The west gets their turn at the first TCT event of the season!
July 8, 2026 by Ultiworld in Preview
Ultiworld’s coverage of the 2026 club ultimate season is presented by Spin Ultimate; all opinions are those of the author(s). Find out how Spin can get you, and your team, looking your best this season.
The 2026 club season’s second major weekend is coming up as the best of the west take center stage. PEC West features two big preseason favorites in San Francisco Revolver, the 2025 Men’s National Champs, and San Francisco Fury, last year’s runner-up, as well as plenty of other strong teams. Seeing how the established elite and ambitious second-class units take their first steps of what will be a fascinating campaign is baked into the weekend’s excitement. And as always, early club tournaments tend to give us a sense of which players are poised to have titanic impacts on the entire summer and fall.
We’ve got you covered for all the exciting action this weekend. Read on for all the storylines you need to know before games start Saturday, July 11th, LIVE on Ultiworld!
Tournament Profile
- Date: July 11-12
- Location: Corvallis, OR
- Weather: Very pleasant, highs in the mid 70s Saturday, around 80 on Sunday. Light winds.
- Scores & Schedules
- Ultiworld Event Page
Men’s Division
After PEC East saw seven of our current top ten teams in the power rankings — and 11 of the top 15 — take the field, PEC West will see the other three of the top ten squads debut as part of a 12-team field featuring eight teams in our Top 25.
Do Rhino and Revolver Look the Part?
The top of the PEC West field brings into action the past two national champions in #1 San Francisco Revolver and #4 Portland Rhino Slam! That’s half of the core four that made up the semifinalists of each of the past two seasons. The others, #6 Chicago Machine and #3 New York PoNY, put together strong opening tournaments at PEC East, and now it’s Rhino and Revolver’s chance to make their early-season statement.
For Revolver, they’re bringing back the core of their 2025 title team, and they made one of the biggest additions in the division in Brett Hulsmeyer. For Rhino, is returning the majority of their corps and adding some strong collegiate talent enough to bring the Oregon squad back to the top? If things go to seed, we’ll get an early season barometer test between these squads in the final.
Do Sockeye and Bravo Take a Step Back?
The darkhorse duo that could play spoiler come in a pair of 2025 quarterfinalists that are largely expected to regress in 2026. #10 Seattle Sockeye lost Declan Miller and Johnny Malks from their 2025 squad which should cause some offensive growing pains at the very least. Can newcomer Xavier Fuzat, who put up a double-double for Doublewide at 2024 Nationals, make a difference? Or maybe Johnny Bravo transfer and defensive ace Noah Coolman can keep Sockeye a relevant challenger?
Speaking of #13 Bravo, can they withstand the major losses of Zeke Thoreson and Elliot Hawkins? The consensus opinion is that the Denver squad is going to need to scrap their way to earning a second bid for the South Central and a trip to San Diego, but whether Bravo can get their new talent, including former Salt Lake Shrimp stars Jordan Kerr and Sammy Pew, to gel is a storyline to watch. Do either Sockeye or Bravo pose a legitimate threat to the top of the division, or will their much-changed rosters relegate them closer to the prequarterfinal conversation than to the semifinals and beyond?
Back of the Rankings Shake-Up
Outside the top four, there’s a contingent of teams either campaigning to move up from the mid-to-backend portion of the rankings, or to crack the top 25 for the first time. Canadian squads #16 Vancouver Furious George and #20 Montreal Mephisto, alongside #17 SoCal Condors, enter the season with bid-earning hopes for their region, and with national title contenders coming out of all of their respective regions, getting an extra bid is paramount. For Furious George and Mephisto, they’ll get a pool play shot at Sockeye and Bravo teams that have early season question marks to answer.
After those three teams, Florida Untied, Arlington Oak Grove Boys, and #24 Eugene Dark Star represent the next tier of challengers. Untied will largely be a cheerleader for the rest of the Southeast to maintain three bids and then try to play the role of bid-stealer. But reps against the competition in Corvallis will be important down the stretch for Florida’s confidence in a potential backdoor bracket run in a couple of months.
Oak Grove find themselves in a three-team battle with Virginia Vault and Pittsburgh Temper for the third-place spot in the Mid-Atlantic, but one of those teams needs to earn a bid in order to avoid a virtually hopeless situation against Truck Stop or Pacmen in a game-to-go. Oak Grove already put together a strong Philly Invite, winning that tourney with a universe point win over a similarly ranked New York Blueprint team and dominating strong regional contenders Garden State Ultimate and Hartford Colt. Can the boys from Arlington make another early season statement and insert themselves into the bid-earning conversation after Vault and Temper underwhelmed two weeks ago?
Finally, Dark Star got off to a hot start with a tournament victory at Eugene Summer Solstice and now they up the ante at a much more challenging tournament. Their unbeaten start earned them a spot in our power rankings, but they’ll have to defend it with a roster that lost a lot of talent to big brother Rhino Slam!
