These women's division players are at the top of their game this season

October 4, 2025 by Ultiworld in Opinion

There’s no shortage of talent in the USA Ultimate Club women’s division. We look a lot at team success, and often see familiar names and faces in those discussions. But who are the best individual players? Who brings the most value to winning a championship? Figuring out which stars shine the brightest is more art than science, but perhaps there’s democratic power in numbers.

So who are the best players in the division right now? To try to clear away as much of the white noise created by circumstance as possible and get to the heart of each individual’s value and contribution, we asked members of our coverage team, as well as an anonymous group of elite players, to weigh in on the following prompt:

If you were starting a club team today with the singular goal of winning a theoretical Club Championship this October, how would you rank the players within the division? You aren’t building a team of all of your selections, so don’t worry about how the players complement each other. Consider each pick the first pick of a team, drafting in order, only you can’t pick the players you’ve already ranked above. All players who were on a 2025 USA Ultimate Club women’s division roster of a team that reached regionals are eligible to be drafted. With regards to injuries an absences, we will include all rostered players unless there is confirmation a player will not be competing, or would not be able to compete, at Nationals.

In order to improve how representative our rankings are of the opinions of our voters, we have iterated until arriving at this process. We each listed out our top 35 players to iron out some of the gradations on the fringes and then combined our lists to create a composite ranking. In addition, we included the ballots of a few anonymous elite players and coaches from different teams and regions. We used a weighted scoring system for votes, with Participants’ Ballots accounting for roughly 30% of the composite rankings, and Subscriber Ballots about 13%.¹

We’ll start with our top 10, and discussion about that group. Then we’ll reveal the entire top 25, followed by the complete ballots, and additional conversations about the rankings.

Staff Voters

Anna Browne (Staff Writer)
Theresa Diffendal (Associate Editor)
Charlie Eisenhood (Editor-in-Chief)
Graham Gerhart (Senior Staff Writer)
Keith Raynor (Senior Editor)
Edward Stephens (Club Editor)
Felicia Zheng (Staff Writer)

The Top 10

Overall Rank	Player Name	Ranking Pts.	Felicia Zheng	Edward Stephens	Theresa Diffendal	Anna Browne	Graham Gerhart	Keith Raynor	Charlie Eisenhood	Participants (2)	Subscribers (5)
1	Claire Trop	3253.7	1	1	3	3	4	1	1	4	2
2	Anna Thompson	3182	2	5	1	2	1	2	2	2	6
3	Kaela Helton	2858.9	4	11	7	15	2	4	7	5	3
4	Manuela Cárdenas	2607.5	11	6	5	7	13	8	3	22	1
5	Liv Player	2577.8	5	8	12	4	5	9	5	15	13
6	Dawn Culton	2559.1	16	4	2	8	15	3	9	6	24
7	Kirstin Johnson	2490.9	7	2	4	13	7	6	4	25	17
8	Dena Elimelech	2359.7	10	10	10	1	19	7	15	12	10
9	Alex Barnett	2330.6	14	12	6	6	10	11	10	11	21
10	Levke Walczak	2296.9	8	3	16	14	12	5	8	37	4

[Editor: There may be some sorting issues with the table that cannot be altered at the time. Our apologies for the inconvenience.]

It isn’t too surprising to see two-time defending Player of the Year Claire Trop reclaim her position as the top women’s division player in 2025.² That said, she hasn’t spent much time on the field for Scandal this season, and she did not appear to be at 100% health at the World Games. What is it about her reputation and her play at Pro Champs that locked in the top spot on four of our seven staff ballots?

Anna Thompson (2) and Dena Elimelech (8) also received first-place votes from our staff. What have they done that elevated them over Trop and the other top candidates in your eyes?

Theresa Diffendal (Associate Editor): I had Anna Thompson ranked first on my list, and I honestly think that’s a natural continuation from where she finished last year. She was in contention for PotY almost exclusively off her play at Nationals, though the exclusive part is part of why PotY ultimately went to Trop.

