Who are the best players in the Ohio Valley region? This is an open thread to discuss All-Region nominations, All-Freshman nominations, coaching awards, and more. Stay positive and keep it civil.
Need to make sure it’s said. Sadie Jezierski from Ohio State should be All-Region. Few players that I have seen dominate a game the way she can.
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Nominations for All Region:
Ohio State: Sadie Jezierski, Cara Sieber, Stephanie Miller.
Pitt: Carolyn Normile, Linda Morse, Katie Schreiber
West Chester: Hannah Short, Danielle Byers, Liz Hart
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Ohio State: Sadie Jezierski, Mary Turner, Stephanie Miller, Caitlin Duffner
Pitt: Carolyn Normile, Linda Morse, Pagano, Russek
Cincinnati: Maddie Samson, Hayley Samson, Kelsey Gibboney
All-Frosh: Jessie Sun (ROTY), Maddie Samson, Hayley Samson, Cara Sieber
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Corinn Pruitt for Ohio state.
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Jess here from PSU.
Penn State:
-I think Amel Awadelkarim deserves the most amazing award in our region aka all region because she can be seen dancing all over the field on offense, defense, and the sideline. Not only is she incredibly fast with insane endurance to play most points of a tournament, her field awareness is unmatched and her in-the-air abilities are a force to be reckoned with. She can get open in any match up and I have yet to see someone who can shut her down. Her hucks can only be compared to Carolyn Normile in the entire region and her squirrelly handler style sets her apart from the rest. I can’t argue for her enough. Her energy and positivity alone are incredible and in all my 6 years of ultimate are unparalleled. Peep her at U24 tryouts this summer and on Green Means Go the Philadelphia team.
-Myranda Armstrong is the best piston/shark in zone defense out there and she shows it by consistently getting Ds; she deserves the nod.
-Blake Ashley Ratner, a senior and captain, who has shown grit and and dedication to the team is gifted on the field and off. She also deserves a nod.
Pitt:
Carolyn is obviously amazing, I don’t think her throws change in the wind. Cat Pagano rarely makes a bad decision, Linda Morse is a machine, Meghan MacGivilray is a crazy cutter, and Katie Cleveland is the definition of reliable.
Westchester:
Hannah Short is extremely talented and should be given a nod. Also, Liz is unmatched in the air and should also be given a nod.
Ohio State:
Overall has really great defensive lines, but Sadie comes out of nowhere. Alaine Wetli aka Shakes is a straight up tank. The combination of brute force and great throws just adds to Ohio State’s defensive prowess. Both deserve a nod.
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Hi! My name is Amel. This is my fifth year on Penn State. I know Pennsylvania pretty well so I’ll just comment on the all-stars from my neck of the woods.
PSU
Myranda Armstrong: She is arguably the most important player for our team next year. Her skills have extremely matured since her freshman year (she’s a junior), and she is probably the most trustworthy person with the disc. You can catch her sacrificing the bod to save the possession. Central to team culture and energy. Loving teammate, and puts her soul onto the field.
Maya Karl: This is Maya’s second year playing ultimate, and I’ve never seen anyone understand the field so fast. She is always doing the right thing. She prefers to cut (it’s her best role) but don’t think she’s a one trick pony. She’s got hucks, hammers, break throws…did I mention this is her second year?
Jessica Sourbeer: Okay listen up people. Jessica Sourbeer NEEDS to be freshman of the year. Hands down. Not only that, but she qualifies for All Region too, in my opinion. Obviously she’s a freshman right now, but she is one of the top three best players on PSU. Top three best players, not just of the freshmen. She’s a central handler, a wise mid defender behind the cup, and when she’s on, she’s just unstoppable. At sectionals, I watched her put our team ON HER BACK in a close game against UPenn. You heard right: Jess, a freshman, carried our team to victory. I admire this girl and she is 4 years my junior. This girl is FOTY to her core, and deserves the all region nod.
West Chester
Liz Hart: This girl is a freak athlete. I’ve been posterized like 7 times in the past two weeks by her. You simply can’t stop her on a deep ball, even if it’s a fifty-fifty shot. West Chester operates by sending Liz deep, and it’s a game plan that rarely fails.
Danielle Byers: Also freak athlete but can be seen handling too. Very complete player with high ultimate IQ.
