All-Region 2022: Metro East (D-I Men's)

[geozheng]

Hi, I’m Geo (number 14 on Stony Brook), my team didn’t make regionals this year but I want to shout out the most noteworthy players I saw throughout the season. Disclaimer, I’m probably missing a lot of people, I don’t pay attention a lot when I play and this is mostly people from Stony Brook’s section.

First from my team:

• Alan Yi: As Stony’s captain he led our team in spirit and on the field and is a prime example of what an ultimate player should be. He’s an offensive machine, and can really do it all as a handler and cutter. He broke down zones with his over the tops and quick shifty throws and never stopped moving as a cutter making him a nightmare to guard. The only thing that stopped him was fatigue because he played almost every point throughout sectionals.
• Brandon Chan: Brandon is probably one of the best handlers in the region. He plays aggressive shut down handler D but his real superpower is his poise with the disc. He can throw anywhere he wants on the field with his quick break throws, huge hammers, and big hucks. He got injured before sunday of sectionals but his presence would have been a difference maker in the game to go against rutgers.

Other noteworthy people:

• Jeremy (UCONN) : Yea he’s good.
• Danny (#1) (UCONN) : Danny was crazy athletic, played crazy good D, and would always get the disc on the off chance Jeremy got shut down.
• Oscar (Columbia) : Oscar did it all for Columbia with his pulls, his poise with the disc in his hands, shut down defense, and being able to come down with a lot of hucks. I question his eligibility all the time.
• Yoyo (Yale) : I didn’t get to play them in the spring but in the fall he put Yale on his back and brought them to semis.
• #5 (Princeton) : I remembered this guy as the dude who traveled a lot, but was a super athletic cutter and played great D.
• Peggy (Hofstra) : He’s tall, athletic and repeatedly threw almost full field flick hucks, Hofstra would not be the same team without him.
• There’s a lot of Rutgers people who should be on here but it’s hard to pick any of them out considering how cohesive their squad is (Issac Arthur and Alec are probably some of the regions best defenders, Cannon was great offensively and Declan before he got hurt)

All Freshman

• Mackey (Rutgers) : Great throws, pretty hard to stop in the handler space.
• Iggy (Rutgers) : Iggy is crazy athletic which made him a nightmare on defense and offense.
• Derringer (Yale) : I had no idea he was a freshman which is even more insane, he’s athletic and is already one of Yale’s main handlers
• Flynn McCarthy (Stony) : I don’t know if I can include him here because he’s a sophomore, but he is a rookie. He’s only been playing frisbee for 3 months and is already a top cutter on our squad. He’s ridiculously fast, plays lockdown D, and got multiple layout Ds against Iggy in the game to go which is no easy feat. Everyone in this thread should keep a lookout for him in the coming years because you’re gonna have to make a game plan against him

[csm186]

First Team All Region

Jeremy Bernier #4 (UConn) - One of the most composed players I have seen at the college or club level. Hits insides and arounds at will (inside flick is nasty), gets open for every reset, big and fast enough to be a threat downfield, the guy can do it all. Easily top 3 players in the region if not #1.

Aaron Maymin #1 (Bing) - Didn’t get the chance to play him this spring but saw him twice in the fall. He is a shifty athlete that knows when and where to be. He can handle in the backfield with confidence then roof you downfield. Love the fire Aaron plays with.

Matt Johnson #6 (Columbia) - Columbia’s big boy. Matt is tall and extremely athletic making him a menace downfield. I’ve seen him give guys the work at Empire practice and bring that to the fields of the metro east, scary. Don’t sleep on his lefty throws either.

Oscar Kohut #2 (Columbia) - Huge throws from the guy. He was the fire of Colombia and let everyone know. His big hucks matched with Matt’s athleticism was a nightmare for any team. Don’t get on his bad side.

Jack Waxman #4 (Cornell) - Stop running dude. Jack was one of Cornell’s major threats downfield this season. Smart cutting combined with speed and agility made him one of the best cutters in the region. Combined with backhand hucks he is a very complete player.

Ben Goldman #20 (Cornell) - Can’t miss him with that hair. Easily one of the best handlers in the region. Solid throws all around (lefty scoober yk yk), squirrely in the reset space, and real physical on D. Excited to see him next year.

Geo Zheng (Stony) - Even though Stony wasn’t playing at regionals Geo is a lock for this list. He is the smoothest looking thrower in the region. He has range, athleticism, height, and sportsmanship. He commanded the Stony Brook team playing almost every point at sectionals until he physically couldn’t run because of cramps.

