The first-years who have already established themselves among the division's best overall players.
June 22, 2026 by Edward Stephens, Josh Katz and Aidan Thomas 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.
The Rookie of the Year award recognizes players who impressed in their first college ultimate seasons. That includes both freshman and true rookies. Each season, it feels like this group of players becomes more impactful; as the level of youth play and of coaching and development rise, so does the bar for the division’s best rookie. Whether they come to the college game from years of youth experience, a background in other sports, or none of the above, these players made debuts to remember in high-level college play.
- 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 Rookie Of The Year
Sarek Mallareddy (Carleton)
In one of the tightest Rookie of the Year races we’ve ever seen, Sarek Mallareddy and his 20 goals at Nationals did just enough to separate him from the pack and place him atop the podium. It’s not easy to stand out as a rookie, especially on a team as talented as Carleton, and doubly so when constantly sharing the field with at least one of, if not both, Declan Miller and Nate De Morgan. But Mallareddy is no ordinary rookie. It was immediately apparent back at Florida Warm Up that he would have a significant role on CUT’s O-line. He seemed to float around downfield, bouncing around on his tiptoes and always ready to attack any open space. With his speed and agility, defenders were always fighting a losing battle trying to contain him. Come Nationals, he was fully ingrained into the hive mind of the CUT offense. Whatever cut the offense needed, Mallareddy was there to make it, open up space, and keep churning out yardage. And in the red zone, no one was stopping him from getting open just over the goal line. As he rounds out the rest of his game in the coming years, Mallareddy is all but a lock to add to his accolades.
– Josh Katz
First Runner-Up
Ezra Beidler-Shenk (Pittsburgh)
Beidler-Shenk was an instrumental part in Pitt’s return to not only Nationals, but En Sabah Nur’s triumphant march to quarterfinals in 2026. The ROTY runner-up was a true hybrid threat, notching 12 goals, 16 assists and adding four blocks, one of which was a stunning layout callahan that helped spark Pitt’s prequarterfinal comeback against Georgia Tech. Beidler-Shenk was a threat to go deep or throw it deep at any time, and En Sabah Nur will look forward to his connection with QB1 Micah Davis continuing on into 2027.
– Aidan Thomas
Second Runner-Up
Becker Joseph (Penn State)
Call it gumption, confidence, hard-headedness, audacity – call it whatever you will, but one thing is for certain: Becker Joseph had whatever “it” quality it is that allows a player to step onto the field for the first time with an established Nationals-level team and immediately remake the offense in his own image. He may not have always been the most efficient thrower – 18 turnovers at Nationals will raise an eyebrow – but he was easily one of the most important, crafting brazen forehand angles to beat marks and dialing up full-field backhand hucks that careened their way to receivers like they were jet-propelled. Add in a handful of the biggest defensive bids the division saw all season and Joseph was an easy stand-out even in a crowded rookie class.
– Edward Stephens
