Who are the best players in the Northwest region? This is an open thread to discuss All-Region nominations, All-Freshman nominations, coaching awards, and more. Stay positive and keep it civil.
As has been the case consistently for the past few years, there are too many good players in the region for them all to get the acknowledgement they deserve. Only four of last year’s 14 all-region players graduated and a number of players have stepped up their games. Here’s a few quick thoughts:
UBC:
Mira Donaldson*
Victoria McCann
Kate Scarth*
Naomi Morcilla
Ellen Au-Yeung
Oregon:
Jesse Shofner*
Bethany Kaylor*
Olivia Bartruff
Ella Hansen
Hayley Wahlroos*
Alex Ode*
Whitman:
Nina Finley
Claire Revere
Ari Lozano
Margo Heffron*
Alissa Soo
Linnea Soo
Alex Hardesty
Western:
Maddie Gilbert
Abbie Abromovich*
Jessie Thoreson
Tiff Phan
Ariel Edwards
Uvic:
Corinne Dunwoody*
Naomi Redmond*
That’s 25 players who would all be deserving all-region players and doesn’t include UW, Oregon State or any other players in the region. Yikes.
First Team:
UBC:
Mira Donaldson
Ellen Au-Yeung
Kate Scarth
Oregon:
Jesse Shofner
Bethany Kaylor
Hayley Wahlroos
Whitman:
Claire Revere
UW:
Nora Landri
Cami Canter
WWU:
Maddie Gilbert
Abbie Abromovich
Jessie Thoreson
Second Team:
UBC:
jersey number is 5
Oregon;
Ella Hansen - She stepped up big when Ode and Wahlroos were injured.
Alex Ode
Olivia Bartruff
Whitman:
Nina Finley
Ari Lozano
Margo Heffron
Alex Hardesty
Soo Sisters
WWU:
Tiffany Phan
FOTY:
Sophie J. (UW)
Samiya Ismael (WWU)
I’ll chip in some names from OSU: I don’t think that our OSU players have the name recognition of some of the top talent on other teams, but they deserve to. I’d keep an eye on these ladies, all of whom will be returning for the Dinos next year. This young team with a surprising amount of talent will definitely be looking to make their mark next season.
Rachel Kalnbach: Rachel is a junior captain who has been a dominant force on the team since the first day of her freshman year. With her huge throws, great composure, quick movement and effortless breaks she is our most well rounded handler, but she’s also our most dominant cutter. If you saw any of her two dozen layout Ds or run-through catches these past two weekends, or how she shut down some of the best players in women’s ultimate, I don’t have to tell you what a defensive menace she is.
Kaya Trepp: Kaya is a sophomore, and is one of the most experienced and analytical players on the team. She plays almost every point and throws about half of the goals we score. She’s got big throws, consistent breaks, and isn’t afraid to pull out a hammer into the endzone. She also gets a lot of sneaky poach Ds because she’d got great field sense.
Molly Buermeyer: Molly is a sophomore whose poise as a handler is more often seen in seasoned club vets. She almost never turns the disc, and I don’t think I have ever seen her flustered or pressured. She can break just about any mark, and her throws have incredible touch whether they are 7 or 70 yards. Although she’s not particularly tall she is a fantastic deep defender with great closing speed. She is a master at baiting the thrower and comes up with the disc, seemly out of nowhere, at least 3-4 times per game.
Sam Rodenberg: Sam is a grad student hailing from Wisconsin who we were lucky enough to pick up this year. (She got plenty of eligibility left!) She’s an incredible athlete and you may have seen her streaking deep, laying out, or coming down with every 50/50 (or 25/75) disc. Her speed and stamina are hard to match and make her a force on both O and D. But her most distinctive trait is an incredible high release flick with a range of about 60 yards. It’s a throw I’ve never seen used so consistently to such good effect; she can basically throw it anywhere on the field regardless of the mark.
Kate Ullman
OSU Women’s Coach