These three defenders put forth amazing and impactful seasons.
June 17, 2026 by Edward Stephens 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 Defensive Player of the Year, recognizing the individual, and two runners-up, who we felt were the top defensive performers this spring. Whether through generating blocks, shutting down options, helping out teammates, or all of the above, these defenders stood out doing the tough work that too often go unrecognized.
- 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 Women’s 2026 Defensive Player Of The Year
Freya Spiekerkoetter (Stanford)
Has ultimate ever seen a spectacle quite like Freya Spiekerkoetter’s 2026 defensive campaign? The semi-rookie/semi-vet introduced the capabilities of her soccer-developed speed in magical fashion, causing chaos in the early season with sheer range in Superfly’s opening tournaments. Little did we know, however, that what began as a simple display of strength would evolve in just a few months’ time into one of the most complete and singular anti-offensive performances we have ever seen.
Having married her raw physical talent to a quickly developed (but nevertheless exceptional) field intelligence, Spiekerkoetter redefined excellence in the art of ending possessions. She led the tournament with a staggering 23 blocks (better than three per game), completely re-shaping the field in the process. Passes that used to be open for offenses simply weren’t when they took on Stanford. Aim a throw over the front of the zone? Spiekerkoetter is in range from virtually anywhere. Your cutter has two steps on an away shot? Spiekerkoetter makes up the ground. Trying your patented around to sneak your way off the sideline? Spiekerkoetter has a knack for handblocks, too.
Two final notes to close it out. First, it bears mentioning that Spiekerkoetter did her finest work when it mattered most: against Washington in pool play (seven blocks) to ensure Superfly wouldn’t be mired in any point differential nightmare scenarios, and relentlessly in semis versus UBC (five blocks in the eventual loss). Second, she did it all with pinpoint body control and visible sportsmanship to prove that she had absorbed the full scope of what is expected on the field.
It was an open-and-shut case for the 2026 Defensive Player of the Year. The only thing left to wonder is: Freya, when can we expect to see more of you?
– Edward Stephens
First Runner-Up
Lauren Szeto-Fung (British Columbia)
For a second consecutive year, Thunderbirds wunderkind Lauren Szeto-Fung winds up the division’s runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year. She’s an unmissable presence on the D-line, a combination of workhorse, technician, and sizzle. In fact, it’s worth breaking those three aspects of her game down to better understand the full portrait. Workhorse: the point in, point out pounding of her cleats on the turf as she chases the opposition’s most dynamic player, in or out of the limelight of the play. Technician: Szeto-Fung puts on a masterclass of footwork and body positioning, even against the best players. Don’t believe me, just go re-watch the clamps she put on PotY Chloe Hakimi in the national final. Sizzle. Few players in the division are more prepared for a massive bid at the point of attack to win the disc. It all adds up to consistent, consensus defensive distinction.
– Edward Stephens
Second Runner-Up
Zane Bird Smith (UC Santa Cruz)
Zane Bird Smith has long been one of the undersung heroes behind the UC Santa Cruz renaissance. Let them be undersung no more. Even while frequently operating on a line next to other outstanding defenders like Goodness Nwakudu, Kai Agueros, and Viola Deszily, Bird Smith distinguished themselves with a blend of skill and outright commitment. Not only did they sky, bid, bat down, snipe, and otherwise fully interrupt even the best laid plans throughout the season (and Nationals in particular), but when it came to crunch time, Bird Smith refused to ever give up on a play, adding sheer effort to the list of reasons why they were a crucial part of giving Sol so many extra possessions. Toss in some of the weekend’s finest, interminably hanging pulls, and it’s easy to see how they earned season honors.
– Edward Stephens
