These three defenders put forth amazing and impactful seasons.
June 17, 2026 by Zack Davis 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-III Women’s 2026 Defensive Player Of The Year
Rufus Helmreich (Haverford/Bryn Mawr)
Like most D-III players at their level, Helmreich is known to plant their feet on both lines, but they really shine on the D-line. It’s hard to argue with the results. Fourteen blocks is quite a lot for one weekend, but especially at Nationals against the toughest competition in the nation. Their quick feet and field awareness gives them the ability to secure many run through blocks on the under. Combine that with high-flying jumps and you begin to understand the defensive prowess of Helmreich.
Of course Helmreich’s defense is about much more than generating blocks for themself. Helmreich’s wide radius of defense allows them to deny service to a wide swath of the field. As a result, Helmreich is often placed as the last back in person to person, and the deep deep or short deep in the zone where they proceed to completely choke any attempt at a deep shot. This essentially forces any team to play small ball, having very little opportunity to send one long giving Helmreich’s very capable teammates chances to make plays and generate turns of their own. Helmreich is also quite capable of poaching off, either to provide help deep or flash into the lane and surprise handlers.
Helmreich is one of those rare players that completely warps the game around them, upending offensive systems simply by being on the field.
– Zack Davis
First Runner-Up
Presten Berg (Lewis & Clark)
No disc is too far, no area is safe from Presten Berg. Berg plays with a verve that is unrivaled. Every up call is a chance to full send, and Berg has no fear. Berg made a run in the 2025 Block of the Year bracket and brought back the same intensity and skill she had last season. Berg can ruin drives with a well-timed poach just as easily as she can choke out handlers on the mark. Every season we underrate Lewis & Clark Artemis, and every year Berg reminds us what it means to be a huntress.
– Zack Davis
Second Runner-Up
Milo Brown (Wesleyan)
Milo Brown is a force of will made manifest in the shape of an ultimate player. Their skill outstrips their 19 years and they leverage that game knowledge to great effect. Brown is always one step ahead of the player they are defending. It’s rare to see Brown make a flashy play, not because it’s outside of their ability, but simply because they often don’t need to. Brown has a knack for clamping down the opposition’s best player and simply neutralizing them. Even when forcing a player to essentially take a seat, they still manage to generate blocks, racking up eight over the course of Nationals.
– Zack Davis
