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.
Sadie. and apparently i need 16 characters though her name should just be enough.
I believe players who don’t receive a lot of recognition deserve this award. Such as Cara Sieber from Ohio State, Annelise Peters from Ohio State, Lakshmi Ilango from Pitt, Abby Bomberger from Pitt, Katie Schreiber from Pitt, and Lindsay McKenna from West Chester. All of these players have fabulous spirit along with phenomenal skill and knowledge of the game. Cara has insane layouts. Annelise has incredible hucks to any point on the field. Lakshmi Ilango always gives 100% on the field and is one of the most fun individuals to play with. Abby Bomberger is incredibly fast and makes plays when you need it the most. Katie Schreiber makes athletic bids especially toeing the line. Lindsay McKenna has great spirit and absolutely perfect throws. Just some thoughts
Just watched Regionals day 1 and Dayton handler #33 can catch just about anything. She was awesome!
Hello OV my name is Jess from PSU and this is just my take on the region.
OSU: Sadie is good, so is Annaleise. Others probably deserve the nod, but they’re so deep I just don’t know their names.
Ye Olde Pitt: Hannah Blizzard, Miranda Kosowsky, Linn letsbehonest, Abby Bomberger, and (b)Lakshmi. Again, pretty deep this year.
Westchester: Lindsay McKenna
UPenn: Anna Thompson should be POTY. Basically unmatched throws in the region and she makes it look casual. I don’t think she makes a bad decision.
PSU: Gwen Rausch and Maya Karl!!!
CWRU: Julia Mickey, Lucia Wei (is she hurt? didn’t play but still rly good), Nicole (Nickel?) v good
CMU: Shani Rosenthal! She will literally kill you with kindness and also just real talent. Coach nom: Stephanie Stewart / Dunning and Bridget McCoy
Hey OV this is Lindsay from West Chester!
I’m planning to post a few things to this thread but to start it off, I’ll begin by discussing the West Chester ladies that I think deserve some recognition. Stay tuned for my synopsis of our competitors and my nom for COTY.
West Chester
Rachel Alfano (#3) - Ralfredo… will beat you on the field, and in any breadstick eating competition. A sharp and precise cutter, Ralf has the most ultimate experience of any player to ever come through West Chester. She is the full package when looking at the all-region contenders. With a powerful multitude of throws, swift and explosive first steps, in-cuts that make you question your athletic abilities on a daily basis, and undeniable deep cuts, Ralf is a match-up nightmare. Ralf is a HUGE reason why the West Chester program has been so successful in the past seasons. She is the player in which I have the most chemistry with on the field, and I will sorely miss being able to run the fields with her.
Nayah Cruz (#2) - To my co-captain, Bill (Nye the science guy) is by far the best windy-day player on this team. Nayah has effortless pinpoint perfect hucks that fight through wind and weather and cups with ease. As one of our primary handlers, she is incredible in the air, and honestly has the best hands on our team. You never doubt her when a disc is headed towards her. Her grace and patience have an effect on every line she is a part of; when the disc is in her hands, you know a good decision is about to happen. Beyond her ultimate skills, which have improved greatly since her beginnings as a freshman, Nayah is the dream teammate. Her humor, spirit and dedication is infectious and unforgettable. I could not be more honored than to have captained with her for the past two years.
Clerisse Lardieri (#20) - Hands down both the MIP and MVP of the season. Claire began as a cutter and just this season has been shifted into more of a flex/handler role, all of which she took on with immense focus and spirit. She is the hidden gem of West Chester. Being 5’ tall, many players do not respect Claire’s deep game, which is a HUGE mistake on their part. Claire will take her defender deep and sky the pants off her match. She has an incredible read on flight patterns of the disc and great hands to finish plays out with ease. Claire is speedy and smart with her cuts, and her timing is impeccable. She also has an inspiring pain tolerance taking about 18 hucks to the face this season alone.
Kristen Henry (#18) - Defensive MVP with spirit to spare, Kristen is the definition of hard work pays off. She is an absolute inspiration. As our club president and countless other executive positions for the University, Kristen exhausts herself daily and still manages to show up to practice and put in more effort and heart than any other player. A powerful defensive handler, Kristen is a selfless handler and play-maker when we need it most. Lay out D’s, blaring uplines and a fiiiine IO flick break make Kristen an incredible addition to any line. She plays by the rules and is a steadfast leader on this team, a coach’s dream player and one hell of a teammate.
Syd Eller (#10) - CITY BOI. Syd has really stepped the heck up this year. This has been a defining year for her as she took on the position as a primary handler. We knew she had throws, but not like anything we’ve seen this season. Syd is a prototype defensive handler who can poach d’s and challenge deep looks with her athleticism and innate ability to body players out of position. Once a turn is created, Syd can change the field in one throw which is paramount to our style of offense. Also learned this weekend that she’s dangerous in the endzone when she leaks downfield…Teeming with potential, Syd is still on the rise. Keep an eye for the incredible things she’ll be doing next year, she’s sure to impress
Laura Black (#14) - I think Laura can read my mind…it scares me sometimes… A fearless and talented cutter, Laura takes on any challenge put her way with grace and determination. Her defense is stifling and many times is tasked with matching up with the best player on the opposite team. She is smart and calculated with her cuts to best work off her teammates, and when given the opportunity, will run the other teams defense down with her explosive athleticism. A sure guarantee for a score, send Laura deep, or use her as an every other to work the disc up the field. She is also dangerous when hit on the break side where she can unleash a dangerous backhand huck. ALSO does gravity defying bids and clap catch skys(?)…so yeah she’s real good
Lisa Toroni (#9) - Twisted Tisa, a true american hero. Lisa is another player to watch in the upcoming months for West Chester. A cutter driven by a strong work ethic, Lisa has really rounded out her style of play this season by incorporating a strong skill set of throws. Lisa puts her body on the line and is a dedicated and tireless worker; juking her defenders and gaining huge unders, or blazing deep point after point because, yes, she really is that fast. She has quite the knack for reading the disc, unstoppable as an iso in the endoze and a true talent for finding the best space to cut to. Same as above, Lisa is a sure guarantee for a score. She is a great addition to any line and I cannot wait to see what she brings to the table next year.
Like I said above, this is just the start! Stay tuned for more soon!
I’m a bit late here, but thought I’d throw out some thoughts. Unfortunately we didn’t actually play everybody this season, so I’m only speaking about teams we saw on the field.
OSU: Obviously a very deep and talented team. Sadie and Cara stand out but there are a ton of great players worthy of recognition.
Penn State: Jess and Maya stood out to me in our two games against them.
CMU: Shani was definitely a tough matchup for us at regionals. They also had a shorter/quick handler that gave us some trouble.
Penn: Anna Thompson one of the best playmakers in the region
Dayton: We didn’t get to play them in the series, but heard they had a couple solid players. Also think they should get a lot of credit for a really solid season, took a big step up this year (lot of credit should go to coach Nancy Haskell as well)
Ohio: Lexie Thomas
West Chester: Bummer that McKenna got injured (at regionals?) but she is clearly a top player in the region. Nayah Cruz picked up the slack in a major way
Case: Lauren Ficek, Nicole “Nickle” Wilkinson, Lucia Wei, and Maddie Pletzke have been a huge part of our teams’ success these last two years. Unfortunately Lucia was injured for most of the series but I’m sure you all still heard her cheering her brains out all weekend at regionals.
Pitt: As I mentioned we didn’t play them at all this spring so I don’t feel confident shouting out any players in particular. They continue to develop talent really well and always have a couple top-level players.