Highlighting players who took a leap toward stardom in the division this spring.
June 20, 2025 by Edward Stephens and Grace Conerly 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.
- 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-I Women’s 2025 Breakout Player Of The Year
Annabel White (Tufts)
Annabel White is part of a shrinking — but elite — class of players who did not play before college. After spending the summer getting high level reps with Brooklyn Book Club, Annabel White returned to Tufts EWO as one of the premier deep receivers and offensive threats in the college game. Her length, speed, and athleticism made her a favorite target of Tufts deep throwers and put the division on notice, especially when her presence downfield at Stanford Invite effectively made Emily Kemp’s injury irrelevant.
As the defenses adjusted — no prolific goal scorer will get free rein in the end zone forever — so did White. She flexed her versatility and was able to win massive yards underneath, while her composure with the disc in hand almost always ensured a completions. Her 15-goal, 8-assist performance (while often blanketed by the opponent’s most capable defender) at Nationals was simply the cherry on top. She dominated against top matchups all season to earn the top spot on the Breakout Player of the Year Podium.
– Grace Conerly
First Runner-Up
Poppy DeArmond-MacLeod (Cal Poly SLO)
Few people outside of San Luis Obispo would have expected the relatively unknown Poppy DeArmond-MacLeod to lead the SLO Motion charge at Nationals. That’s because we didn’t know then what we know now: she is a monster. The Seattle youth product stepped up in a huge way, taking over the defense, the counterattack, and a huge portion of O-line possessions as Cal Poly marched from their first ever appearance at Nationals straight into the bracket. Nowhere were DeArmond-MacLeod’s contributions more apparent than in the biggest game of the season: the third-year’s 2G/3A/5B line in Cal Poly’s universe point win over four-time defending champions UNC Pleiades was among the best clutch performances by any player all season.
– Edward Stephens
Second Runner-Up
Kelly Tam (Washington)
If Tam’s rookie season was overshadowed by the more heralded Lauren Goddu and Lucy Tanner, we got our first hint that we might have overlooked her when she made the U24 roster. Even so, it was hard to know what to expect… until Nationals. Often the fastest player on the field, as well as among the most intelligent when it came to timing and spacing, Tam was like a racing drone in the cutting lanes. She was often the engine that kept the Element O-line churning when, without her, it might have stalled out. And few players were as quick to recognize an opportunity to chop-step an under and accelerate toward the end zone the moment an away shot opened up. Tam’s 2025 season officially saw her step forward with the rest of Washington’s new youth movement to make them semifinalists now… and perhaps much more in the near future.
– Edward Stephens
