The first-years who have already established themselves among the division's best overall players.
June 22, 2026 by Kiana Hu 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 Women’s 2026 Rookie Of The Year
Chloe Hakimi (Carleton)
For the first-ever rookie POTY winner in division history, it doesn’t seem like there’s much more that needs to be said about Chloe Hakimi. It goes without saying that Hakimi will go down in college ultimate history as one of the most legendary players, but what is truly remarkable about her impact in the sport is that she was able to join arguably the most talented team (already) in the nation and still become the clear top player on that team during Nationals.
There is certainly something to be said about the composure and confidence that Hakimi exerts on the field as a freshman. No matter the pure skill and athleticism, mental fortitude is something that most players struggle with at all levels of the game. But for Hakimi, she simply appeared to shine brighter the bigger the moment. Starting off as more of a role-player (relatively speaking) in the first few regular season tournaments1, it wasn’t until Northwest Challenge that she really showed off her ability as a takeover player. Come Nationals, with a tournament-high 42 assists and a total 53 goals accounting for just over half of Syzygy’s scores, Hakimi was simply the player for Carleton, and especially so in the moments that mattered.
– Kiana Hu
First Runner-Up
Ellie Lemberg (Tufts)
A scintillating player who competed with poise well beyond her years, Lemberg may just have been the IT factor that pushed Tufts into their first semifinal appearance in over a decade. On an EWO team returning much of their top end from an undefeated regular season run in 2025, Lemberg had no problem making a mark with her jaw-dropping layouts and a keen sense of cut timing and spacing refined from her BUDA days. We can only imagine what cleating up for the defending club champions Brute Squad over the summer will do for this already capable young player.
– Kiana Hu
Second Runner-Up
Noah Fong (Colorado)
Hailing from the burgeoning Bay Area youth scene, Fong immediately slotted in as a high-load, high-impact player for Quandary. She led the team in assists and blocks, a truly impressive showing for a rookie on a team already loaded with superstar power. Fong was an instant unlock for Quandary with her ability to stretch the field, particularly in windier conditions, which didn’t seem to hinder the range of her precision hucks to space. As much as Fong contributed offensively, she pushed the pace on defense even more, dominating the skies but also making some ridiculously athletic high-IQ plays, such as this layout block.
– Kiana Hu
and hence her low placement in the top 25 voting ↩
