Stars from both the PUL and WUL came to play in the second annual showcase.
August 29, 2026 by Alex Rubin in Recap
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MADISON, Wisc. – In front of a loud and engaged crowd, All-Stars from the Premier Ultimate League and Western Ultimate League competed at Breese Stevens Field in their now-annual showcase event. The PUL won the showcase 20-18, and fans watching in the stadium and live on YouTube felt like winners after getting to see plenty of highlights during a beautiful late summer afternoon.
For two leagues who other than this game keep to themselves and play shorter seasons, this competition was a unique way to bring together a group of players who might know about each other but who have not gotten the chance to share the field as teammates.
“I loved being able to play with players who I’ve played against a lot,” Indy Red’s Risa Umeno said. “It was amazing because they’re all so good. I could just trust them. I didn’t have to do anything too hard or overwork. I know that I had someone there for me.”
Both teams had been building up to this moment for months. With their seasons over in June and rosters for this game announced nearly a month ago, each team had been communicating for weeks to get ready for this spotlight event. “We had a GroupMe where we did some introductions,” Umeno shared. “I really appreciated that the coaches would email us with a lot of different logistics, and with things they wanted us to do. They said, ‘we trust you, we don’t do anything too complicated because we’re obviously meeting for the first time.’ We practiced once right before the actual game.”
The WUL controlled the run of play through the first quarter, starting the game by forcing a grinding, four-minute hold from the PUL All-Stars before scoring themselves in just over a minute. In a hybrid ruleset, pulls started 20 yards in front of the end zone (like in the UFA) and the WUL’s Robyn Fennig consistently put the PUL in their own end zone with towering and accurate kickoffs.
The All-Star game is not just for players but also for top coaches. Raye Yang and Jonathan “Goose” Helton helmed the WUL team and called a key timeout at the end of the first quarter to extend the early WUL lead. Abbie Davis blocked Quincy Booth’s huck to Emily Cohen, and with just over a minute left, the WUL sideline called a timeout looking to reset the team before the counterattack. The WUL team kept the disc moving as time ran out. Haley Bollier made an incredible play along the sideline, grabbing a low disc that had been tipped just a few feet in front of her by Davis. After getting the disc to Kennedy McCarthy, Bollier burst deep, sprinting into the end zone for a layout grab that closed the quarter with the WUL up 5-3.
There was not much time for the PUL to settle in. “It’s so interesting because you have to be able to compete right then and there,” Philadelphia Surge’s Lindsay McKenna said after the game. “Club is such a build, you’re trying to peak at the right time and grow as a program and a community but in pro you better get out there and you better ball out, so being able to play in this experience with such phenomenal athletes from all of the other cities was a really special experience. “
The PUL found their footing in the second quarter, taking advantage of some misplaced hucks from the WUL squad. McKenna powered past even the best defenders, commanding the field among star studded rosters. The PUL rode a three-goal run at the start of the second quarter to tie the game at six apiece.
Towards the end of the first half, the PUL pressed their advantage even further. Following a few more throwing miscues from the WUL handlers, the PUL counterattack valued possession of the disc. The WUL defense set up a bracket on the front of the PUL’s vertical stack, but Dena Elimelech and Rachel Mast churned cuts through the poaches and worked the disc around the bracket to find space near the end zone. Riding a separate four-goal run that spanned the better part of the second quarter, the PUL built a 10-8 lead.
With athletes like Eileen Bequette and McKenna dominating downfield, handlers like Grace Conorly, Booth, and Jackie Wang got the opportunity to launch hucks that might not have been green-lit in a more competitive environment but were the perfect fits for this moment, and what could have been a WUL blowout quickly became a competitive contest.
Taking a page out of the PUL playbook, Nina Finley launched a huck just before halftime that Kennedy McCarthy ripped out of the sky to set up an easy score and bring the game within a one goal margin. The WUL followed that up with a zone look that forced a low blade from McKenna that hit the turf and earned the western team a key end of half break chance. After time ran out, the WUL clinched the last possession and a chance to tie the game. Facing a high stall count, Kaitlyn Weaver lifted a disc towards the middle of the field but Risa Umeno read the play right to preserve the PUL’s 10-9 lead heading into the halftime break.
The second half started with some excitement, as Roling burst from the downfield area into the line of scrimmage to poach block a cross field reset. She kept running all the way to the end zone and caught the game tying goal from Abby Thorpe. The PUL answered right back with a lofted huck from Booth to Bequette. The action went back and forth and highlights were plentiful with Roling blocking another pass and corralling another huck, Bequette printing a poster with skying huck grabs, Abby Davis sprinting all the way up the field to block what should have been a simple end zone flip, and then later reading a huck well enough to run past a pile of bodies and track down a floating disc after everybody else jumped. Both teams showed up with their best efforts and put on a show for the fans who made the midday trip to Madison.
The PUL started to pull away in the third quarter, scoring five straight goals to take a 12-13 deficit and turn it into a 17-13 lead. The consistency of McKenna, Booth, Bequette, and Elimelech (not to mention their collective height) helped the PUL convert the break chances that the WUL All-Stars offered. The PUL converted 11 of their 19 break chances while the WUL just managed eight scores out of their 21 opportunities.
“The stall seven was a really difficult adjustment for us coming from the PUL,” McKenna said, “especially because our season has been over for a while and we’ve been used to playing in the USA Ultimate ruleset with ten seconds. So we were getting adjusted to that and making sure our timing was productive. We also introduced a saggy junk set zone and we sent waves defending the handlers pretty tight and setting a diamond downfield for a couple passes to throw off the pull play and we have really intelligent people with really high field IQ who were able to read lines and cut into spaces and really stifle the progress of the WUL.”
As more fans piled in and started to cheer for their home league, the PUL extended their lead through the fourth quarter. Fans from three of the four UFA Championship Weekend participants plus local fans of Milwaukee all have teams in their home cities from the PUL, giving the east coast and central league a bit of a home field advantage. In an incredible display of defensive aptitude, the PUL held the WUL scoreless for a full quarter, from 5:51 remaining in the third quarter when the WUL scored their 13th goal until 5:40 remaining in the fourth quarter when they got their 14th. In the interim, the PUL scored seven in a row to take a commanding lead.
The PUL found the right balance between putting together a fun showcase of highlight ultimate while also taking the game seriously and playing technically sound ultimate. The team also focused on balancing selflessness and strength. “All-Star teams are comprised of the best players from their actual teams,” McKenna said. “So when you get to a field when everyone is used to being the person and solving all the problems it can get a little bit clustery…so it’s about finding the moments to clear space for somebody else, but I also know when it’s my turn to step up and shine.”
The WUL made a late comeback, with Roling and Fennig earning some critical blocks, and Thorpe placing a leading hammer to a diving Eifert for a highlight play. Unfortunately the comeback came a bit too late, and the PUL ran out the clock to preserve their 20-18 win.
Aside from the stellar play on the field, both teams created a welcoming environment off the field that helped make the showcase special. “I love doing cheers and bringing glitter,” Umeno said, “and I loved to see the buy-in.” With players and fans chanting “A-L-L” “P-U-L” and players eager to take selfies together on the sideline, it genuinely felt like the team had been playing together for more than just a day.
As both leagues continue to grow and develop, hopefully there will be even more chances for collaboration and more opportunities like this one to showcase the fantastic athletes and competitors who play in both the PUL and WUL.
