Taking a look at early contenders for the season's top individual honors.
September 17, 2026 by Edward Stephens in Awards, Opinion
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.
With Regionals weekends peeping out over the horizon, we think it’s time to look back at all the club ultimate that has been played so far in 2026 with an eye toward giving out some gleaming hardware. Our experts have crunched – and crunched, and crunched, and crunched, and crunched – the tape from one of the busiest and most filmed club regular seasons of all time to identify (and, at times, argue over) the individuals deserving of awards.
That work isn’t even half done, not for our experts, and not for the players. Nothing clarifies awards season like performances at Nationals, where all the brightest stars gather at once and the stakes are the highest. So don’t take anything you read after this as set in stone. This is more of a notebook-style peek at where our thoughts are in this moment.
A couple of ground rules before we get started:
- We limited the look-in to one player per team per category, which means that as good as Scandal’s offense has been, you won’t find three of their names listed in the OPotY section.
- Second, some players could be considered in multiple categories.
- Third, there are more names in consideration than the five slots we allot for this exercise, so if you don’t see your favorite player mentioned, that could be the reason.
- Fourth, some players – Raphy Hayes and Britt Dos Santos are well-known examples – have not played enough yet to make this preliminary list but certainly could launch themselves into contention.
- Finally, of those players who are listed, they’re listed in alphabetical order by last name, not by any other secret standard.
Oh, and we don’t have any idea yet about Coach of the Year. Call us after Nationals.
Let’s hop in.
Player of the Year
Player of the Year is our single most prestigious award, and perhaps the most nebulous. The only way to accurately describe it is by using a huge net to capture different measurements: quality of play, total overall impact, clutch ability, wow factor. The person who wins it each year combines those qualities in various proportions. In shorthand: Best.
Men’s Division
- Tobe Decraene (DiG)
- Daan De Marrée (Machine)
- Matt Gouchoe-Hanas (Ring of Fire)
- Mac Hecht (Revolver)
- John Randolph (PoNY)
Women’s Division
- Valeria Cárdenas (Molly Brown)
- Dena Elimelech (Fury)
- Amanda Murphy (Scandal)
- Levke Walczak (Brute Squad)
- Molly Wedge (6ixers)
Mixed Division
- Axel Agami Contreras (XIST)
- Tannor Johnson-Go (Sprocket)
- Rachel Mast (Hybrid)
- Lindsay McKenna (AMP)
- Erin Rea (Slow)
In the men’s division, John Randolph has taken a lead on the competition, playing both ways for PoNY and pulling them toward victory in virtually every way imaginable. He has been determination personified. That said, he isn’t a lock by any means, not with the others in the group – as well as at least one teammate, Sam Little — also making a case. Hecht’s argument this year is the same as last: beautifully leading the most balanced offense in the game. Tobe Decraene continues to flourish even as he rapidly matures for DiG. Daan De Marrée on most days looks like the preeminent overall talent in the world. A dark horse? Ring of Fire’s Matt Gouchoe-Hanas, who has elevated his game from reliable fringe All-Club candidate to one of the most gravitational forces in the sport. (See: his Pro Champs performance.)
A pair of familiar names lead the charge in the women’s division, where both Levke Walczak and Valeria Cárdenas are having magnificent campaigns. (Both are fighting teammates for top honors, as well.) A third familiar 2020s name, though, is missing from the board: Claire Trop has been working through some injury issues limiting her play. We choose Amanda Murphy from among several more or less equally worthy Scandal stars to be the team’s representative in Trop’s place – and Beans has been playing lights out to deserve it. Picking a player on Fury is never easy, but Dena Elimelech is making the most convincing case at present. Molly Wedge is a longer shot for 6ixers, but based on her WUCC play, she’s cooking, and if 6ixers go on a run in San Diego, she could be in some conversations.
Mixed fans won’t blink to see Rachel Mast, the 2025 PotY, right back in the thick of it in 2026. She has been sensational. The award is hardly a foregone conclusion, though, especially considering the competition. Tannor Johnson-Go continues his furious onslaught at the head of the Sprocket offense. If they can get to Nationals ahead of Slow or XIST, look for him to rank highly in our end-of-season plaudits. Speaking of XIST and Slow, they both have multiple viable candidates at this point. We put on a blindfold and selected Axel Agami Contreras and Erin Rea from among four equally worthy suitors for the PotY hardware from each side. Breaking out of the Northeast (but not too far) is a familiar name on a familiar program: AMP’s Lindsay McKenna, whose push at the head of the team has helped bring them back to (almost) their former heights.
