Club semifinalists? Check. National teams? Check. International stars? Check. The US Open is one of the best events of the year.
July 28, 2026 by Graham Gerhart, Laura Osterlund and Josh Katz 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.
And just like that, the calendar turns to August. With the early training, testing, and tweaking behind us, it’s time to dig into the meat of the season, beginning with one of the summer’s most demanding events: the US Open. The 2026 field consists of all twelve 2025 national semifinalists and many other top-level US teams looking to break into that tier. It’s the first real high-octane competition of the year, and it’s also a World Ultimate Club Championships tuneup and preview for the top three teams in each division.
Ultiworld will have full showcase and all-access streaming throughout the weekend for everyone looking to follow along with the best action from Aurora, as well as dedicated on-the-ground reporting coverage via articles and our Discord. Stick with us throughout the big weekend – and read on for our full streaming schedule!
Tournament Profile
- Date: July 31-Aug 2
- Location: Aurora, Colorado
- Weather: Mostly sunny with highs in the mid-90s, touching 100 degrees on Sunday for the finals
- Top 25 teams: 12 women’s div. / 11 mixed div. / 10 men’s div.1
- USAU Schedule & Results
- Ultiworld Event Page
Streaming Schedule
All times are MT.
Men’s Division
Heading into the season, it was a fairly widely held opinion that last year’s semifinalists – #1 Portland Rhino Slam!, #2 San Francisco Revolver, #4 New York PoNY, #6 Chicago Machine – were once again in a class of their own in the Men’s Division. That quartet was evenly split across the two PECs, and half played to expectation. Out west, Revolver and Rhino met in the final, and Rhino got some revenge over last year’s champs with a 15-12 win. But in the east, neither PoNY nor Machine took home the PEC title: that honor instead went to #3 Boston DiG, who knocked out both Machine (in semis) and PoNY (in the final) to start putting last year’s collapse firmly in the rearview mirror. Now, all five (and many others) will head out to Colorado for the first leg of the Triple Crown Tour and our first chance to see how deep the contending class is and how they all stack up.
The Big Five
With full apologies to #5 Raleigh Ring of Fire, who beat Machine to finish third at PEC East, the true A-tier contender list probably goes five deep at this point. Rhino have the only unblemished resume of the bunch, and the eye test matches up. Even with stars such as Henry Ing, Dylan Freechild, and Raphy Hayes on the roster, the youth infusion is in full effect in Portland. The local college stars were highly impressive at PEC: Mica Glass commanded the offense with confidence and bravado, Alex Hall-Witt swapped his Oregon Ego D-line role for a connective spot on the Rhino offense, Chander Boyd-Fliegel made big play after big play, and Max Massey picked up numerous blocks. Most exciting, though, was Felix Moren, who was always open downfield to gain a huge chunk of yardage or find the end zone.
Revolver’s fabulous defense from last fall didn’t quite show up to the same level at PEC, but with a large chunk of the roster intact, don’t be surprised if they return to form as soon as this weekend. The offense, however, was in midseason form already. Leo Gordon, Mac Hecht, Walker Frankenberg, and Adam Rees were excellent in flow, and contributions from Raekwon Adkins and Dillon Whited, among others, kept Revolver humming along.
Shocking loss to #11 Austin Doublewide aside, DiG played like a semifinalist at PEC. Tobe Decraene, Simon Carapella, and Calvin Stoughton were their usually excellent selves as DiG veterans, as was newcomer Quentin Bonnaud. Most impressive was that DiG won PEC without the services of bigs Orion Cable or Jeff Babbitt or DC import Thomas Edmonds. Cable and Edmonds are on the roster for this weekend, so we’ll see if their presence kicks DiG up another notch or two.
If PEC is anything to go off of, Jimmy Mickle could be having a career renaissance this summer. The future HOFer looked much more like his mid-career self at PEC, a welcome boost for a PoNY handler core that sorely needed someone to step up. With the receiving talent at New York’s disposal, simple distribution will do nicely. The cutter core PoNY have amassed is jealousy-inducing: Anders Juengst, Ben Jagt, Jacob Cowan, Marques Brownlee, and Chris Kocher combined are untouchable. There’s work to do on the defensive front, but with roster reinforcements on the way (Ben Dameron and Declan Miller, among others, were not at PEC), PoNY could be ready for takeoff as soon as this weekend.
