Who are the best players in the Metro East region? This is an open thread to discuss All-Region nominations, All-Freshman nominations, coaching awards, and more. Stay positive and keep it civil.
Big congrats to UConn for winning the region, and thanks Stony Brook & DiscNY (and anyone I’m missing!) for a beautiful spring weekend out there.
I want to shout-out a few players NYU Purple Haze saw this tournament and season:
- Insert complaint about score reporter rosters not having numbers for teams. Google sites page. Inside joke laden, face to name+number, Twitter thread. Names are hard people
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- Jeremy Bernier (UConn)
- Oscar Kohut (Columbia)
Both made the plays, on both sides of the disc, that their team needed in high pressure situations against NYU this season, across multiple games. Two of the most dangerous players NYU saw this season.
- Jacob Latronica (CCSU)
(and another player who I believe was injured for our consolation game Sunday from CCSU)
…For their ability to consistently change the outcome of games. Heard from other coaches all weekend long about them, and saw Jacob do it first hand.
Coach of the year:
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Matt Kearney (UConn) - saw growth top to bottom in team strategies and in individual players over the three tournaments we saw them this spring.
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Justin Pierce (Cornell) - for maybe the most consistently disciplined team at the tournament
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As you consider your All-Region ballot… Please remember my dear NYU captain, Deven Bender, who has unfortunately been recovering from a concussion during the series this spring. Pre-series though, he was the grind and heart of our defense and one of our most versatile throwers.
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All Region:
- Jeremy Bernier (UConn)
- Oscar Kohut (Columbia)
- Matt Johnson (Columbia)
- Nate Moore (Princeton)
- Alex Baroody (Princeton)
All very talented playmakers, some of the hardest players to guard in the Metro East.
All Freshman:
- Chris Iglesias (Rutgers) - not 100% sure he’s a freshman but talented shifty kid who had some of the filthiest bids I saw this season
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Apologize in advance for this long and v extra post but after 6 years with UpLo/Metro East, I thought I’d leave with my full take for every award…If you know the name of a player who I only mentioned by number, reply and let me know.
First team all region
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Jeremy Bernier #4 (UConn) - Main handler for the huskies with every throw in the book and my pick for Metro East POTY. One of the best inside flick breaks I’ve seen on the college or club level — was consistently hitting those tight windows even in the 17 mph winds at sectionals to help lead an enormous comeback to beat Columbia in the final. When the disc was in his hands, UConn was a the most dangerous team in region.
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Matt Johnson #6 (Columbia) - Uplo’s most dominant cutter, big lefty, plays empire, and one of best deep threats in region, especially on defensive side. Once he established the deep space, he would eat unders and get guys in motion all game long.
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Oscar Kohut #2 (Columbia) - Always awkward picking yourself for this, but oh well.
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Bobby Elston (Central Connecticut State) - Basically the entire team for CCSU at regionals. Incredible deep threat with top level throws, plays empire. This man played every point of regionals before cramping up on massive layout d catch on one of our best players in the crossover game. Only player in the region I’ve seen consistently go toe to toe with Matt in the deep space.
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Christopher McLaughlin, aka Cannon #67 (Rutgers) — Main distributor for Rutgers. Empire player with every throw in book, especially that flick blade. Powerful upline cuts as well. Rutgers lost two of their best cutters before regionals due to eligibility issues and injuries (Brian and Decklan) but with those pieces on the field and Cannon behind the disc, Machine’s chances of going all the way this spring would have been extremely high.
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Ben Goldman #20 (Cornell) — Amherst product with the polish to show it. He was the bleached hair/tattooed main handler for the buds o line. Man has breaks, speed to get open, and gigantic hucks. His transition from d line handler in fall to o line this spring is big testament to his growth and playmaking.
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Tomer Poole-Dayan #13 (Cornell) — Explosive and consistent cutter on both unders and deeps. Had insane trailing-edge layout goal on the first point of the semi final against us and was dropping dimes from cutter motion to the back corner of endzone all game long.
Second team all region:
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Aaron Maymin #1 (Bing) — Explosive tall handler who worked teams with their dominator set. Great layouts and can get up in cutter space when needed.
