Some of the most anticipated aspects of the upcoming ultimate season!
February 25, 2026 by Edward Stephens in Analysis, Opinion, Video
Ultiworld’s coverage of the 2026 college ultimate season 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.
The Line brings together lists of sevens from our reporting staff.
Do you have an Ultiworld video subscription? You should. In addition to getting the benefits of scouting and keeping up with all the action as it’s happening, it gives you greater access to all the little moments that make the sport great. Reviewing the footage from our coverage of Presidents’ Day Invite, I found several such moments that made me smile (or, in one case below, frown). And since sharing is caring, I thought it would be nice to GIF-ify them so we could all enjoy them together.
Here are seven great GIFs from our extensive Pres Day video selection.
GIF #1: The Unstoppable Sage McGinley-Smith
You’ve probably seen this one already. And you probably agree that ‘seen already’ isn’t nearly enough. Stanford’s Sage McGinley-Smith has been one of the better receivers in college for a couple of years now, but somehow she found a new gear at Pres Day. Her finest moment — or, at least, the finest moment we caught on tape — was this display of pure determination. Finding her way blocked, she parted two defenders as they slowed down and saved the dying huck inches from the ground and the sideline. Must be disheartening to know that when you line up on the field opposite McGinley-Smith, you’re little more than a human turnstile.
GIF #2: Blast Radius
A lot of the time, people talk about fakes as a subtle art. Sure, yes. I get that. But watch this and tell me that part of the skill isn’t just raw power. Everyone in the game knows how hard Rachel Chang can throw a disc — and especially, as you can see, the Syzygy defenders in the front layer of this zone. Chang’s first fake moves them a little. Then the hard fake through the middle scatters them like bowling pins. Amazing. Of all of these GIFs, this is the one I have watched most on repeat. Make it full screen for the strongest effect.
GIF #3: The Bossy Rookie
Ahead of the season, the reasons to be interested in Western Washington (as far as we knew) in 2026 had to do with their strong core of returners: Amaya Krutsinger, Alexa Coca, Ollie Bunson. We’re learning in real time, though, about what first-year Amaya Shean-Jones brings to the fight. She’s plenty skilled, she’s a gamer, and, as this clip shows, she is not shy about making her mark. I love a thrower calling their shot in just about any scenario, but the fact that it’s a rookie giving orders to the team’s acknowledged star in a late-and-close situation here and it’s a hammer is… [tears up and chokes like Vince McMahon]
GIF #4: Hammer Bros.
Speaking of hammers1, they often get treated as if they’re a special throw. Special either because a particular thrower has a particular moment of inspiration (and half-frowned upon) or because they should only be used in a highly specified moment. That’s bunk. Hammers are useful and normal and majestic, and as long as it isn’t too windy you should embrace them. In this clip, you can see that Colorado have employed them as system throws in their zone offense attack. Nice, long hammers that fall quickly enough that the defense can’t get anywhere near them — thrown by three different players (Tobias Brooks, Elliot Hawkins, Tucker Kalmus). That’s how you do it.
GIF #5: Cutting Class
For the second consecutive season one of the purest joys of the college season is watching the UBC Thunderbirds cut. After Mandy Li (black shirt, no number) gets the disc in the above clip, we get to watch four consecutive open side cuts from four different players (Jamie Jung, Abigail Grunenberg, Claire Weng, Nina Tsai) for the goal. And they’re all straight out of the instruction manual. Perfect horizontal spacing to ensure a wide cutting/throwing lane, perfect vertical positioning to be able to threaten the away and the under, perfect timing to give the preceding receiver enough time to get a good look at the cut, perfect engagement of the defender before laying down the power along the chosen line. It’s a transfixing sequence. Kudos both to these players and the coaches who drilled them into such excellence.
GIF #6: The New Meta, or: Travel Writing
I wouldn’t be a real oldhead if I didn’t find something to get worked up about and upset over every now and then. What can I say? Outrage staves off the boredom. Please tell me, though, that in this instance at least many of you share the feeling that these travels have gotten out of hand. For a couple years now the centering pass catch travel has become normalized. You know, grabbing a couple of extra yards after catching the disc at a stand-still. We didn’t call it enough, if we even called it at all. Now it has evolved into this grotesque masquerade of momentum. Three consecutive plays here are just walking — walking? nay, running and leaping — with the disc after the catch in brazen violation of decency. I’m seriously scandalized, and not only by the offensive players traveling but by the neglect of the defense to call it. If you want to carry the ball, pick up a lacrosse stick.
GIF #7: The Living Spirit
A rule I hope I’m good enough to abide by is to call out something right for every thing I call out wrong. Let the record show, then, that despite some ratchet habits (*cough* traveling *cough*) plenty of good sportsmanship and fairness is alive and well in our self-officiated sport. Here we have a lovely example from Oregon State. They sneak a play past the defense to set themselves up for an easy goal. The throw suffers a little in shape and carries the receiver toward the sideline. He’s called out by one of the defenders In my years of covering ultimate, I have seen players and coaches up to and including our most revered ambassadors of the sport insist in the face of all reason, evidence, and perspective that plays that are out are in. Here, though? The receiver listens to the call, refers to his players on the sideline, and accepts the fact that they tell him he was out. A+ all around. (Karma agrees: Oregon State still won the game.)
Author’s note: We should always be speaking of hammers, as a rule ↩