Lindsay McKenna: Lindsay has really developed her game this summer and has come back as a central handler for WC. She has dime hucks and is super athletic back field.
Pitt
Linda Morse: Fucking workhorse. She can fill in any position that is required of her with ease. SKY CITY: Linda gets up huuuge.
Carolyn Normile: Her throws do not (I repeat, DO NOT) change in unpleasant weather. She’s unbelievably fast, in her legs and her mind, it’s insane. Takes the shots that need to be taken. Premier handler.
UPenn
Anna Thompson: UPenn couldn’t field a large enough roster to attend regionals this weekend, but they earned a bid on the back of Anna Thompson. There are few handlers who get as scrappy as this girl, getting layout ds in tight spaces. Anna is a superstar. Catch her at U24 tryouts this June 
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My name is Myranda and I’m on Penn State. I’m a junior and have also gotten to know some of the OVR players. Here’s what I got:
PSU:
Amel Awadelkarim
Obviously. Since I started playing Amel has been my greatest role model. She’s extremely field smart, an incredible athlete, and very trustworthy with the disc. She gives 110% ALL of the time and has a passion for the game and the team. She dives for discs, has huge ups, and can read a disc like no other (she goes to the library!) Along with being great on the field, she is always an up-beat, positive, and loud sideline presence. She deserves the highest of awards (peep her @ U24 tryouts this summer!!)
Blake Ratner
In the years I’ve played with Blake, she has improved immensely. She has ups, amazing hucks, and is a great central handler. She is also captain this year and has led a very young group of players through some tough games and tournaments.
Jess Sourbeer
HUNDO P deserves FOTY. As a freshman, Jess has been a key player on this team and is easily in the top 3 players. She has great throws and cuts and is very confident with the disc. She’s a quick, smart player and is no doubt going to be a great leader to this team.
West Chester:
Liz Hart
PITT:
Carolyn Normille, Linda Morse
Ohio:
Sadie
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I’m Marc Stachowski (aka “Doc”), head coach of West Chester. West Chester is new on the scene so I’ll introduce the players who put in an extraordinary amount of work to push the program into relevancy. And also, players from other programs that have caught my eye from conference and regional play. You’ll have to forgive the hyperbolic tenor I use to describe my players, but I’m just so proud of what they’ve done.
In reverse order of remaining eligibility:
Hannah Short (#27) Graduating Sr.: A tenacious handler and defender with great hands, great throws and a great team attitude, Hannah’s impact on the team has been tremendous this year. She is the anchor of the backfield and her multiple release point backhand is her main weapon. Great agility and both the willingness and ability to bid on O and D round out this great all-around player and leader.
Danielle Byers (#7) Sr.: A tireless worker on and off the field, Danielle has used her tremendous desire for excellence to transform her game from speedy vertical cutter to great all around player who can beat you with her feet and her throws. She can sky, and she can drop dimes from any angle and distance. She is a fierce competitor and battles hard through every point and always challenges herself to mark the best player on the opponent’s team. Her absolute devotion to the sport and the team is peerless. She is one of the driving forces behind the recent surge in WCU success. Relentless.
Mallory Drake (#15) Sr.: This smooth running speedy lefty just glides around the field snaring discs and flinging backhand bombs. A cross country runner before she found ultimate, Mallory may not be as fast as some of her teammates, but she can maintain her speed for uncanny and uncomfortable (for her opponents) amounts of time. Every opponent turnover she is using her tireless legs to stretch the field and look for fast break opportunities. She can also fill in as a very capable handler with a nice variety of lefty release points up her sleeve.
Liz Hart (#8) Jr.: A freak athlete with amazing speed and ups, Liz presents an imposing target downfield. At 5’8” with long arms and explosive hops, she can post up on 50/50 discs with just about anybody. But a disc out to space is where she really shines as there is simply nobody who can keep up with her. Couple that ability with her ever growing arsenal of throws and gasp inducing layout blocks and you have a player that other teams have to account for on every point.
Lindsay McKenna (#5) Jr.: Fast, tall (5’11"!) and powerful, Lindsay’s progression as a handler has been a revelation this year. She filled in at that position for the first time at an early tournament this Spring and it has been impossible to justify moving her back to cutting. Her blistering first step allows her to get into power positions at will and she has legit 60+ throws on both sides. Add on long extension breaks, a deadly high release backhand, and opportunistic deep cuts when the other team doesn’t account for her height and speed, and she is a matchup nightmare.