Thompson’s ability to stand out even in Fury’s system is laudable enough, but she also directs that system so ably both with and without the disc. Potentially because she’s not carrying the same load as Trop on Scandal, she often looked more impactful at Pro Champs specifically, and the volume of yardage she put up even with the depth of Fury is what pushed her to the top for me

Anna Browne (Staff Writer): I had Elimelech at my number 1 slot, and the biggest reason why is how dominant she had been this season for Fury. After getting shunned from the WG roster (and even a second tryout), Elimelech is on a revenge tour, and has demonstrated that she is giving Trop a run for her money as the best cutter in the division.

What really puts Dena above Trop for me is her defense. While she doesn’t generate as many blocks as some of her teammates, Dena is such a scary threat in the deep space that it almost completely stifles opposing teams’ deep games when she is on the line.

Theresa: It’s true that Elimelech was vital in the wind at Pro Champs. Her height was just an insurmountable advantage (thinking of this play where it looks like she barely jumps) and she uses it so well. Her backhands are also a force, both pulling and hucking. Trop to her credit is an underrated thrower and excellent in the air (remember when she skied Levke Walczak (10) at Nationals two years ago?)

Graham Gerhart (Senior Staff Writer): I’m frankly a little surprised Trop made it to the top of the list this year. I don’t think she had as many game-shaping performances on the field as previous years and I’m pretty confident we’re only going to see the best of her at Nationals. Still, she has been the model for a player you’d want to build around since she started playing with Scandal. Very few players match her two-way play or can carry as much of a load for their respective teams.

For me, Anna Thompson has played at such a high level all year that it was a no-brainer to slot her in at the top. Fury’s cornucopia of talent can sometimes mask the truly outstanding players on their team, which is why I think it was all the more impressive that Thompson looked like the best player on a team filled with HOF talent. What sold me on Thompson this year especially was her defense. She can hunt for blocks in the under space without compromising her ability to close out on her own mark when needed. It’s such a rare ability that she doesn’t get enough credit for.

Anna: I agree with you, Graham. Trop is definitely still a top 5 player this year. The top feels really packed this season, and I had to go with my gut of ranking Fury’s dominance over Trop, but just barely. If it were a tier list, these three would all be in the highest tier.

Keith Raynor (Senior Editor): The only argument I’ll hear against Trop is health related. She’s been the best player in the division and the world. The fact that she’s been this good despite the knocks only reaffirms what she could do if she’s in full form at Nationals.

That said that, Anna Thompson was an easy #2 for me. She reminds me a lot of peak Claire Chastain (18), who I used to consistently have at the top of these lists, even when others were lower. They’re both a reliable game-changing thrower with explosive athleticism that shows up on defense frequently.

Elimelech’s best can be dominant, but I think she’s more apt to go quiet than these other players.

Edward Stephens (Club Editor): I considered Dawn Culton (6) and Kirstin Johnson (7) for the top spot. But only for a minute. Claire Trop is the best player in the world today, pure and simple. Every time she’s on the field — and healthy, which, to judge from Pro Champs, she is — she proves it anew.

Theresa: I will concede that Trop is the easiest for me to see filling either a handling or cutting role exceptionally well, while I’m not as confident in how systems would look with, say, Thompson operating solely downfield or Culton just in the backfield.

Felicia Zheng (Staff Writer): At the end of the day, who’s doing it in the division like Trop is? She’s a game-changing threat wherever she chooses to play on the field and strong offensively and defensively. Her game is well-rounded as a #1 should be and it shows in the way that no defender has been able to stop her for the past few years. I don’t yet see that for the other players on the podium, although I certainly considered putting Thompson in the top spot.

Holy glow-up! Three players in the top-10 — Kirstin Johnson, Alex Barnett (9), and Liv Player (5) — were not ranked last season.³ A fourth, Dawn Culton jumped up from being ranked 16th a year ago. What is the reason for such a huge turnaround in opinion from our voters?