St. Louis Lounar and Denver Fungi round out the field, making their season debuts. Neither team, playing in the North Central and South Central respectively, figure to have a massive chance at Nationals this year, but certainly reaching a game-to-go is possible, and anything could happen at that stage. Does either team flash top 25 potential and become a dangerous bid-stealer to watch in October? They’ll get their opportunities, but they also might take their lumps in their 2026 opener.
Women’s Division
Three nationals semifinal hopefuls will kick off their season this Saturday, alongside six other teams ranked in the top 20. It’s sure to be a real slug fest as the round robin style and early bid implications mean every team will need to be in their best form from the jump.
The Podium
Though it’s hubris to predict the future, it’s folly to pick anyone other than #1 San Francisco Fury, #5 Denver Molly Brown, or #6 Seattle Riot to win this tournament. Fury have once again assembled Voltron, and while it’s a long time until October ,they have to sharpen the sword for WUCC, which will begin five short weeks after PEC W finishes. Of course the big signings are Triangle legends Alex Barnett and Dawn Culton, but the real boon is Fury keeping the core together to get the most out of them. Key among that core is Dena Elimelech. Many speculated the June 2019 Friction Glove Catch of the Month recipient would stay in Atlanta after playing the PUL season with the Atlanta Soul, but she is returning to the Bay Area for another spin at a championship. It’s tempting to list the other key components of Fury, but it’d be easier to list players that don’t have an ultimate CV a mile long.
For their part, Molly Brown have assembled, if not Voltron, then the Avengers. They bring back the Cárdenas siblings alongside Roni Eder, Alika Johnston, Alexandra Guy, and, despite retirement rumors, Claire Chastain. Though they’ve retained a lot of firepower, the Denver based team is also missing some big names from the roster, most notably Lisa Pitcaithley and Clil Phillips. To try and fill those massive empty cleats will be Ellie Hasenohr who moves over from shame., Fiona Cashin from Mile High Trash, Chaily Derecskey from Colorado Small Batch, and Emma Williamson from Kelp. Though she’s not listed on the PEC roster, 6ixers alum Aurora Lešnik has also joined the Molly Brown and will ostensibly be playing with them later this season. Though they don’t look quite as intimidating on paper as Fury, this is a fantastic team and definitely in contention for a run to the championship in October.
To round out the podium, and having assembled a legendary team worthy of comparison to a fictional superhero group (Ninja FalconMegazord, mayhaps) are Seattle Riot. Coming in fresh to the Riot roster are some bonafide ballers. From BENT, both Samiya Ismail and Nina Finley are joining, while they pick up Karen Ehrhardt from Phoenix and Bailey Shigley from Molly Brown. While they’ve lost one D-III superstar in Ella Widmyer, who has gone to the mixed division to play for Slow, they’ve gained another in Wesleyan’s Milo Brown. Another impact signing is Kyliah Mcroy, fresh off a D-I national championship win alongside teammate Chole Hakimi. Hakimi was just awarded the honor of D-I ROTY and POTY and returns to Riot alongside other standout players such as Lauren Goddu, Stephanie Phillips and Shira Stern, among others. Riot are going to be missing Abbie Abramovich and Ikran Elmi, but have plenty of talent in the tank to make up the difference.
It’s hard to know for certain where each team will shake out in terms of position, but these three teams will more than likely make up the podium for this first Triple Crown Tour stop. Fury do have the toughest schedule, playing both Molly Brown and Riot, while Riot and Molly Brown will not face each other. If history is any indicator though, Fury will have no trouble playing their game against anyone in the country.
Taking Stock of Colorado Kelp
Many pundits, pontificators, and predictors nationwide have at least one eye on #16 Colorado Kelp this season. The relatively new club has smoothed out their kinks, sanded down their rough edges, and gotten some well earned respect in the elite club space. Last season they were just outside the running for a bid to Nationals, and this season they’re firmly in the hunt to secure another bid for the South Central. A lot of this comes from the returning roster, which starts with captain Rena Kawabata, and continues with Mei Hecht, Taylor Smith, Emma Smith, and Kennedy McCarthy. The real lift for Kelp comes from their recruiting class. Big D-III names in Colorado College’s Zoe Posner and Davenport’s Elleythea Smith stand out, but the real treat is Flipside alum Maggie O’Connor. And that’s not to mention 2023 National Champion shame. alum Dani Tran.
This is a young club, with a young roster. There’s a lot of skill here, and just enough veteran presence to if not just guide it, at least demonstrate how to play at the top. They’ll need an early start if they want to make Nationals and a big win against one of the aforementioned top three teams would jump start their season and look really good for the algorithm come late September. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately depending on how you look at it, they will have three chances, playing Molly Brown on Saturday and rounding out their tournament with back-to-back games against Fury and Riot, respectively.