Honorable mentions

Danny Manger #1 (Uconn)
Carson Fitzner #2 (Uconn)
Masayuki Nagase #1 (Yale)
Bobby Elston (Central Connecticut State)
Alex Baroody #0 (Princeton)
#7 (Cornell)
Luke Smith (Bing)

FOTY

Chris “Iggy” Iglesias #1 (Rutgers) - If you’ve ever matched up against him you know why. He will outrun you, out jump you, and out match you on defense. After losing one of our top cutters he had big shoes to fill and he filled them. Get ready for 3 more years of this kid blowing up unders.

Honorable mentions

Gerard Bryson #9 (Rutgers)
Tyler Mackey #3 (Rutgers)
Dan Han #69 (Rutgers)
Gianluca Pagano #14 (Rutgers)
Chris McLaughlin #67 (Rutgers)

[declan_alvidrez]

Hey y’all,

I’m the Declan (Decklan) that Oscar mentioned before from Rutgers. Since I was injured, I didn’t play regionals but I’ll share what jumped out from when I did play.

All-Region:

Rutgers:

Chris “Cannon” McLaughlin #67: I mean his nickname is Cannon. Much has been said already, but he was the focal point of our offense and that was clearly recognized by the way everyone else played him. From what I saw he was one of the biggest and craftiest throwers this season. Should be First Team.

Isaac Duan #16: Short handler defender with large legs. This kid has been nuts as a defender, especially since his freshman year. He almost always takes the opposing team’s best handler and more often than not deletes them from the field of play. Those who have been guarded by him likely remember being frustrated in the handler space as he shuts them down with a straight face.

Cole Stevens #2: The dude just doesn’t stop running. Cole gets better on the second day of tournaments because he has an endless motor. He’s developed into a workhorse defender who is capable of burning you anywhere on the field on offense. Cole OP.

Chris “Iggy” Iglesias #1: Freshman, but very talented. He was a primary downfield cutter for us in the fall and took on a bigger role as injuries piled up around him. Tons of energy takes tough matchups on defense, and can commonly be seen roofing people in the endzone. For a freshman, he has also been very composed this year despite taking on such a big role. Certainly should be in the conversation for recognition.

Non- Rutgers:

Gonna just be the Metro-NY Section because that’s all I saw.
Jeremy Bernier, UConn #4: Only got to watch him play (not play against him). It seems like everyone else has said his name plenty, but I’ll just echo it.

Matt Johnson, Columbia #6: Biiiiig boi. Cannon warned me about him before we played Columbia and he was right. Of the teams I got to play this season, he was definitely the hardest cutter to match up against. Very good, physical player who knows the game.

Oscar Kohut, Columbia #2: Very agile. Had to guard him once; definitely not my matchup. His throws and Matt’s cutting made Columbia very dangerous.

Geo Zheng, Stony Brook: Very talented thrower with the ability to easily get what he wants in the handler space. I’ve seen him play almost every point of many games to the point of seriously risking injury. Stony didn’t play regionals but his physicality and throwing prowess should have him on the All-Region list easily.

Alex Baroody, Princeton #0: Somehow accidentally kicked this guy in the neck when we played them; Alex, if you’re reading this, I’m really sorry about that. Anyways, he’s a very composed and smooth handler. He’s got a ton of great throws that really seemed to elevate Princeton’s play and is worth a look for All-Region.

FOTY:

Rutgers:

Chris “Iggy” Iglesias, #1: Kid’s cracked. See above.

Honorable Mentions:

Tyler Mackey, #3: Great pulls and a very smooth thrower. Switched from our O line and made an impact, especially through windy conditions.

Gerard Bryson, #9: Westfield just breeds smooth frisbee players apparently. Very agile and good at finding dangerous space on offense.

Gianluca Pagano, #14: Played through some crazy ass chest injury. Mans thinks he’s Pat Bev on defense or something, but he is effective.

Dan Han, #69: Consistently improved offensively throughout the year and had some shining moments on D as well. Skillset is well-rounded for a freshman.

Chris “Cannon” McLaughlin, #67: He made me put this here. He’s technically a freshman eligibility-wise, but he old af, don’t vote for him.

[YoyoNagase]

Is there a form that we can fill out to vote for our nominations?

[cpwells]

This past season was my rookie season playing for Binghamton and I would like to make some All-Regional shoutouts.