Theresa: KJ I’m chalking up to an oversight from rankers, and indeed we got some chirps in the Discord about her exclusion after she tore it up at Nationals (2nd on the team in assists, third in blocks, and third in +/-). Especially after getting the World Games alternate nod, her ascent checks out.

Barnett and Culton both feel like Pleiades stars we knew could be dominant in the club game, and this year we’re really starting to see it. Without the throwing arms of Qxhna Titcomb (UR) and Grace Conerly (UR) this year, as well as Theresa Yu (UR) looking pretty hybrid-y, it feels like Barnett has had to shoulder a greater load. And she’s done so with aplomb, looking like one of the best throwers at Pro Champs even in the wind and quarterbacking Phoenix to a great showing.

Culton, similarly, has really developed her throwing game. Famously known for her defensive and “how did she catch that” receptions, it almost feels unfair to see her launching hucks and chucking cheeky scoobers over the defense. It makes it harder to contain her, and with the World Games experience, there are few who seem able to go toe-to-toe with her.

Edward: With Liv Player, I’m one of the (many?) people who didn’t know who she was until Nationals last year. I know now, and if I ever don’t rank her again it won’t be out of ignorance.

Barnett was absent from my list last season out of injury concerns, although I wouldn’t have put her quite so high as she ended up this year.

The real “glow-ups” in terms of elevating their play, for me, are Culton and Johnson. KJ might be my PotY if the voting were to happen today — I had her very high on my PotY ballot last year. And Culton has turned the wick way up. Watching her control Phoenix’s offense the way Trop controls Scandal’s has been really cool to watch.

Theresa: Graham and Felicia, neither of you were high on Dawn, why?

Graham: I don’t want to be a repeat myself too often, but this exercise is about which player you’d build a team around to win. For that reason, I prioritized offensive players over defensive players. I think Dawn has grown a lot and her offense has improved year over year, but she’s still primary a defensive juggernaut and it made it harder for me to put her higher.

For me. Liv Player and Alex Barnett were already on the radar last year and I think they’ve only got better. Liv Player was a monster in the mixed division and has translated those skills perfectly.

Barnett is one of those situations where she’s such a good fit for the needs of Phoenix that she’s been able to develop her best traits in a way that’s inextricably tied to Phoenix’s success. Considering her relative age, too, and the chance to keep getting better, it made plenty of sense for her to be included the Top 10 for players you’d want to build an elite team with.

Keith: This is a natural progression in my opinion for both Culton and Barnett. Dawn is going to be top 10 here for 5+ years, and often top 5 or 3. She actually can be a central offensive player now, on top of being the division’s best block getter.

I’ll second Theresa’s mea culpa on behalf of the staff — KJ was fantastic at Nationals last year and hasn’t let up at all this season. Maybe it’s years of playing with Anna Thompson and Anna Nazarov (UR), but she has blossomed into a similarly well-rounded backfield talent. The edges have been sharpened there.

Player feels like a bit of a streakier entity because of her playstyle, which is big and expensive. Big hucks, big skies, long runs, all that. You get the good and the bad with that, but when it hits, it’s eye popping. Makes for a difficult evaluation.

Felicia: Player has certainly benefited from being named an alternate to the World Games team — and well-deservedly. With her move to Brute Squad too, her star has really risen this past year. For me, watching her play at London Invite and late in the season with Brute Squad made me buy into the hype. She’s got a strong gravity on the field, in no small part due to the fact that she’s willing to make the big plays and take risks, all with style.

I admit I was lower than most other voters on Barnett and Culton going into this exercise, probably due to some lingering concerns about Phoenix’s lackluster start to the season. If I’m picking a player to help power a team to a championship, I want to see someone with a proven track record — someone who’s already doing that. No doubt Phoenix had some marquee wins at Pro Champs though. If done again, I would adjust their placement accordingly with the upwards trend.

Another feature of the list that wasn’t a surprise is a heavy presence from a single team: the currently undefeated Fury. In addition to Thompson, Elimelech, and Johnson, our voters found spots for Shayla Harris (14), Carolyn Finney (20), and Irene Scazzieri (25).

