Round 1 to decide the 2025 Catch of the Year!
January 2, 2026 by Ultiworld in Awards, Opinion
Ultiworld’s 2025 Catch of the Year bracket is presented by Spin Ultimate; all opinions are those of the author(s). Find out how Spin can get you, and your team, looking your best this season.
One of our most popular series to begin each year, it’s time to look back at last year and let our readers decide some of the top plays of 2025. We narrowed to the final sixteen (eight from MMP and eight from WMP) during our live charity streamathon. Now it’s time for the wider public to decide which play is the best of the best.
Round 1 starts now and closes on Monday, January 5 at noon Eastern!
Woman-Matching Players
Matchup 1: Coppejans vs. Louie
Loes Coppejans – Belgium Women’s (WFDF WBUC)
Loes Coppejans flew to grab this too-far upline toss and deftly avoids contact for Belgium at the World Beach Ultimate Championships!
Megan Louie – Washington Element (USAU College)
In a game full of standout plays and performances, Louie sent the crowd into a tizzy with this back of the end zone layout goal!
2025 Catch of the Year Round 1 Matchup 1 (Results)
- Loes Coppejans
- Megan Louie
Matchup 2: Grover vs. Dixon
Sukhi Grover – UPenn Women’s (USAU College)
Sukhi Grover displays incredible dexterity and split second reaction time, using all limbs at her disposal to bring in this goal at the D-I College Championships!
Allysha Dixon – Colorado Alpenglow (WUL)
While the disc trails toward the turf, Allysha Dixon launches herself to glory for a spectacular goal in the WUL season!
2025 Catch of the Year Round 1 Matchup 2 (Results)
- Sukhi Grover
- Allysha Dixon
Matchup 3: Goddu vs. Tsao
Lauren Goddu – Washington Element (USAU College)
Goddu called game with this dueling layout at the D-I College Championships!
Sharon Tsao – Seattle Riot (USAU Club)
We all learned at a young age that two is more than one — as Mitch Hedberg once said, that’s why two was created — but looks like nobody told Sharon Tsao. Going up and over the defense and leaving your foes in your wake? Forget math, that’s swag.
2025 Catch of the Year Round 1 Matchup 3 (Results)
- Lauren Goddu
- Sharon Tsao
Matchup 4: Thompson vs. Luloff
Anna Thompson – San Francisco Fury (USAU Club)
Anna Thompson showed her Player of the Year credentials with this disrespectful sky in the Women’s club final!
Nora Luloff – Seattle Riot (USAU Club)
The young breakout star blasted onto the scene with this improbable toe-the-line layout goal!
2025 Catch of the Year Round 1 Matchup 4 (Results)
- Anna Thompson
- Nora Luloff
Man-Matching Players
Matchup 1: Farley vs. Chen
Leo Farley – Lewis & Clark (USAU College)
Farley came up with a heroic play at just the right time: in the final points of the national title game. His toe-in was so close, it had the fans and commentators in disbelief and earned plaudits from SportsCenter.
Daniel Chen – Seattle Sockeye (USAU Club)
Competing against gravity is tough enough, but Daniel Chen raised the difficulty level by having to beat the defense and the enclosing back line by stabbing a toe down, all while tracking the disc. Helps to major in Winning Championships at Frisbee U.
2025 Catch of the Year Round 1 Matchup 5 (Results)
- Leo Farley
- Daniel Chen
Matchup 2: Oliveri vs. Snider
Michael Olivieri – BeachBound Knights (International Beach)
In a catch that conjures images of Andrew Fleming and Allyn Suzuki, Michael Olivieri’s seems to go beyond full extension. It is like seeing Michael Jordan’s Space Jam dunk but in real life. If it wasn’t on film, would you believe it?
Quinn Snider – Team Canada (World Games)
You love to see the best be the best against the best. Quinn Snider fulfilled the promise of the World Games with this Catch candidate, an absolute chase-down into a fast-and-full layout score.
2025 Catch of the Year Round 1 Matchup 6 (Results)
- Michael Olivieri
- Quinn Snider
Matchup 3: Simon vs. Whitley
Joel Simon – Philadelphia SEPDA (YCC)
This year’s YCC U20 Boys Final was one of the year’s best games and Joel Simon’s SportsCenter second-effort was the coup de grâce. Up and over the prone defender to save a layout score!
Scotty Whitley – Georgia (USAU College)
A voice off-camera in this clip says “Downey’s got no option” but if Scotty Whitley can get up like this, his throwers are never down for the count. This is a pure poster play, a Disrespectful Sky Index inspiring kind of catch, through the contact.
2025 Catch of the Year Round 1 Matchup 7 (Results)
- Joel Simon
- Scotty Whitley
Matchup 4: Yeo vs. Durham
Ashley Yeo – Clapham (International Club)
Yeo’s layout catch is more about stopping than starting. In no time at all, he’s come to a halt, repositioned himself, and gone around the defense for a saving grab, showing he can excel at decel.
John Durham – Virginia Vault (USAU Club)
This play has something most don’t: the element of surprise. You simply don’t expect John Durham’s sprinting deep cut to turn into a two-handed layout grab to the front cone, with his defender blanketing him. His defender didn’t see it coming either.
2025 Catch of the Year Round 1 Matchup 8 (Results)
- Ashley Yeo
- John Durham
