D-I Women’s 2026 Player of the Year: Carleton’s Chloe Hakimi

Recognizing the top performer of the 2026 season.

June 9, 2026 by Laura Osterlund 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.

After announcing the finalists in our First-Team All-American, we are proud to present Player of the Year, our most prestigious award. Our Player of the Year winner is the best performer of the 2026 college season, and the highest vote-getter for All-American honors. The winner is not eligible for consideration in any of our other individual awards. The runners-up are the second- and third-most vote-getters.

• 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-I Women’s 2026 Player Of The Year

Chloe Hakimi (Carleton)

So rarely does a rookie enter the game and make such an immediate impact that she not only leads her team in assists at Nationals but also leads the entire D-I National field. But Chloe Hakimi is a rarity: with a total of 42 assists, she set the record for most assists recorded at a D-I Women’s Nationals (breaking Angela Zhu’s previous record of 38). Needless to say, the Chloe Hakimi Era of Carleton Syzygy is already off to a historic start. From the get-go, there was little doubt that Hakimi would play a big role in Syzygy’s offense, but the way she seamlessly fit into their systems to become one of the main disc-movers was pure mastery.

Her throwing arsenal reflected that of a military submarine, with a perfect execution of just about everything. An every-other thrower, she treated her receivers with her ability to hit any space with any throw. And, when placed in an optimal power position¹, her hucks to space for receivers to run onto could feed families. Of course, the honor of a POTY award is more than just throwing. The field awareness she brought to the pitch rewarded her with big plays. Despite her handler role, Hakimi’s ever-looming presence in the deep space as a defender paired with the occasional cuts secured her versatility that those who have been watching since her Roosevelt High School days knew she had in her bag.

On the biggest stage of the season, Hakimi didn’t just survive the added pressure of having the first title since 2000 on the line, but also thrived. In her aforementioned 42 assists at Nationals, she locked in during the final to earn a statline of four goals, six assists, and only three turns. Given that her partner in crime², Chagall Gelfand, had to take a small step back due to injury, as well as the gap left by Opal Burress early on this season³, Hakimi stepped up to the task of marshalling the offense to win the big games and clinch the championship.

With three years left of her time on the current best team in the division, Hakimi is only getting started. Hakimi becomes the first rookie to ever win POTY, and at this pace, she’s bound to make even more history in her college career. Just you wait, her best is surely to come.

First Runner-Up:

Grace Maroon (UPenn)

Second Runner-Up:

Mika Kurahashi (UBC)

1. Which she was many times ↩

2. And the player that many looked at for POTY considerations this year after her performance in last season’s final ↩

3. Who was sidelined all year due to injury ↩