Even if they can’t snatch a win in one of those matchups, they need to play these teams as close as they can and win their other matches. They should have their opening game against #9 Portland Schwa highlighted, circled, and with a giant arrow pointing to it as a must-win game. Coming out of the gates slowly could have far-reaching repercussions for Kelp’s season, and a win against a top 10 team would do wonders for their chances.
Mixed Division
Three powerhouse regions all converge on Corvallis this weekend with major bid implications on the line. Considering the razor-thin margins for earning a strength bid in 2025, a bad tournament for any one of these teams could have major repercussions down the line.
Can Anyone Stand Against BFG’s Revenge Tour?
Perhaps the most shocking result of the 2025 season happened before Nationals even started. #4 Seattle BFG looked to be one of the four best teams in the nation all year, only to have the sole Northwest bid stolen away from them by Mixtape in the regional final. You can bet they’ve been stewing on that result since it happened, and seem intent on righting the wrongs of 2025 this season.
It started with a dominant showing at Colorado Summer Solstice. Despite dropping a game in pool play, BFG tore through the competition in the bracket, and didn’t allow an opponent to get within three points. By all accounts, BFG looked like a team ahead of schedule with their chemistry and structure. The threat of incredible huckers like Julia Hasbrook, Cheryl Hsu, Tommy Lin, and Ian Sweeney (just to name a few) is too much for any team to ignore, and they often have easy gains up the field as opponents are forced to respect them deep. On the back of their elite throwing talent, they’ve rebuilt their reputation and still have more of a score to settle than any other team going to PEC W, so the extra fuel seems primed to propel them into the stratosphere.
That’s not to say it’ll be an easy ride, though. BFG’s path to victory will likely require them to vanquish some of the ghosts from their past. #14 Seattle Mixtape sit one spot behind them in tournament seeding, and look to be as dangerous a threat as ever. Mixtape have doubled down on veteran talent, keeping the core of the team that has been with them since they last won it all in 2022. Household names like Arianne Lozano, Paige Kercher, and Husayn Carnegie still maintain the pedigree of this team, but it’s the likes of Rowan Lymp and Ciona Antolin that are starting to shine on the field.
BFG will also have to contend with the team that handed them their most recent loss: #18 Mile High Trash. The Colorado squad lost a few stars from last year’s Nationals-quality roster, but the likes of Ari Nelson, Abigail Thorpe, and Andrew Muller are still enough to put any team on the back foot. Trash are joined by Salt Lake City Sego as the only two teams outside of the West Coast at this tournament, and their performance will be crucial for the South Central to earn multiple bids this year.
The Southwest Shuffle
While rare, it’s not uncommon for the no.1 seed at a USAU-run event to not be the favorite. In the case of #19 Arizona Lawless, though, they’ll have a lot to prove before anyone believes they can reach the heights of previous years. Travis Dunn being off the roster is the most notable omission in the mixed division this year. To make matters worse, Lawless are also without Marshall Crawford, Kyle Rubin, Oliver Artus, and Maggie O’Connor. There are even more notable omissions from that list, too. Needless to say, this isn’t the Lawless of yore. A host of new man-matching players are going to look to veteran talent like Melissa Dunn and Cynthia Thomas to help guide them.
With Lawless looking shaky, the Southwest opens up completely. Well… maybe not so completely. Lest we forget, #12 Sacramento Tower looked like the best team in the Southwest for most of last season, and they’ve brought back enough of their core to remain dangerous. Ryan Takayama, Julianna Madigan, Tyler Bacon and Robyn Fennig might attract the most attention, but they’re far from the only threats on the roster. Tower seem to have no trouble getting open reset passes, and are among the few teams that appear to be in full form despite how early in the season it is.
Behind Tower, the Southwest has a lot of hopefuls trying to stamp their mark on this tournament. Both #22 Los Angeles Lotus and the #10 Bay Area Polar Bears made the semis at Colorado Solstice, and can’t be counted out of contention in Corvallis. Lotus finally seem to have brought together the top players in Los Angeles, adding talented handlers like Ethan Falat, Marti Martinez, and Brandon Van Deusen to complement the likes of Sean McDougall, Jesse Cohen, and Kevin Tien downfield. PBR have similarly reloaded, with Evan Magsig, Chagall Gelfand, and Lexi Zalk joining an already impressive core.
Rounding out the hopefuls are #15 San Diego California Burrito, a team that was one point shy of their first Nationals in 2025. Despite the talent in their region, Burrito are likely hungry to prove they’re worth their salt and didn’t just bite off more than they could chew. Food idioms aside, this team has to be taken seriously. Khalif El-Salaam headlines the squad but is flanked by some valuable pickups in Michael Tran, Oliver Artus, and Marcel Osborne. The team has that perfect balance of seasoned professionals and young athletes, so their destiny is entirely in their own hands.
If you’re looking for betting odds, you’ve come to the wrong division. There’s too much talent here and the threads of fate could be pulled in any direction. BFG and Tower are the two title favorites currently, but no one will raise an eyebrow if one of the other teams mentioned here makes it all the way to the final.
