Recognizing the top seven performers of the 2026 season.
June 8, 2026 by Theresa Diffendal, Zack Davis and TJ Lee 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.
Our All-American teams recognize the top performers across the division. We open our Awards with our First Team All-Americans, displaying the top seven players who had the best seasons. Listed in (reverse) alphabetical order, the First Team serves as a finalist list for the Player of the Year Award, which will be announced live tomorrow on Deep Look.
- 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-III Women’s All-American First Team
Ella Widmyer (Middlebury)
The sophomore managed to avoid the slump and return to the hallowed halls of the All-American line. If you’ve read anything about Widmyer, you already know how good her throwing is. Widmyer is much more than an arm, she is the rising tide to the ships of Middlebury through being fearless in the driver’s seat, and dynamic in every aspect of the game.
Ria Stevens (Rice)
After leading Torque to Nationals in 2025, Stevens returned in 2026 with an even greater performance. Stevens dropped a triple double in just pool play alone, but her greatest skill was her grit and endurance, often playing entire games with only a point or two off to rest.
Per Ultirzr, Stevens has one more year of eligibility left. If she uses it, expect her to be back on the First Team next year.
Claire Lee (Macalester)
After a one year hiatus from Nationals, Lee brought Macalester back to Nationals. And not only did she lead the Pursesnatchers back to the dance, she led the field in assists. Her 7G/38A/17B earned her another quarterfinal appearance, and another finish tied for fifth place.
Rufus Helmreich (Haverford/Bryn Mawr)
Helmreich is the star on the belly of the Sneetches. Dreaded even among the most elite cutters of the division, Helmreich has earned the honor of All-American with their undeniable defensive prowess. Helmreich’s speed is matched only by their game sense. A DPOTY runner-up last year, Helmreich is far from a one-way player, keeping pace offensively with the best in the division.
Julia Hanson (Whitman)
Hanson was notable even on a speedy team with deep skills for her composure and shot selection. The sophomore was one of the first to cross over when the Sweets needed breaks and leant her arm to high, arcing pulls. With a high level of speed and field sense, Hanson’s calling card was attacking dangerous spaces and quickly leading the Sweets to scoring pastures, more than doubling every contributing stat from 2025 to 2026.
Gabbie Campbell (Whitman)
Enough cannot be said about Gabbie Campbell, the star focal point of a resurgent Whitman squad hungry to get back to the late stages of the bracket after a universe point loss last year. Quick decision making paired with even quicker movement as she drove the Sweets into the end zone time and time again, accounting for over a third of the team’s scores. Campbell did everything asked of her and more, operating against zones in the backfield as readily as she streaked deep to deny the opposition a huck score.
Milo Brown (Wesleyan)
One of the most explosive players in disc sports, Milo Brown is a gift to the game. They are passionate, talented, and competitive. While their inside flicks are unguardable, Brown can go toe to toe with anyone in the division in any facet of the game and come out on top.