Fury’s six player are the most for any team in any division this year. However the relative ordering of these players varied greatly from one ballot to the next. How did you approach ranking the Fury players in relation to one another?

Theresa: Kristin Johnson was an easy Fury #2 for me after Thompson. She honestly rivaled Thompson at times as Fury’s best player at Pro Champs, in my opinion. Her dynamism as a downfield receiver was something I was not wholly aware of, and her ability to move in and out of the backfield pushed her above the others for me.

Harris and Elimelech rounded out my top 10 at #9 and #10, respectively, and it came down to feeling like Harris was more of a playmaker, getting blocks through crazy athleticism, though Elimelech is often trusted with the difficult task of pulling.

Finney did not make my top 25, but a Fury player who I though played her role more consistently did: Anna Nazarov.

Scazzieri’s speed was mind blowing to witness in real life. She felt like the “break in case of emergency” downfield target when Fury needed a release, and often came up with it. The lesser throwing load pushed her below the others for me.

I also had another Fury player on my list above both Nazarov and Scazzieri who I think is a deserved top 25 inclusion: Kaitlynne Roling (UR). She oftentimes looked like Fury’s best defensive player, and her ability to unleash pulls I think had the trickle down effect of moving Elimelech down a scootch behind Harris.

Anna: The most dominant team in the world right now, who famously play open lines, having this many players in the top 25 is not surprising in the slightest.

If you compare Fury to a team like Scandal or Brute Squad, you can see the difference. Scandal and Brute are buoyed by a handful of very dominant players, but there is a clear delineation between tier 1 players and tier 2 players. Fury doesn’t have anywhere near as clear of a cutoff. This is demonstrated by players like Harris and Scazzieri entering the top 25 this year while Finney has dropped quite a bit from where she’s been in the past. Any given season, “new” names from Fury can enter the top 25. The big three of Thompson, Finney, and Elimelech will likely always be there, but the supporting cast is so strong, and the playtime is so even, that there’s always space for other players to shine.

Theresa: Honestly, are we sleeping on Sarah VonDoepp (UR)? She doesn’t have the defensive pop, but she’s really looking like a mini KJ out there and looks very comfortable commanding the backfield.

Edward: Y’all… half of my top 10 are Fury players. Literally.

I was about to jump in this thread and chastise you for not having Irene Scazzieri first, or at least second, in your Fyur-fyur rankings since I think she is the best pure cutter in the division today, and then I looked and realized that even though I have her ninth overall there are still three Fury players on my list ahead of her. What a team.

Theresa: Gonna second your shout of Scazzieri as the best pure cutter right now. Her straight line speed is top tier in the division.

Writing that makes me want combine type stats ugh.

Keith: Can’t believe “fyur-fyur” is being said here, that’s how I know you’re wrong. Scazzieri made my list lower down, but is a bit too one dimensional to hit my top 10.

The Top 25 and Beyond

Top 25

1. Claire Trop
2. Anna Thompson
3. Kaela Helton
4. Manuela Cardenas
5. Liv Player
6. Dawn Culton
7. Kirstin Johnson
8. Dena Elimelech
9. Alex Barnett
10. Levke Walczak
11. Carolyn Normile
12. Kami Groom
13. Yina Cartagena
14. Shayla Harris
15. Lauren Kimura
16. Ella Juengst
17. Angela Zhu
18. Claire Chastain
19. Valeria Cardenas
20. Carolyn Finney
21. Marie Perivier
22. Sarah Jacobsohn
23. Irene Scazzieri
24. Carly Campana
25. Chloe Hakimi

Full Voting & Discussion

---

1. Our experience has shown that participants’ ballots trend towards regional concentrations and emphasizing the strength of their teammates, as well as other quirks such as occasionally not ranking themselves or hate-ranking rivals, which is why their ballots are weighted in this manner. ↩

2. She was ranked first overall in 2023 before slipping to third last year. ↩

3. Liv Player was in the mixed division last year, but she wasn’t ranked top-25 there either, so we’re counting it. ↩