And Machine should have a better time at US Open this year, mostly because they’ll have Daan De Marrée on the roster this time.2 William Wettengel and Zeke Thoreson will get plenty of blocks for the Chicago squad, but the swing factor for this Machine team is their offense, which looked great at PEC until a monumental collapse in their semifinal defeat. De Marrée, Paul Arters, Nate Goff, Elliott Hawkins, and Nate Astrom pose numerous matchup problems and can attack deep spaces in any way their handlers like.
The Next Five
The remaining five US-based teams in the field each have a few more questions we’re searching for answers to before putting them into the division’s uppermost echelon.
Ring of Fire and #7 Minneapolis Sub Zero showed the most potential to jump into the top tier with their play at PEC East, and Ring even got the proof-of-concept victory that Sub Zero just couldn’t hold onto. Tobias Brooks’ homecoming for Ring might be the biggest pickup for any club team this year, while Sub Zero continue to collect all the college talent from the North Central and slowly build the program back up. Can either back up the promise with a (or for Ring, another) signature win?
We haven’t seen #9 DC Truck Stop on film yet, but their PEC results left a lot to be desired. The European stars (Elliot Bonnet, Louis Betrancourt, Sofiene Bontemps) will eventually be the needed reinforcements, but they’re not on the roster for US Open, leaving much space for internal development this weekend.
#13 Denver Johnny Bravo got a shot at each of the finalists at PEC West and came up well short in each matchup. They get an immediate opportunity at a Beast of the East in an opener against PoNY to show they deserve a mention alongside Ring and Sub Zero. With Quinn Finer’s explosiveness and an active, opportunistic defense, there’s reason to believe in Bravo.
And #16 Seattle Sockeye are probably overseeded as the No.5 given their PEC (lack of) results, but Mason Stone and Eli Diamond impressed in D-line roles, especially counterattacking after a turn. There’s an argument that one or both should move onto an offense that needed a bit more punch in the wake of Declan Miller’s departure. Ultimately, Sockeye are the longest shot this weekend.
Players to Watch
- Mica Glass (Portland Rhino Slam!) – On a line with Raphy Hayes, Henry Ing, and Dylan Freechild, it’s somehow Glass that is the focal point and the “SOS, we need help” bailout option. The Oregon Ego star is an early season All-Club frontrunner thanks to his excellent quarterbacking.
- Michael Ing (San Francisco Revolver) – If Revolver are going to summit any of the major peaks, they’ll need more defensive rigidity. Looking to the two-time DPOTY finalist to provide that is a good place to start.
- Orion Cable (Boston DiG) – Cable’s play in the deep space – both offensively and defensively – creates so many problems for DiG’s opponents. That DiG looked so good without him at PEC should scare the rest of the division.
- John Randolph (New York PoNY) – Randolph was playing primarily on offense at PEC, a switch from his role last year and possibly due to PoNY’s available personnel. With PoNY closer to full strength this weekend, could JR move back to defense and give that line the counterattacking oomph they need?
- Daan De Marrée (Chicago Machine) – You can’t not write about De Marrée, the unquestioned best player on the planet. It’s not just that he’s the perfect offensive weapon, it’s that he is that good and barely steps off the field.
- Tobias Brooks (Raleigh Ring of Fire) – North Carolina’s prodigal son is home. His presence alone on the offense allows all of Matt Gouchoe-Hanas, Dylan Hawkins, and Josh Singleton to shine even brighter. And as always with Brooks, expect lots of hammers.
- Christian Boxley (DC Truck Stop) – The quick fix to Truck’s problems could be as simple as giving Boxley isolation cut after isolation cut and letting him cook defenders en route to goals and goals and goals.
Women’s Division
While we’ve had a few early-season tournaments dot the calendar with significant results, we’re about to get real answers to the pecking order of the Women’s Division. To no one’s surprise, the odds are against anyone outside of #1 Boston Brute Squad, #2 San Francisco Fury, and #3 D.C. Scandal making it to the final, but there’s enough intrigue with the other teams in the top five to keep it interesting. Will Molly Brown’s imports be enough to return them to their previous heights? Will BENT’s extra year of chemistry be enough to carry them forward? All this and more will be revealed at the US Open!