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Alex Baroody (Princeton) — Tall handler with great throws and incredible efficiency.
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Nate Moore #3 (Princeton) — redhead, super athletic cutter for clockwork who played great defense and could get up with the best of them.
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Kobe Oley #31 (RIT)— One of the main handlers from RIT with great first step and big throws. Always kept disc moving.
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Danny Manger #1 (Uconn) — Often the main initiator and main reset handler behind Jeremy. Fast and explosive upline cuts and could run a dominator extremely effectively with Jeremy and their #5 Seth Fortin who was also incredibly solid behind the disc. Danny probably their second best defender as well.
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Masayuki Nagase, aka Yoyo #1 (Yale) — main handler/flex for Superfly with silky throws and great layouts.
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Geo Zheng (Stony) — prob won’t get lots of love on this thread since stony didn’t make regionals this year but this man was crucial to that team’s success. Still see him as one of best throwers in region, but that team just lost too much talent from fall to spring.
Honorable mentions:
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Jack Waxman #4? (Cornell) — lots of great cutters from this very deep Cornell team that I could’ve given the nod too. So many made great plays in the semifinal against Columbia. Jack had excellent cuts and plus throws for the buds.
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Deven Bender (NYU) — haze also faced a lot of injuries and didn’t make bracket, but Deven was a driving force for them on defense who consistently made smart decisions to convert crucial break opportunities for NYU.
All freshman team
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Micha Derringer #18 (Yale) — One of most explosive handler defenders in region with huge layouts and great throws. Arguably Yale’s best player as a first year and my pick for freshman of the year.
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Mark Gazzaro # 1 (Princeton) — Huge athlete and one of best cutter defenders in region already. Man is gonna be a problem for years.
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Wyatt Harte (Columbia) — Hailing from Burlington Vermont, this man is only a freshman but stepped up big as one of our o line handlers and universe-line players for Columbia. Don’t let his red hair and joyful smile fool you. Wyatt brought intensity, and made smart plays all season.
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Luke Holtzman (Columbia) — First year grad student and our center o line handler with 4 more years of eligibility. This man played ultimate in high school and ran d3 track in college, yet it’s his shifty throws and creative breaks to beat zones that make him truly special. He would’ve been my freshman of the year pick if he hadn’t dislocated his shoulder in the semifinal of sectionals against Rutgers. Ask anyone from Metro NY sectionals and they’ll vouch the same. I’m biased, but with Luke in the lineup, Columbia is completely different team with the outcome of regionals bracket play a potentially different story.
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Tyler Mackey (Rutgers) — Idk how Rutgers got so lucky with such a strong freshman class but first up is Tyler. Redhead handler with silky throws, great decision making, and real speed to get open in the reset space. A very polished player for his first year.
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Chris Iglesias aka Iggy (Rutgers) — Next up on the too-talented Rutgers freshman class, Chris is quick/shifty cutter who has a knack for getting open in tight spaces. Despite not being the tallest on the field, he gets UP with some jaw-dropping skies as one of their main threats in the air. Also shows maturity beyond his years with good patience with the disc as well.
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Nyan & Zubin Birnbach (Yale) — Cheating to include two players for this last spot, but these first year twins were huge for yale. Highly involved and often taking the toughest cutter matchups on the other team, yale is another team with a strong freshman core that will be dangerous over next few years.
Congrats to UConn for winning the region! Go make the Metro East proud and please win at least 1 game at Natties lol.
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I’m #13 on Cornell (Tomer Poole-Dayan). I appreciate the shoutout man - we had a blast playing against y’all. Also Jack Waxman is indeed #4 (and an absolute beast).
While I’m here, I also want to shoutout Davith Chan (freshman at Cornell). He started playing ultimate 8 months ago and is already one of the biggest contributors to our team on O and D. Shifty as hell, great defender, and already has a lefty scoober somehow.
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Gotta shoutout numbers 20 and 18 on Cornell for first team all region, Ben Goldman and Elliot Hare. Offensive and Defensive quarterbacks respectively who can completely take over when necessary, and both have the throws to back it up. Hare has some of the best layout blocks you’ll ever see, and Goldman will often put up a deep shot that will leave you confused on how the hell he found that shot… Other shoutout gotta be Cornell number 31 Davith Chan. Literally unguardable 1v1 and only started playing organized ultimate at the beginning of the fall semester. Insanely shifty cutter and relentless defender.