Offensive Player of the Year
OPotY might be the most exciting award across all three divisions given the number of players operating at a high level who would have been unthinkable here a year ago. Only three of the 15 players on this list – Robyn Fennig, Dalton Smith, and Christian Boxley – are “returners” to the conversation.
Men’s Division
- Peter Boerth (DiG)
- Christian Boxley (Truck Stop)
- Nate De Morgan (Sub Zero)
- Sam Grossberg (Pacmen)
- Jordan Kerr (Johnny Bravo)
Women’s Division
- Quincy Booth (Flight)
- Emily Decker (Riot)
- Kanari Imanishi (Fury)
- Sami Smalling (Scandal)
- Trout Weybright (Schwa)
Mixed Division
- Emily Barrett (XIST)
- Jaime Estes (Disco Club)
- Robyn Fennig (Tower)
- Evan Magsig (Polar Bears)
- Dalton Smith (Hybrid)
Let’s start the discussion in mixed. Fennig is the backbone of Tower’s attack, and they are the best they’ve ever been. Despite what you might hear from the pundits on Deep Look, Smith has slotted in seamlessly for the injured Jon Mast in Hybrid’s quest for a third consecutive title. (Both Fennig and Smith, though, could be bumped off by other high-performing O-liners on their own team.) Magsig has been instrumental for a Polar Bears team bouncing back into extreme relevance. Barrett, in her return from injury, has been a comet for XIST. And let us start right here and now a petition concerning the most important issue facing our sport today: DISCO CLUB! MOVE JAIME ESTES PERMANENTLY TO O-LINE! We’ll have a million signatures by noon.
Unlike in mixed, there is a current favorite in the women’s division: Sami Smalling. Everything that was already great about Scandal has fallen even more in line under her guidance since coming over from Rally. That said, there are plenty of aspirants clamoring in her wake, just waiting for the Big Stage of San Diego. Imanishi was tremendous enough at WUCC for Fury in the connective role (though she has plenty of competition from the likes of the ageless Anna Nazarov and Maggie Ruden, among others) to end up on the pre-list. Emily Decker has emerged as a turn-and-shoot wonder to keep Riot aiming at the end zone at all times. And a pair of college stars, Quincy Booth (playing elite club ultimate for the first time in years) and Trout Weybright, have proven more than ready to tackle post-college frisbee.
Christian Boxley is as liquid as ever for Truck Stop and remains one of the trickiest covers in the game. The other leading men’s division candidates are somewhat less established on the scene. Kerr has been a monster goal-scorer in his first tour with Johnny Bravo. Peter Boerth might be the finest overall offensive talent on a blistering DiG O-line. Meanwhile youngsters Sam Grossberg and Nate De Morgan are proving capable beyond their years as the focal points of the Pacmen and Sub Zero attacks, respectively. Those two are long shots for the award at this point, but they fact that we’re even talking about them here is remarkable.
Defensive Player of the Year
There’s no accounting for taste when it comes to judging good defense, and the best statistical measure is an absence of statistics from the other team, which means it can be hard to count. Nevertheless, plenty of players have done enough to turn heads in the early going.
Men’s Division
- Louis Betrancourt (Truck Stop)
- Jeff Gao (Machine)
- Scott Heyman (PoNY)
- Cam Lacy (Sub Zero)
- Jason Vallee (Revolver)
Women’s Division
- Rvee Brillantes (Traffic)
- Emily Kemp (Brute Squad)
- Aurora Lešnik (Molly Brown)
- Mary Rippe (Scandal)
- Kaitlynne Roling (Fury)
Mixed Division
- Claire Bidigaire-Curtis (Toro)
- Abby Cheng (XIST)
- Gus Haflin (Slow)
- Lili Hobday (Hybrid)
- Cole Wallin (shame.)
Kaitlynne Roling continues to set a furious tone in her second season with Fury; she has been a top defensive player in women’s from the moment she transferred from mixed. Mary Rippe is having a ripping comeback year for Scandal, reaching above and beyond the the heights of Phoenix’s 2021 heyday – and in at least one writer’s opinion has been far and away the best defender for a defensively stacked World Champion side. Molly Brown have one hell of a block-getting athlete – and puller – in Lešnik. Emily Kemp, meanwhile, is busy punishing anyone unlucky enough to try to get open on her in tight quarters for Brute Squad. Brute, Fury, Scandal, and Molly Brown all have other deserving candidates, and there are a few more from the Nationals tier as well. One of those is the electric Rvee Brillantes, making the most of her first season with Traffic and garnering plenty of attention. It’s a wide open race.
