July 30, 2026 by Laura Osterlund and Josh Katz in Preview
Ultiworld’s coverage of the 2026 Youth Club Championships 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.
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 – August 2
- Location: Aurora, Colorado
- Weather: Mostly sunny with highs in the mid-90s, touching 100 degrees on Sunday for the finals
- USAU Schedule & Results
- Ultiworld Event Page
Streaming Schedule
All times are MT.
Mixed Division
Despite a smaller field – 13 teams marks a pretty big decrease from 20, 19, and 16 over the past three years – the U20 Mixed Division still has a variety of compelling teams with strong cores.
A Second Straight Shot at a Championship
Last year’s champs, Minnesota Superior, have a real shot at winning back-to-back titles. Despite losing Mia Fischer, Ally Adair, Danny Hobday, Joe Lodahl, and Walter Hipps, Minnesota’s youth program is strong enough to keep the solid contenders coming. Hannah Kummrow, Wyatt Kessler, and Kaelani Hoyt all return, and Samantha Flynn-Rollin, Eleanor Moors, and Lydia Jorgenson come aboard to round out the roster.
The team Superior topped in the 2025 final, Philadelphia Forge, have the potential to once again be hot on Superior’s heels. Despite losing Lilly Hodges and Andrew Mennig, Ryan Markey and Moira Loughrey will no doubt hold down the fort for the Pennsylvania outlet. Virginia Vanguard also looks quite scary this season. Having already played and beaten several mixed youth teams, as well as some adult ones, they’re going to want to cause a commotion. Leading the charge will be Ellie Cymrot, the U20 national team star who will look to repeat the double-double she put in at last year’s tournament, and Zane Mott, who will once again likely be a goal-scoring machine. Although they lose Thomas Pearson, who put up a whopping 42 assists last year, Vanguard will be one to look out for.
Not Everyone Wants a Rematch
Of course, we’d be remiss not to mention Seattle Seven Hills. We can count on a still strong showing from the team from the world’s largest hub of youth ultimate, and they have a pair of national teamers in Suriya Sethi and Noah Malla, as well as returners Ava Furtado and Helen Golden, and Julia Coco coming over from last year’s Girl’s Division champions.
And who doesn’t like some underdogs? Madison MUFAbots have been steadily climbing as an overall program. Turner Booth, Mika Stockner, Connor Roth, and Nora Zelinka will be the seasoned veterans this year, revving up to make some big moves. Kentucky Koi is a good bet to score an upset or two, despite being the No.7 seed. While technically a new team this year, Lexington, Kentucky sent out a similar iteration last year as Khalm and a few years back as Pi+, who made finals two years in a row and won in 2022. Carter Malott and Catherine Blair now headline this team, as well as others from HSNI powerhouse Holy Family Catholic.
Finally, DC Swing Vote and Dallas Nightfall could also cause some chaos if they get the chance, and Vermont Equinox features a number of All-State selections, led by U20 National Team selection Evan Benoit, including Vera Finkenzeller, Amelia Laporte, and Riley Copans.
Boy’s Division
SmOAK Heads up the Contenders
Oakland SmOAK are the reigning champions and the top seed this weekend. Last year’s top scorers have all graduated (and gone on to immediate success in the college ranks), but SmOAK still have plenty of talent and are easily capable of going back-to-back. Muhammad Awais, Jasper Graf, and Hugo Tsai just led Albany (CA) to an HSNI title. Awais also just earned a silver medal at WJUC, as did Eliseo Vaquerano, Lane Mires, and Son Mai-Clark. Albany was the favorite at HSNI and backed it up: why can’t SmOAK make it two-for-two for the California kids?
Rounding out the top seeds are Nashville Villains, Boston BUDA, and Colorado Cutthroat. Most of Villains’ top players from last year have aged out, but Dane Gore, Freeman Plewniak, Nathan Rainey, and Zach Hamilton played well last summer and should be ready to step into larger roles this weekend for one of last year’s semis teams.
Max Coe and Arnav Manchala put on a show for Lexington (MA) at HSNI, especially with their collective double-double against Columbia (NJ), where Coe scored 10 goals and Manchala threw 10 assists. Coe also posted a double-double at YCCs last summer and just won gold at WJUC in the mixed division, putting him squarely on the shortlist for YCC MVP and giving BUDA a star to build around in pursuit of a YCC title.