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Didn’t know #31 (Davith) was a freshman. He definitely deserves all freshman selection.
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Jacob Latronica was the one who did not play during the NYU game but he is still a very good player and is deserving of the all region honors. The player who you are referencing is Bobby Elston who as many people have said is a massive deep threat who can throw and plays smart defense. Both players are the core of CCSU’s roster and deserve to be on the list.
#1 on bing is Aaron Maymin I believe. 100% deserves an all regional nomination. He’s got incredible agility and knows how to keep an offense moving. Honestly made me play some of the hardest defensive in my career ever. He is going to be a breakout player for sure!
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Buffalo
One of the highlights from Buffalo’s Ultimate gameplay Saturday came from the two black kids running their D-line.
In their first game against UConn, they managed to attack a stout zone defense on multiple turns. Buffalo ended up falling quite short however.
During their second game against Princeton, these twin brothers had countless amount of defense stops, dumbfounding Princeton’s O-line. But again Buffalo struggled to pull it off.
Much of this thread stands to highlight all of the best O-Line players and their throws, but what sets these two apart from them is their heart they have for the game and on defense, as well as their capability to capitalize on rudimentary back hand and flick throws.
Overall, Number 21 and Number 8 were the stars of Buffalo’s games Saturday in their tough games, but you know what they say, “God gives his strongest soldiers his toughest battles”
Thank you for the shout-out Jimmy, and thank you all for the great games at regionals, we will do our best to make the ME proud.
Sorry about names, luckily people have already listed a lot of the ones I was looking for.
Non-UConn Players For All-Region Consideration:
- #6 Matt Johnson (Columbia)
- #2 Oscar Kohut (Columbia)
- #20 Ben Goldman (Cornell)
- #4 Jack Waxman (Cornell)
- #3 Nate Moore (Princeton)
- #5 Matt Hall (RIT)
- #36 Andrew Gallagher (RIT)
- #31 Kobe Oley (RIT)
- #67 Christopher McLaughlin (Rutgers)
- #1 “?” (Rutgers)
- #18 Micah Derringer (Yale)
UConn Players for All-Region Consideration:
- #2 Carson Fitzner - Carson’s calling card is his dominance in the air; he had multiple layout D’s and skies through the bracket run at regionals that made teams think twice about throwing it deep again. On offense, he’s a huge threat as a deep cutter and is just as fearsome with the disc in his hands.
- #5 Seth Fortin - Seth is a quick reset handler with extreme touch and control on all of his throws and consistently lays out to save possession.
- #1 Danny Manger - If one quick reset handler wasn’t enough, we have Danny who has a collection of ankles in his closet from fakes and jump cuts. He plays incredible handler defense and doesn’t give any space to move or breathe.
- #4 Jeremy Bernier - POTY
UConn Players for ROY Consideration:
- #37 James Tibolla - Sophomore rookie, James is already an amazingly athletic handler defender who always gets a ton of blocks per game for us, and is consistent as a reset handler on turnovers.
- #19 Austin Rey - Sophomore rookie, Austin is not just a “deep threat tall guy” but plays smart, always finding space on the field and quick enough to get separation on command. Plays tight man defense and can read a disc in the air for skies.
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Throwing my name behind Latronica, although UConn and CCSU didn’t play each other at all this season I did see him play at summer league one time and he was p good.
Coach of the Year
I’ll give the nod to Chris Nelson (& Benjamin Korman). Columbia has built an impressive ultimate program in 2021-2022. While some schools struggled to attract and retain talent over the COVID seasons, Columbia coaching staff and student leadership have clearly succeeded in bringing back their program stronger than ever.
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Some Princeton players I think deserve mentions for awards:
All Region:
Nate Moore (#3): One of the best cutters in the region, consistently matches up with the toughest defensive assignments in every game.
Eshaan Nichani (#55): Hasn’t gotten shouted out here yet, but one of the most consistent players in the region. Very surehanded and patient with the disc in the handler set and a great handler defender, played almost every point for us on O and D.
