These elite offensive players helped keep the points flowing for their teams.
June 16, 2026 by Edward Stephens and Josh Katz 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 awards continue with the Offensive Player of the Year, recognizing the individual, and two runners-up, who we felt had the most impactful and productive seasons helping their teams score. They set up goals, finished off points, and produced yardage at consistently high levels against the top defenders.
- All-American First Team
- Player of the Year
- All-American Second Team
- Offensive Player of the Year Award
- Defensive Player of the Year Award
- Breakout Player of the Year Award
- Rookie of the Year Award
- Coaches of the Year Award
- Full Awards Voting Breakdown
D-I Men’s 2026 Offensive Player Of The Year
Anton Orme (Cal Poly SLO)
We don’t track touches across most games at Nationals – but would it surprise you if Anton Orme led the division by a mile? There is a peculiarity in college ultimate, even at the highest levels, where certain players get the rock pass upon pass, point after point, game after game after game. The upshot is an unimaginable workload combined with the certainty that, by Nationals if not sooner, every single opponent will focus their entire defense on shutting down that talismanic player. No one carried more of that burden this season than Orme.
And no one more clearly deserved the limelight. As excellent as he was the last time he was on the OPotY podium in 2024, he could count on the twin cannons of Calvin Brown and Kyle Lew flanking him to draw much of the attention. He was, by contrast, the clear spearhead in 2026. The offense only seemed to function with Orme either catching the centering pass or initiating from a pull play, and from then on he averaged (by our admittedly unscientific estimate) every third touch. Stalwart when it was a matter of possession to grease the wheels for everyone else, when it came time to shoot to score, no one was more accurate. The gently OI forehands that ran just inside the back line, backhands at extreme angles past the mark to reach one of the cones, and scoobers specially formulated to punish defenders encroaching the shallow spaces were constantly breathtaking – and made up a huge portion of his 19 assists.
– Edward Stephens
First Runner-Up
Micah Davis (Pittsburgh)
When Micah Davis is on his game, few players command and control the game as well as he does. Fortunately for Pitt, Davis was playing peak ultimate all season long, propelling En Sabah Nur to quarters and Davis to an OPOTY runner-up selection. The junior was dominant with the disc in his hands, showcasing tremendous creativity in his decision making and an equally impressive throwing talent that allowed him to use his mental gifts to full advantage. Expect Pitt to continue to build their offense around Davis’ star in the coming years as they seek to return to the division’s greatest heights.
– Josh Katz
Second Runner-Up
Ethan Lieman (Massachusetts)
It’s been mentioned plenty that UMass were quite egalitarian in their playstyle and in their accolades this year. Still, one player consistently flashed when watching Zoodisc: Ethan Lieman. Lieman was central to the UMass offense as both a downfield connector and finisher, filling each role with a level of excellence befitting his status as a multiple time OPOTY podium member. His speed and cut timing in particular stood out – whenever Zoo needed a bailout in a high stall count, Lieman was there. Whenever Zoo needed a deep shot, there was Lieman streaking downfield. Whatever Zoo asked, Lieman delivered, and it resulted in a phenomenal 19G/11A performance and, most importantly, a national title.
– Josh Katz