The Inevitable Collision of the Big Three
For almost two decades now, the women’s division has been dominated by a small set of 3-4 teams at the top of the rankings. These occasionally reshuffle, but it’s almost always a tight set of elite teams that stand above the rest. This year appears to be no different. Boston Brute Squad, San Francisco Fury, and D.C. Scandal have unimpeachable rosters filled with the best players in the world. For fans of chaos, this is undoubtedly disappointing. For fans of good ultimate, this provides the promise of at least a few instant classics cropping up in this season.
The US Open is the first tournament where these three apex predators will all be circling the same watering hole. They are a combined 17-0 this season but have yet to test themselves against each other. Barring a truly tumultuous tournament, we should see these teams face off against each other, and even as early as Friday. The crossover round at the end of Day One means the top seeds of each pool will play each other, so we’ll have a lot more data on how these teams stack up against each other even before they meet in the bracket.
For now, all eyes are on Boston Brute Squad to see if they can retain the crown. San Francisco Fury have a habit of storming back into seasons if they previously fell short of the final, and considering the team didn’t lose a regular season game in 2025, it’s a lot of pressure on Brute Squad to fend off the west coast wrecking ball. Brute Squad’s 2025 season was marred with injuries to some top stars, especially in their final against Fury, so seeing them at full strength might just reinforce their position as the best team in the division. Missing Maria Angelica Forero Becerra and Emily Kemp as downfield options is one mark against them despite all the talent they’re bringing to Colorado. Still, a roster that features Angela Zhu, Levke Walczak, and Liv Player is one to be feared.
Fury might be the one team completely unafraid of Boston’s talent. They have more than enough of their own to go around. During the 2025 season, the joke was made that Fury could split their roster in two, and both squads would likely make the final. Somehow, Fury got even deeper this year, adding the likes of Dawn Culton and Alex Barnett. It’s hard to find a weak point with San Francisco, so good luck to opposing coaches. As if they needed anything else in their favor, Fury’s path to the bracket is, on paper, a straighter shot than the other teams in the upper echelon. While Boston and D.C. have to face down the fully loaded #7 Seattle Riot and #6 San Diego Flipside, respectively, Fury take on a #8 Toronto 6ixers team that’s still missing their biggest star in Britt Dos Santos, and won’t have Hannah Dawson in Colorado. Toronto’s still a threat, but it’s hard to see them overpowering Fury in pool play. Anything short of topping their pool would be a major indictment on Fury’s 2026 roster.
It’s not just Fury that have added a few extra aces to their deck. We’re getting our first look at a few household names now sporting Scandal jerseys. Michiko Ishii-Magnant, Mary Rippe, Erica Birdsong, and Sami Smalling are just a few names that may strike fear into the hearts of their opponents when they set foot on the field. Scandal’s fully invested in the youth revolution and we’re sure to see that pay off in a big way when they get their first real test against #12 Portland Schwa and San Diego Flipside this tournament. The team saw very little that could scare them at the Swamp Seasonal Invite, so Friday will be telling in determining what to expect from Scandal.
Everything Else At Stake
We might not know how everything will play out at this tournament, but the women’s division looks to have some pretty definitive tiers already, even before the first pull goes up. Enough’s been said about Brute Squad, Fury, and Scandal, but there are a few squads that could break through to “title contender” status at the US Open.
Both #5 Denver Molly Brown and #4 New York BENT are hoping to make their case this weekend, and will have to begin by figuring out which one of them will win pool D. All respect to #11 Quebec Iris, but the two heavyweights atop the pool aren’t going to give much more than a fighter’s chance to get a first round bye into quarters. Molly Brown have called over their regular international talent, along with a few others for good measure, and will be trying to leverage the immense cumulative ultimate ability on their roster to insert themselves into the title conversation. BENT, on the other hand, have laent into developing their young stars and handing them the reins. They’ve already shown this has enough merit to get them to quarters, but semifinals and beyond is a much taller task.