Alex Baroody (#0): Great deep throws, center handler who opens up the field and has a great feel for the game.
Freshman of the year:
Mark Gazzerro (#1): Consistently gets open and a great deep threat.
Coach of the year: David Hwang (also Princeton):
If you look at Princeton’s performance in the fall (Last place) vs. the spring (5th place) at regionals, after adding coach Hwang for the spring semester the team made incredible strides and played far more cohesively. The growth the team showed from fall to spring owes in large part to Hwang’s ultimate experience and IQ.
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Jeremy #4 (UConn) - POTY in my opinion. Incredible throws - particularly the hammer that broke every zone thrown at them. Shifty cuts and got open in the handler set with ease.
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Oscar Kohut (Columbia)
One of the most elite and consistent players all around. Firstly, a really great offensive player - consistent throws and even better deep hucks. In the deep space, Oscar has surprising hops and has come down with a majority of the 50/50s. Has big layouts as well. -
Aaron Maymin #1 (Bing)
Takes the biggest matchups for Bing. Has an elite set of throws and extremely athletic. A really tough matchup on both sides of the game. -
Geo Zheng (Stony)
Although Stony did not make regionals, Geo is still one of the best players in the Metro East. Dynamic throws, extremely quick feet, and elite defense. -
Masayuki Nagase #1 (Yale) aka Yoyo/pink hair
idk haha but thats me. If you played Yale and you dont remember someone with pink hair, then I probably shouldn’t be nominating myself haha -
Christopher McLaughlin #67 (Rutgers) aka Cannon
Beautiful throws - particularly that flick blade. Able to break any zone with ease -
Bobby Elston (central Connecticut state)
Incredibly shifty cuts and one of the best if not the best deep threat in the Metro East. Consistent hucks as well. Had to create an entire game plan to account for Bobby. Had incredibly skies in the game against Bing.
First Year Team
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Micah Derringer #18 (Yale) - My pick for first year of the year. Yale’s most dynamic player with beautiful deep hucks and even more beautiful explosive bids. Will change the program for years to come.
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Tyler Mackey (Rutgers) - one of the best pulls in the region.
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I believe #36 from RIT is Andrew Gallagher
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#31 (RIT) is Kobe Oley
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Also there should only really be one name getting talked about for Coach of the Year in this thread, and that’s Justin Pierce. Cornell won the region in the fall with a team stacked with alumni club talent, particularly on offense, with 5 starting O line slots going to alumni consistently. For him to come on board midway through the fall (around October I believe), and forge a team that came back stronger in the spring featuring double digit rookies is a true accomplishment. There were no other teams at this tournament who could run 20+ players deep besides Cornell, and that dedication to individual development and team culture cannot be understated.
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Thanks Oscar, Yoyo and Jacob for shouting me out!
Bing has played every team in the region (besides Stony Brook), so here was our take on this year’s nominations:
First Team All Region
Jeremy Bernier (UConn (POTY))- We remember playing UConn in the fall at Lobster Pot and revolved our lines every time he took the field. His play in the finals at regionals was also spectacular. We saw how he hit 5 perfect hammers in a row to lead the huskies to natties. His composure and sportsmanship on the field should make him one of the most respected players in the region.
Oscar Kohut (Columbia)- “The swiss army knife”. This kid can do it all. Oscar was able to get open on deeps and unders and had excellent throws. He is a coach’s dream player and can fit any role on any team.
Chris McLaughlin (Rutgers)- Bing played Rutgers twice last fall and I had the privilege to mark up against Cannon at Empire tryouts. Cannon is a nightmare to guard in the backfield. His oi flick blades could destroy any team’s soul.
Ben Goldman (Cornell)- You can’t hate this guy, but his throws… you can. His scoober’s killed our zone and he has every throw in the books. No matter how many times we said “no upline” on defense, this guy managed to always get the disc.
Jacob Latronica (CCSU)- I genuinely feel so bad for Central. They have such a good team but just don’t have the numbers. It was an honor to play against Jacob. Super athletic guy who can run an entire offense. We tried to have a no big mark on him, but he always managed to get a huck off. Add a couple more guys to his team, and I can really see CCS as a big regional contender next year.
