Recognizing the top performer of the 2026 season.
June 9, 2026 by 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.
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 runner-ups 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-III Women’s 2026 Player Of The Year
Ria Stevens (Rice)
There are stars who earn this award with their elite cutting. Some who are pure throwers. Strong defensive skills help, but often are not enough to win the award. Then there’s Ria Stevens. Stevens’ tall frame makes her a difficult thrower to mark, and a threat in deep space. This along with her hucks would make her any opponent’s nightmare, but it was her ability to find the energy to play as much as she did that stands out the most. In Rice’s one streamed game against Kenyon, Stevens played 21/23 points.
Stevens did not just dominate playing time however, she dominated everywhere else, too. Her 18G/35A/32B statline was the strongest all weekend, and was good for first in blocks, and second in goals and assists. This performance was capped off with an incredible handblock-turned-callahan.
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Regardless of if Stevens stays for a fifth year or not, her performance this year cements her as one of the all time greats in D-III. Whether it’s her relentless energy, her incredible stats, or her leadership bringing Rice back into the spotlight, Stevens is a player you want when the game is on the line, and the one that Ultiworld staffers decided was more than worthy for Player of the Year.
Player of the Year Runner-Up
Ella Widmyer (Middlebury)
Player of the Year Second Runner-Up
Gabbie Campbell (Whitman)