Outside of those trying to push into title contention, the most interesting teams to keep an eye on are actually those at the bottom of their pools. #20 Colorado Kelp, Iris, and Schwa are all on the fringe of the bid-earning range, and a good weekend could help secure them a spot, while a rough showing could be enough to kick them out entirely.
Kelp are the only team at this tournament that isn’t currently holding a bid, so they’ll have the most to prove. The team struggled at PEC West, losing five of their six games and generally looking outclassed. The bright side of their results is that they were facing the best teams in the nation, so they’ll likely look a lot more polished when they face teams of a similar caliber. Of course, playing in the US Open means they’re facing many of the same elite teams they they lost to at PEC West, including Fury. If Kelp are to have a chance at earning a bid, they’ll need to play above and beyond what they showed at PEC W.
Iris and Schwa have a little more breathing room, but not by much. A bad weekend for either team could spell disaster. Both teams have the pedigree and institutional knowledge to play tight with higher seeded opponents and win the games they should win, but their bid-earning chances will likely come down to the games they play against each other, and that’s where it truly gets interesting. Between Kelp, Iris, and Schwa, it’s likely one of these teams will get the short end of an already short stick, and with the season speeding by, there won’t be a lot of time to make back any lost ground after the US Open is over.
Players to Watch
- Aurora Lesnik (Denver Molly Brown) – Following the Levke Walczak formula, Denver has brought over one of Europe’s brightest stars to help them overcome the top teams. Lesnik’s defensive prowess is a shot of adrenaline for any crew, but she’s become far more poised with the disc and is just as threatening on the offensive end now. It will be exciting to see how Denver chooses to deploy her.
- Sami Smalling (D.C. Scandal) – After spending a number of years owning her matchups in the mixed division, we finally get to see what Smalling can do on an elite women’s roster. Scandal have plenty of downfield targets already, which gives Smalling all she could want with her elite throwing ability. Scandal have often been knocked for putting too much pressure on a smaller handler core, so Smalling may just be the piece they were missing all along.
- Bailey Shigley (Seattle Riot) – Riot’s early season results so far have exposed their need for rock-solid handlers. Shigley fits that role well. While others on her roster might be bombing hucks or trying to beat their mark with all many of curious throwing, Shigley comes from the Colorado school of composure. A strong ultimate IQ and lateral quickness should be more than enough to get Shigley the momentum she needs to get Seattle going. She doesn’t even need to be sequestered to the backfield: Shigley’s shown immense talent for Denver in the past as a continuation option, giving her new teammates a wealth of opportunity whenever she’s on the field.
- Caitlin Fitzgerald (Portland Schwa) – It’s been a while since we’ve seen Fitzgerald lighting up the biggest stages, but it wasn’t that long ago that she was one of the rising stars in the women’s, and then mixed, divisions. Joining Schwa with Jesse Shofner should be enough energize anyone who’s a fan of women’s ultimate. Who doesn’t want to see two of the All-Star Tour athletes coming back together to bolster a storied program? Fitzgerald has been able to take over games in the past, but she’s now a savvy vet who can distribute the disc and make plays downfield in equal measures. On Schwa, she’ll have plenty of opportunities to play to her strengths and build momentum for the squad.
- Florence Dionne (Quebec Iris) – What if I told you last year’s block leader at Nationals is mostly known outside of that tournament as an offensive engine that can power her team to wins without touching the disc on the defensive end? Regardless of the role that Dionne is put in this year, Iris are better when she’s on the field. She was part of that Team Canada squad that almost edged out the US at World Games, so she’s used to the big stage and knows how to make plays when her team needs it most.
- Lia Schwartz (Boston Brute Squad) – After an injury sidelined her on the biggest stage last year, Schwartz became the talk of College Nationals this year as the focal point of a Tufts squad that was one clap catch shy of the final. Schwartz had an unfathomable 34 assists at that tournament, and you can bet she’ll be able to carry that over to the club season with the abundance of downfield talent on Boston’s roster. Schwartz is a 5’2″ cannon, and the rest of the nation is on blast.
Mixed Division
All eyes will be on the Aurora Sports Complex as the US Open unfolds this weekend – the first tournament to connect east, west, and central regions. It’s finally time to see exactly how all of these teams’ early seasons will shape up and what they will look like when not at a warmup tournament.