Kobe Oley (RIT)- We genuinely thought you guys would’ve taken the region. No matter how many tournaments or how many teams we faced, your zone is the best we have ever seen. Kobe was a key player during zone points, and when we saw you on offense you became a constant work horse. Great teammate, nice guy, and always a gem to play against.
Masayuki Nagase (Yale)- We had a bit of a call heavy game against yale, but it was still probably our favorite game of the tournament. Masayuki had phenomenal throws and excellent communication on the field which really separated him from most other handlers that we played against. Despite the intensity of the game, Masayuki was always composed and led his team to a great win.
Shoutout
Hillel Rosenheim (Bing)- We unfortunately lost Hillel this season to a torn ACL at empire tryouts, but we genuinely think that if he was healthy, he would be the Player of the Year. He was our tall lanky handler. H killed it this season. We played PONY in the Fall and after a sick lay out d on one of there starting o-line guys, he quickly caught the coaches attention and was later approached for interest on a tryout.
Second Team All Region
Luke Smith #23 (Bing) – “The Tim Duncan of the Metro East”. This kid has the best fundamentals. Luke is a teammate we all look up to and is one of the nicest guys on and off the field. He has lock down handler defense, and as soon as he gets moving, he is a matchup nightmare.
#7 (Syracuse)- I know Syracuse and Bing are probably one of the biggest rivals in the region, but I gotta say every single time we have played, the matchup between #7 and I has been nothing but spirited. This guy can put you on clamps and I had a really tough time getting open on you.
Drew Hollahan (Bing)- “The Grave Digger”- Drewski can put anybody in the coffin. This guy went to lobster pot, and at tourney central clocked in a vert of 11’6. He’s insane. Period. Crazy athlete and our biggest deep threat.
Jack Waxman (Cornell)- Great cutter for Cornell, really spirited guy and has his fundamentals down. We always see you grinding on those unders.
Matt Johnson (Columbia) – Matt is a phenomenal player, and teammate. Barely any turns and we were struggling to find matchups against him when we played Columbia at Brooklyn.
Bobby Elston (CCSU)- Big Boy. Big Plays.
Martin Bustamante (Buff) - We love playing Buff. Gooch, I think you totally deserve to be on this thread. You have crazy chest high layouts and are a tough matchup for anybody on our team. Loved playing with you and your boys at tryouts too.
Freshman of the Year:
James Pardo (#40) (Bing)- Pardon Me, but I wanted to mention James on this thread. He was the kid in the hat on our team who was either our reset handler or took the ace position in the stack. He has incredible layouts, throws, and I can’t wait to see how he develops going forward. In my eyes he was the best freshman that Binghamton has ever seen. Truly humble guy, but also a better friend.
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Cornell had an absolutely stacked coaching staff this year, led in the Spring by the one and only nilla wafer: Justin Pierce. The Buds have historically struggled to make comeback wins, but this year, fueled by his simple mid-game adjustments, and his ability to get us focused, energetic, and confident, we have 3 comeback Ws in the books (Buffalo and RIT at sectionals, and Harvard at ACO). Every other team wants a bit of Nilla’s insight, so I will share a bit: he always emphasizes to us the importance of focusing on playing to our strengths, and not worrying about watching film of the other teams or anything (our coaches have got that covered).
He’s also a wizard with the flip, For these reasons, I nominate Nilla for coach of the year.
Also, if we’re talking about freshman pullers, Patrick Moore has got to be in the conversation with Tyler Mackey.
Can I also mention freshman Davith Chan playing nearly every point of regionals, because no line is complete without him? He topped it off by playing 8 straight points against UConn in the finals? DC = Daddy
Finally, I want to spotlight Sam Hinson (Shinson), because I haven’t seen his name here yet. He was the fearless leader of the Buds, keeping our systems running like a well oiled machine. He’s average height, but he skies multiple piles per game, usually toeing a line while he’s doing it. I often hear opponents on the sideline say “he’s their best player” when he runs by. If he doesn’t make all region, it’s rigged.
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Cornell Shout-Outs
Ben Goldman
The junior captain of Cornell is a matchup nightmare. Coming off the club season with Sprout, he played mostly D-Line in the fall before taking over the O-line reigns in the spring. He can handle, cut, and defend the other teams best player.
