint accuracy increased the game-breaking nature of his repertoire. He also used his size expertly to stretch the field as a receiver, a frequent target for the booming hucks of his teammates who shared his fervor for game-breaking shmeat. As he continues to grow into his skill and become more adept within the Beavers’ offensive flow, expect to see him in an even more central role down the stretch of his career.
– Graham Gordon
Second Runner-Up
Zoli Ishikawa-Szabo (Western Washington)
Every breakout team needs a breakout player, and Western Washington had a perfect model in Ishikawa-Szabo. He put himself on the map at Stanford Invite trading bullseye hucks with All-American teammate Elijah Diamond — an effort that pushed the team all the way to the tournament final despite missing rookie star Cedar Hines. That performance foretold what continued to be a spectacular season, with Ishikawa-Szabo’s mature long game providing a useful change of pace for DIRT’s bread-and-butter small ball sets. He was one of the most vital offensive players at Nationals and raised Western’s ceiling all the way to a magical quarters run.
– Edward Stephens