Cutthroat’s Finn Thaler tied for third in goals at last year’s YCCs (20) and already has a silver medal this summer from WJUC. He and Evan Carlson should do a lot of scoring for Cutthroat, though they’ll need a new star handler to step up (Simon Logan and his 27 assists are now playing for Colorado Mamabird).
Seattle’s famed youth scene always pushes out talent, and this year’s edition of Seattle Seven Hills is no exception. Kai Sherman, Marcus Kwan, Solomon Toledo, and Jack Lawson all impressed at HSNI: Sherman for Lincoln (WA) and the others for Roosevelt (WA). Jonah Yang and Tanner Monohan were each in Logroño for WJUC, where Yang won gold and Monohan took home a silver medal.
No Shortage of Challengers
It’s been a while since the famed New Jersey DEVYL program reached the later stages of YCCs, but the comeback could start as soon as this year. Thomas Cogan-Drew, Simon Collins-Siegel, and Nate Gold turned heads with their play for Columbia at HSNI, and Ellis Kohn did the same with Brooklyn Tech (NY). On a roster without much international experience and with plenty of turnover from last year (just seven returners), that quartet could be at the core of the Jersey resurgence.
There’s another Grossberg on the way: it’s Jonah’s turn to shine, following in the footsteps of elder brothers Adam and Sam to lead Philadelphia SEPDA. The Philly squad was just two points away from going back-to-back as YCC champions and has made semis in each of the last three years, so there’s plenty of programmatic legacy on the line. And finishing up the top eight seeds is Triangle Triforce, who are led by WJUC gold medalist Henry Mullen and last year’s box score stuffer James Wang (8G/1A/4D).
Texas United’s George Gust has impressed for the UFA’s Austin Sol, appearing in 10 games and scoring 13 goals. Alongside WJUC selection Bodhi Weston, Texas are a sleeper team with tons of upset potential.
Blake Holt’s throwing talent was nearly enough to carry Green Canyon (UT) to an HSNI title, and he’s back at YCCs for Utah Swarm. He led the Boys Division with 34 assists last summer: what’s in store for his next dazzling display?
Lakeside (GA) came up short in semis at HSNI, but it wasn’t for lack of effort from Sawyer Morgan and Sam Shapiro, who each starred for the Georgia school. They’ll try to pull off a similar feat for Atlanta ATLiens.
Girl’s Division
The Big Three
The U20 girls division has three main title contenders this year: Superior, Seven Hills, and Downpour. Reigning champions, Seven Hills, have taken a massive hit, losing Chloe and Vivian Hakimi. However, as those familiar with the youth scene know, Seattle’s is one of the strongest in the nation, constantly churning out high-caliber players. Two such players are Nora Luloff and Lily DiGioia, both of whom will be commanding the Seattle Seven Hills offense.
Staying on the northwest side of the country, last year’s finalists, Oregon Downpour, once again look like the challengers they have always been. While losing Ollie Bunson and Asa Kimball, they still have Kyla Hurt and Dana Hermann as masterful disc-movers, as well as Sonja Dorsch as a stand-out receiver, not to mention Eva Armstrong, the young standout from Portland.
Moving eastward, last year’s semifinalists, Minnesota Superior, look like another strong challenger for the title, especially after several of their players are fresh off of a High School National Invite win with Washburn. Star Kumari Okamura headlines the Minnesota squad with athletic plays; meanwhile, Washburn’s Charlotte Eskola and Riley Gage, and U20 World’s Haley Chau remain ever-consistent to make good things happen.
Upstarts in the Field
While these three teams remain the favorites, Amherst Valley Ultimate remain in contention, with the likes of Alysha Parshall-Matylas as an overall playmaker and Sylvia Guillaume as a distributor. Oakland OAK Embers, with big expected contributions by Nora Drat and Rani Millstein, and a Violet Yap-led California Current, both should not be counted out.
Some other programs we are used to seeing contend will be presenting new potential stars. With young rosters, they’ll look to their few connective returners to be anchor points. Philadelphia Phang, a semifinalist last year, has a lot of new faces, but Annika Dillon’s return should help keep them in the mix. Atlanta cATLanta will key of Dru Jeckewicz, who notched 22 scores at last year’s YCCs. Lily Brooks, fresh off a trip to WJUC, will get heavy touches for North Carolina Warhawks after posting a near triple-double (nine goals, 18 assists, and 10 blocks) for the U17 Kitty Hawks last year.