PSU: Amel is a top 3 all around player in the region. Great thrower, great defender, and just does NOT drop anything. Tipped disc, deflections, high disc, low disc… her hands are like sticky cobras. Blake is very tall and mobile and has a huge flick which she seems to get off at will. Jessica is a very steady, athletic handler (just a freshman?? Amel 2.0??).
Pitt: Carolyn is one of the best handlers in the nation. Linda is a tall, imposing target downfield and a great all around player. We’ve played them just once in the past three years so its hard to remember other standouts.
OSU: Sadie is just a phenomenal physical player. Looking forward to another couple of years of seeing her and Liz Hart square off somewhere high above the ground. Stephanie Miller always seems to have the disc in her hands and always does something positive with it. Great control and accuracy with the disc.
West Virginia: Jordan Roof is very tall, very mobile, and a very good all around player. Big big flick and backhand.
Penn: Anna Thompson is a rising star with a lot of eligibility left. Look for Penn to return to regional prominence in the coming years as she continues to develop.
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Rufus one of the fever captains here,
Corinn “Champ” Pruitt is by far one of the best all around players on this squad. She’s dominant deep, under, and can come back to handle. Her ultimate IQ is off the charts on O and D. Not to mention that she has one of the highest SOTG scores in my book. This girl rules, and she deserves more attention from the ultimate community. Put her in any situation and champ will shine.
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Hey people!
James Greeno, assistant coach of Pitt Danger here:
OSU:
Sadie (lock)
Stevie (lock)
Shakes
Rufus
Mary Turner
Cara Sieber
Corinn Pruitt
West Chester:
Liz Hart (Lock)
Hannah Short
Danielle Byers
Lindsay McKenna
PSU:
Amel (Lock)
Jess (Lock) (Freshwoman)
Akron:
Iris Javersak
WVU:
JORDAN ROOF
Mary Clapham
CMU:
Marissa Schwartz
Shani Rosenthal (Freshwoman)
Case:
There are certainly strong Gobies that deserve recognition. Sad to say I don’t know the players well enough to give any shout outs. Paging Joseph Marmerstein and Libby Lehman.
UPenn:
Anna Thompson
Cincinnati:
There must be deserving players but I didn’t see Cinci play this year 
Pitt:
idk…all of them 
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Oh and JT for OSU was also super good. Not sure what year she is, but I don’t remember her playing in 2016.
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JT is a sophomore but just a rookie. Incredible athleticism and always willing to take big match ups.
While I’m here let me just talk about some of my amazing teammates:
Mary Turner is one of the hardest working players I’ve ever gotten to play with. With relentless defense combined with crazy closing speed, Mary is a nightmare match up.
Corrine “Champ” Pruitt has all the pieces to being an complete ultimate player. She makes grabs when we need them the most, has amazing throws and is always on her offenders hips.
Caitlin “Rufus” Duffner has made a flawless transition back into Fever Ultimate. She is a selfless player, always cutting for her teammates and not just to get the disc.
Cara Sieber While only a freshman Cara has become an integral part to Fever’s success. She has crazy layouts, powerful throws and puts her body on the line on defense.
Alaine “Shakes” Wetli Aside from being a super spirited player, Shakes has become one of Fever’s go to handlers. She is a consistent presence to have on the field and has the ability to transition from handler to cutter and vice versa easily.
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I watched a day of Pennsylvania women’s sectionals and this is what I saw; no knowledge of Ohio, I’m not contributing much new, but I like writing and posting:
Amel A
Carolyn Normile
Linda Morse
Anna Thompson
Danielle Byers
Were the clear top 5 at the tournament, and all 5 deserve serious All-Region consideration.
After them,
McKenna on WCU seemed like their second most important player after Byers. I’ve seen Hart and Short play more than her historically and know both are capable of a lot, but McKenna was incredibly important for WCU’s success at Westtown.
Liz Hart and Hannah Short, obviously.
Katie Schreiber from Pitt is great. Sarah Russek played very well from what I saw as well.
Case player here. I can probably add some stuff on Ohio’s end.