Hybrid Look for Three-peat
Within the past few seasons, we have seen a team demonstrate dominance in this division that hasn’t been seen since the 2013-15 dynasty era of Drag’n Thrust. Last year, #10 Ann Arbor Hybrid became the second mixed team to win back-to-back US Opens3, and proceeded to win the remainder of the Triple Crown Tour. Now, they are on the precipice of history with the opportunity to go for the three-peat. This season, the odds may be stacked against them, but let’s break it down.
Why They Will:
Say it with me now: “Anything can happen in the Mixed Division.” Just because Hybrid took seventh place at PEC East doesn’t mean they don’t have it in them to win out. We saw it last season after they dropped an early-season game that turned out to be the last game they’d lose all season. They have what it takes to win, not to mention the personnel on Hybrid remains strong. With WUCC on the horizon, expect them to turn it on for the first big tournament of their season.
Why They Won’t:
As I mentioned above, they placed seventh at PEC East. Not only did they lose to XIST in the quarterfinals, but they also lost to Sprocket in the fifth-place semis. Hybrid proved they’re fallible, beatable. As the reigning TCT champs, their opponents will likely bring their best game when facing them. On paper, they face an uphill battle, especially without Jon Mast on the roster4, but it’s one that they know well.
New Challengers
With previous front runner and powerhouse, Hybrid, showing signs of falter in their early season, it opens up doors for the chance of a new victor. No team has a perfect record, making it anyone’s game. #1 New York XIST are the clear favorites in this race. Their results so far this season speak for themselves, with their only loss for the season coming on universe, and their roster depth is just scary good.
Also in close pursuit are #2 Fort Collins shame., who’ve had their fair share of ups and downs at US Opens past, but like XIST and Hybrid, are looking to garner the best high-level reps they can as they look towards WUCC. The three of last year’s semifinalists5 had a good track record last season and, while they’ve faced their challenges this years, they know how to turn it on when they’re on a larger stage. Of course, one can never count out #8 Austin Disco Club, #3 Boston Slow, or #5 Minneapolis Drag’n Thrust. And, if you love an underdog, #9 Lexington Sprocket and #13 Durham Toro are the teams for you. Sprocket have faced some adversity already this year while this is Toro’s first tournament of the season, but both teams have the potential to pull off an upset or two.
Players to Watch
- Claire Lee (Minneapolis Drag’n Thrust) – Get ready for the Claire Lee Experience, because it’s gonna be quite something. Prepare to see many a well-placed huck and cheeky ingenuitive throw as well as her ability to go every-other when the time calls for it.
- Olivia Hampton (Boston Slow) – A long time veteran of the team, Olivia Hampton shows no signs of Slowing down6. With her persistent play-making, she’s bound to make a splash.
- Oliver Chartock (New York XIST) – One thing’s clear, Oliver Chartock is comfortable the end zone. He knows how to get there, get open, and make big plays in it. There’s a reason why he led XIST in goals last season and might just do so again this year.
- Tannor Johnson-Go (Boston Sprocket) – If there’s one player who his team can structure their offense around, it’s Tannor Johnson-Go. A true renaissance man, his shake and bake cuts combined with his big-brain throws make him so much fun to watch.
- Jess Sourbeer (DC Rally) – With a Sami Smalling sized hole in DC Rally’s systems, Jess Sourbeer might just be the best fit to fill it. Having come over from DC Scandal, her visionary throws and storied experience could be just the thing Rally need.
- Zeppelin Raunig (Seattle Mixtape) – We all remember where we were when we saw Zeppelin Raunig’s callahan on universe in the game-to-go to Nationals last year. This wunderkind is still making big plays, explosive everywhere he is on the field.
- Nathan Champoux (Ann Arbor Hybrid) – I could write a whole book on how Nathan “Skunk” Champoux’s defense is one of the best in the division. King of the bait, he teaches teams the hard way not to throw remotely near his vicinity.
- Austin Prucha (Durham Toro) – Having just won a Grand Masters Women’s Club Worlds gold medal with Wisconsin Bitter, Austin Prucha proved she’s still got it. An ever-reliable receiver, she’ll come down with any disc that comes her way.