James Mullmann
Cornell’s best deep cutter missed Regionals but had an incredible season nonetheless. His combination of size, speed, and smart decision making drew many teams best defender. He went every other throw on universe point to win Sectionals.
Davith Chan - Rookie of the Year
This rookie was at times the best player on the field for Cornell. His jump from the fall to the spring was likely the most integral part of Cornell’s sustained success. Likely no better example of his impact than his game against Rutgers where he took on Iggy all game, and threw for multiple breaks including the game ending break side push pass.
-Jack Waxman
-Sam Hinson
-El Hare
-Neal Vasireddi
Two O-line and Two D-Line players that took on huge responsibilities and contributed heavily to Cornell’s success.
Non-Cornell
Jeremy Bernier
Jeremy had more success than anyone else this year breaking through the Cornell zone. His composed play was integral in bringing Uconn back to win regionals.
Cannon
Likely the player who demanded the most time game planning for. Cannon is a game-breaking thrower who can find the endzone from anywhere on the field. After his incredible performance against us last fall, we did not take him lightly this time around.
Oscar
Dangerous handler who took good shots and was effective against the zone. A good defender on the turn as well.
Gooch
Buffalo gave us great games in the fall and spring. At the center of those was Gooch who is constantly moving and putting throws into dangerous spaces.
Hillel
Hillel played an amazing game against us in fall sectionals, pushing the finals game to universe point. Would of loved to play against him again in the spring.
Coaches
Justin Pierce/Tanner Yuhas/Matt Burke
Our coaching staff was incredible this season, and so integral in returning to the finals after loosing 11 alumni. From player development to game planning, they put in an incredible effort this season. We will miss Justin and Matt dearly.
Uconn’s coach
While Jeremey was great, what stood out most to me against Uconn was their discipline from top to bottom of the roster. They clearly implemented strong fundamentals that payed off in the biggest moment.
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Hey all,
I can’t really ID players for other teams since my memory isn’t too good so apologies for the buds bias but,
My biggest pick is Davith Chan AKA DC no. 31 for freshman of the year. His plays, throws, agility, and passion are incredible without any caveats let alone considering he’s in his first year of competing in ultimate. How many people do you know that could punch in lefty scoober goals within 6 months of playing? I think that goes to show that he has the talent and confidence of a player with much more experience under his belt.
Additional players of note for the buds:
Ben Goldman no. 20
Our strongest threat of a handler, can find any huck he wants, and all the tricky breaks to bust open a zone. His first step separation was crucial to our offense getting the disc out of difficult positions as well as scoring from dead disc end zone sets.
El Hare no.18 (wore 19 at regionals)
This is me, so maybe this will sound arrogant but our D line was heavily dependent on me for a few reasons, first I was our primary puller and it gave our zone a lot of really good starts pinning O lines in corners(example second half break against UConn ). When we got turns I was a huck threat both throwing and receiving, tallying up stats for both goals and assists
Jack Waxman no. 4
Jack was huge for us on Offense, particularly running popper against zone. This guy doesn’t get tired. He also is a great crossover to D for kill lines, often coming up with clutch skies. Finally to round out the package he has a great backhand huck which while he doesn’t use it as prolifically as the previous two players mentioned when he does throw it it gets the job done.
James “Vet” mullmann no. 1
While Vet couldn’t come to regionals due to illness, his stats from the rest of the season speak for themselves. He is a ridiculous deep threat often finishing weekends with easy double digit goals. also he has one of the nastiest flick hucks in New York 60 yards is light work
Okay last thing to say is coach of the year honors: Justin pierce AKA Nilla stepped up as our new head coach part way through the fall semester as our head coach for the past few years Matt Burke had to move away to the west coast for the spring. Nilla brought insight to the team refining our offenses plays, our force middle defense set and touching up the zone that Burke thought us. His presence at games is amazing, calling for adjustments and putting together lines that brought us to several key comeback victories throughout the season. If there is a reason he shouldn’t be coach of the year it’s because he makes us do way too much ladders at wam ups, but hey nobody’s perfect.
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