I don’t know too much about Cincy but they work through Kelsey Gibboney and Maddie and Hayley Samson (both freshmen, played youth club with Belle) to control the field. Kelsey is tall and athletic. She’s able to use her speed to get open upline and likes to gun it deep. As I still can’t distinguish between either twin, I can only speak of what I remember of both of them. 
Basic gist: they’re fast, smart, and have the throws. Having played with each for other such a long time, they have excellent awareness on the field and an use their trust and chemistry to assist or score.
Iris Javersak from Akron is an absolute beast and workhorse on the field! Her Callahan video doesn’t do her justice in my opinion. Another Akron player worthy of a shoutout is Hayley Groubert. She’s speedy, unafraid to layout, and often on the receiving end of hucks. She was also this year’s Cleveland Winter League MVP I think. If not, you can at least catch her on multiple highlights Joe made.
On Case’s end, I’m biased but Julia Mickey and Lucia Wei deserve some freshman recognition.
Julia: Julia came from the BUDA programme and is a starting handler for our O line. She’s calm with the disc and isn’t afraid of throwing over the top when needed (sometimes we’re afraid…). Although her defense still needs work, she’s put in a great deal of effort the past year and has improved immensely.
Lucia: We didn’t get to see her play the past few weeks since she’s been out with a concussion but here’s what she’s brought to Case’s program. She’s reliable, smart with her throws and movement on the field, and plays with a good balance between conservative and not that fits our system well. Although extremely tiny in stature, Lucia plays BIG defensively on man D. She’s extremely quick on her feet and able to read her person well enough that she gets her fair share of hand blocks.
As for our other players:
Lauren “Monty” Ficek: Solid all-round player and consistent puller. She’s transitioned more into a hybrid role this semester, never seeming to have difficulty switching between cutting and handling. Her ability to remain clear-minded combined with breaks and arounds ensure we keep the disc moving. On D, she’s able to contain her girl well and is a good communicator as deep-deep.
Nicole “Nickle” Wilkinson: Arguably our most reliable player for getting open and maintaining offensive flow. Nicole recently came back from injury after a hella dope layout D that chipped her bone Much of her abilities are similar to Monty’s but here’s an example of what she does (I stalked Greeno too much on Twitter for this…)
Erica “Orca” Bindas: Super tall, she handles with Jane and Julia on the O line. Isn’t afraid to use her height and just put it deep. Her flick arounds, break throws, and ability to find finding holes in zones save us every point.
Jane Carsey: As an O line handler, she’s fast and we can often rely on her to be open upline. A product of the triangle system, she plays conservatively but highly consistently and throws with a polish. She also won FOTY for OV last year.
Sara Rudolph: If you spot a red streak on the Case field, it’s Sara. You can often find her putting her body on the line to (successfully) save a disc then immediately getting up to look for an option. She’s very reliable both O and D and we can trust her to make smart decisions.
Maddie “Madmad” Strnad: Maddie hasn’t been around as much this year but whenever she is, hot Molly am I glad. Purely found in a cutting role, Madmad somehow catches every throw we give to her. She also plays solid, aggressive D and this past weekend was a testament to that.
Hi,
This is Iris from Akron adding on to the info about Ohio women.
Cinci: Kelsey Gibboney is one of few players capable of completely changing a team while she’s on the field. She’s very physically and athletically dominant and has huge throws that she’s not afraid to use. Maddie and Hayley Samson are both solid players, especially for freshman. Both have solid throws, great hands, and aren’t afraid to lay out to catch every disc possible. They’ll be exciting to watch in the coming years.
Case: This team has done an excellent job of maintaining relevant after graduating 2 key players last year. This team has a lot of capable players able to step up at any moment, but I’d like to give a shout out to Nicole Wilkinson and Lauren Ficek. Nicole is a very skilled offensive player, especially for as young as she is. She’s got a natural ability to get open and great touch on her downfield throws. She’s also very willing to lay out on O and D. Lauren is a player who can do a little bit of everything well. She can handle and cut downfield. She can guard almost any type of player and hold her own too. Her inside flick is also very difficult to defend. I also don’t think I’ve ever seen her make a bad decision with the disc.
OSU: Obviously, Sadie is a beast and capable of dominating any match up. Her backhands and pulls are huge and she always plays at a high intensity. Corrin Pruitt is one of the best downfield defenders in the region. Stevie is definitely one of the more skilled and consistent players with the disc in her hands.