Mixed is somewhat more set, with typically elite performances from both XIST’s Abby Cheng and Toro’s Claire Bidigare-Curtis. Between run-throughs (Cheng) and deep blocks (Bidigare-Curtis) they blanket the field nicely. New to the conversation – at least in this division – is Slow’s Gus Haflin, as technically sound a layer-outer as you’ll ever see. He’s already reaping plenty of blocks for Slow. Neither Hybrid’s Lily Hobday nor shame.’s Cole Wallin are new names, but both of them have taken massive steps forward in 2026 and have proven geniuses at shutting down resets. Hobday’s position on this list, of course, is threatened by the heroics of teammate Eileen Bequette, but both are comfortably in the mix.
Some new talent has injected drama into the men’s division race: Louis Betrancourt (Truck Stop) and Cam Lacy (Sub Zero), both playing high-level US club for the first time, have been nothing short of sensational, defensive savants both of them. Swinging to the other side: Machine’s Jeff Gao, who has been a linchpin for the team for years and is, arguably, having his best season. Likewise, another pair of aces on contenders – Revolver’s Jason Vallee and PoNY’s Scott Heyman – have been putting in phenomenal work all season long that is paying off in big spots and big results.
Breakout Player of the Year
Notoriously difficult to zero in on, the BPotY candidate list can be a contentious one to put together. Should older players be allowed? What about comeback seasons? How broken out is too broken out? Heck, in a category we have arbitrarily restricted to players aged 25 or under, it’s difficult even to learn the ages of the players. So give us some grace and take a look at the spirit of the award: to highlight up-and-coming players who will likely be very good in club for many years to come.
Men’s Division
- Callahan Bosworth (Rhino Slam!)
- Cedar Hines (Sockeye)
- Gordon Larson (Sub Zero)
- Stefan McCall (Chain Lightning)
- Nanda Min-Fink (Johnny Bravo)
Women’s Division
- Mara Hindery-Glasinovic (Schwa)
- Simone Pierotti (Molly Brown)
- Annabel White (Brute Squad)
- Violet Yap (Nightlock)
- Chip Yen (Flipside)
Mixed Division
- Advika Basden (Disco Club)
- Sam Goldstein (shame.)
- Ocean Hines (Mixtape)
- Kelsi Mallany (Union)
- Ethan Ruh (Rally)
Have you been wondering where all the Rhino Slam! players are? Honestly, a lot of them haven’t spent enough time on the field in 2026 to qualify even for an unofficial watchlist despite their talent level. Except in this category. Rhino are bursting at the seams with breakout performances, partially thanks to the playing opportunities afforded by the established players’ spotty attendance. We could have just as easily gone with Alex Hall-Witt or Chander Boyd-Fliegel, but we picked Callahan Bosworth, whose rompings for their O-line in 2026 have assumed Jurassic proportions. Sub Zero similarly have several candidates to pick from, so we choose to shine the spotlight on Gordon Larson’s massive step forward this season. Cedar Hines is well-known enough, but if he has ever played as well as he’s doing now for Sockeye, we haven’t seen it. Finally, hats off to two young stars who have barreled their way into feature roles: Chain Lightning’s Stef McCall and Johnny Bravo’s Nanda Min-Fink.
Looking at the mixed division ahead of Nationals, Ethan Ruh of Rally simply has to be among the award’s frontrunners. Another obvious choice is Disco Club’s multi-disciplinary rock Advika Basden (although her slightly flashier teammate Myles Armstrong is also in consideration). Sam Goldstein of shame. is having his best season to date, and a big Nationals could push him over the hump. Same story for Ocean Hines, one of Mixtape’s top contributors – but he and his team will need to punch their ticket to San Diego first. Finally, way off the radar, keep an eye out for the talent on Union, who may finally be putting together the full season to back up their promise. One of the sharpest points of their attack is Kelsi Mallany. If they make any kind of noise, look for Mallany or one of her teammates to crash the podium.
The women’s division likewise has perhaps one surefire candidate: Nightlock’s Violet Yap. Her energy on the field stands out like an exclamation point. Another safe bet is Annabel White, not too far removed from a breakout performance in the college division and now having a wrecking ball summer for Brute Squad. Schwa’s Mara Hindery-Glasinovic lit up the scoreboard at the US Open, and anything like that performance at Nationals will vault her into prime consideration. Flipside’s Chip Yen has been impressive enough to stand alongside peers like the somewhat more known Sabrina Belkin. Finally, Simone Pierotti, who just finished her best season for Colorado, is in the midst of putting together what is her best season for Molly Brown.
