The first-years who have already established themselves among the division's best overall players.
June 22, 2026 by Zack Davis, Theresa Diffendal and TJ Lee 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-III Women’s 2026 Rookie Of The Year
Amy Li (Middlebury)
At the end of April, Middlebury, in the midst of highlighting each of their players, posted about1 one Amy Li. Within a fun paragraph highlighting Li’s throwing skill and athleticism by sharing her love for the beep test, there was the line: “Ultiworld doesn’t seem to know about me yet, despite my time on the Chinese national team, but they will soon.” How prescient.
One could chalk Ella Widmyer not winning POTY this year up to Li’s play. Trusted to run the D-line, Li frequently began drives as the puller, and roamed the mid space in the Pranksters’ zone or wreaked havoc on handlers with a veteran’s understanding of timing and the most dangerous space to quickly close windows and vanish opportunities.
A burst of a first step and lasting endurance served her equally well off the turn, setting up in opportune spaces that allowed Li to beat her matchup upline or provide large breakside windows to start a cascade of uncontested movement. Often the first to pick up, Li progressed her seven down the field with a developed level of touch while directing downfield movement to pile on breaks for Middlebury and leave the O-line well rested, thus largely contributing to one of the most dominant Nationals runs the division has ever seen.
If this season is any indication of what’s to come, Li’s name will inevitably be uttered in the same breath as other famed Middlebury handlers regarded as some of the best to do it in D-III.
– Theresa Diffendal
First Runner-Up
Zora DeSilva (Middlebury)
It’s exceedingly rare for a rookie to come onto a college roster and immediately be one of the team’s defining players. Leave it to Middlebury for it to happen not just two years in a row, but also twice in the same year. DeSilva is a phenomenal player with the disc in her hands, expertly shaping shots around the defense, dropping the disc into whatever window she wants. She’s a natural shooter too, with an unshakable belief in her own ability, which came to fruition at Nationals where she netted 14 assists, second most for her team behind only Ella Widmyer.
– Zack Davis
Second Runner-Up
Charlee Tannahill (Davenport)
Charlee Tannahill stepped up big for Davenport this season. A real grinder in the handler space, Tannahill is comfortable making a large volume of throws over as many points as she needs to. Tannahill’s consistency is what makes her stand out among the rookie class, not only with her throws, but also with her work load. Every point she’s involved with highlighted her quick feet and snappy throwing. Perfectly complimenting her ability in the handler space is her decisive downfield throwing. When given the chance, Tannahill can flip the field by putting a pass on a platter for the Panther’s very athletic cutting core.
– TJ Lee
Even though it is written from the Li’s perspective, she did not actually write it. Just another Prankster prank. -Editor ↩