Akron: Hayley Groubert is an integral part to our offense and defense. She is one of the best downfield defenders in the region. She can contest almost every under and then run her defender into the ground. She’s very capable of consistently getting open deep and on unders against anyone. She probably plays her role better than any other player on our team while playing almost every point.
Some thoughts from coach of CWRU. I’m going to limit my comments mostly to teams that we played at sectionals and regionals. This was my first year in the OV women’s region, so I don’t know everyone - and I’m also pretty bad with names, so if anyone can help me out with those that would be appreciated.
First team:
Kelsey from Cincy. Very solid all-around player, gave us a lot of trouble both times we played them. Was too bad they couldn’t make regionals.
#8 from West Chester - Liz Hart I think? She was basically unstoppable in the air.
Iris From Akron - heart and soul of that team and a matchup nightmare for anyone. has added a ton of throws to her arsenal that makes her even more dangerous
Stevie Miller
Sadie
Carolyn
Linda Morse (didn’t see a ton of them playing this weekend but know enough to feel pretty confident that they should probably be on this list)
another sneaky edit: can’t believe I forgot shakes from OSU! should make it on either first or second team
Second Team:
Marissa from CMU - big throws, great defense, very good at getting open upline and driving her teams’ offense
Amel from PSU - only reason I don’t have her on first team is because I don’t think she played the rest of the season? But she is a very good player and very spirited, just a great person to compete against
From PSU (Edit: this is Jess Sourbeer) - woman who was wearing a visor and braid? I’m sorry I don’t know your name, but she played very well all three times we played them this year. If anyone could let me know who she is that would be awesome!
#5 from WC - tall blonde handler who ripped crazy hucks
Those are the four that I think should definitely be on that list, and then there are a few more that I think should all be in consideration:
#7 from WC - another taller women who was pretty active in their offense, both cutting and handling. again, sorry I don’t know your name!
Caitlin Duffner AKA Turkey from OSU - recovering from knee injury, was great to see her playing again last weekend
Jordan (?) from WVU - taller handler that ran a good portion of their offense
Lauren Monty Ficek from CWRU - captain, jack-of-all trades. plays great defense, solid on offense, amazing leader
Maddie Strnad from CWRU - like Amel, didn’t play a lot of the season with us due to academic conflicts. However, at sectionals and regionals she showed that she is one of the best playmakers in the region, had some awesome matchups especially against Amel.
Adele Zawada from CWRU - one of the most solid all around players in the region, IMO. If we needed to score a point, Adele was on.
Ashley Leyden from CWRU - defensive playmaker who used her speed and athleticism to earn us tons of blocks, and help run our D-line offense on a turn
Nicole Wilkinson from CWRU - huge playmaker on both sides of the disc, just a sophomore. Unfortunately a chipped ulna (which she got from a game-winning layout D) kept her out of sectionals, and limited her impact at regionals, but watch out for her dominating in the next couple years.
Jane Carsey from CWRU - I think she won FOTY last year? but this year as just a sophomore she was playing big minutes for us as an O line handler, using smooth breaks and quick cuts to help lead our offense.
Erica Bindas from CWRU - the Orca herself, out big lefty O-line handler. Just try throwing a zone against her, I dare you.
FOTY - as much as I’m bad at names, I’m even worse at knowing who is a rookie. sorry if I missed people
Maddie Samson from Cincy
Hayley Samson from Cincy - both played incredibly well for a cincy team that was consistently short on players
Lucia Wei from CWRU - short asian handler on our D line. unfortunately picked up a concussion on a layout D and missed the series, but was a huge playmaker on both sides of the disc for us this year, and was an emotional leader on the team with her weirdness and seemingly infinite energy
Julia Mickey from CWRU - Blonde handler on our O line. another freshman with YCC experience, she fit right into our O line as a rookie. She had a huge impact on our offense, taking shots downfield, over zones, and breaking through marks.
EDIT: Found out that the “woman with a braid and visor” I mentions above is Jess Sourbeer, who is a freshman. Should be FOTY, imo, with the others mentioned above rounding out the all-freshman team.
“EDIT: Found out that the “woman with a braid and visor” I mentions above is Jess Sourbeer, who is a freshman. Should be FOTY, imo, with the others mentioned above rounding out the all-freshman team.”
OMG RIGHT?!
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