Binghamton Players for All-Region:

#1 Aaron Maymin : Was Binghamton’s senior captain and played almost every point. Ran our offense in both the handler and cutter space as well as in our dominator. Was able to make plays on both sides of the ball with incredible layouts and throws.

#18 Adam Cohen: Played on the D-Line but crossed over a lot. Had an incredible full-extension layout Callahan against Yale for the first point of the game. As well as a full-extension layout goal to force half against NYU. Was the heart of our defensive unit and thrived in the cutter space.

#14 Drew Hollahan: Played on the O-Line but crossed over on many points. Skied numerous people in all 4 games. Played deep in our zone shutting down the deep space as well as scoring on many hucks in the deep space on offense. An all around solid player with speed, hops, agility, and throws.

#23 Luke Smith: The definition of a hybrid player. Worked in both the cutter and handler space. Extremely polished player with high game IQ and always seems to be in the right spot on the field.

Non-Binghamton Players for All-Region:
#4 Jeremy Bernier (UConn): Should be the POTY. Had the honor to match up against him at a previous tournament. Extremely talented handler and it showed this tournament.

#20 Ben Goldman (Cornell): Extremely quick. Had all the throws and always open upline.

Freshman of the Year:
#40 James Pardo (Bing): We call him “nothing flashy” for a reason. Extremely polished and worked in both the handler and cutter space. Consistently gets open and hits under. Nothing flashy - except for his multiple chest high layouts, skies, and D’s. Often, he is everything but nothing flashy. Will read handlers perfectly and intercept throws. Has all the throws in the book. Not afraid to put his body on the line and layout. Stepped up big time during regionals.

[KLaiii]

Hey all, this is KLai, just a sideline fan for Columbia. Wanted to give huge shoutout to these players:

Chris “Cannon” McLaughlin #67 (Rutgers): This guy is ridiculous. Crazy throws, crazy athletic, crazy fast, and clear focal point of Rutger’s offense. Need I say more?

Jeremy Bernier #4 (UConn): One of the most complete players I have seen. Hits all the throws he wants, can get open at any time, and a leader for UConn’s offense. Crazy stamina too as he played consistently at a high level without taking any breaks.

Antonio Brewer #7 (NYU): Hat’s off to Antonio. An incredibly athletic cutter that’ll burn your guy deep or just sky the pants off of you. From what I’ve seen, a big part of NYUs offense, as he is a reliable cutter that’ll get open anywhere. Also, hands down best celebrations in the Metro East.

Matt Johnson #6 (Columbia): A dynamic cutter that can get open on unders or deeps, has some nasty lefty throws, and don’t even think about testing him deep on defense. I think this thread has said everything I wanted to say, but also wanted to highlight how much of a mentor figure he was for the younger players on Columbia, teaching them about cutting timing, spacing, defensive principles… everything you would want in a mentor

Oscar Kohut, Columbia #2: Oscar is a warrior and bleeds Columbia Ultimate. His throws are nuts, his cutting is nuts, he catches everything in his area code (maybe in the neighboring area code too), and plays very aggressive defense. Another mentor figure on Columbia that a lot of the younger players look up to and respect and will play through any hardship to will Columbia to wins.

Thomas Baker, Columbia #69: Gotta give him some love. Extremely spirited, super hardworking on the field, and just an incredible cutter that will go up to secure hucks or grind unders all day. He is also a fighter on defense, contesting resets against handlers and swatting away the disc on cutters.

Miles Savitz, Columbia #10: Incredible defender, especially on handlers… like he will make your best player work 2x, 3x, 10x as hard just to get open for one reset pass or one small gainer. Hardworker on and off the field as he can cut or handle at a high level for multiple points at a time on the field and cares for all aspects of the team off the field.

Freshman Award (mainly my guys):

Wyatt Harte, Columbia #13: This guys is only a freshman but he stepped into an o-line/u-line handler role like it was nothing. His throws are fire and when he’s feeling himself, they will zip through your cup, zone, or any other tight window like it is nothing. Incredible sideline presence as well.

Daniel Esler, Columbia: Didn’t get to play at regionals because of COVID, but during the season, a huge contributor on the D-line, both defensively and offensively. Defensively, will shut down anyone you put him on. Offensively, I have never seen a freshman with so much poise and calm when the disc is in his hand… he will sit back and pick a defense apart, no matter if it is person or zone defense.

Davith Chan, Cornell #31: Learned he was a freshman in this thread. Holy shit, he is crazy explosive.

[jackwaxman]

Hi everyone! This is Jack Waxman (#4) from Cornell. First, I just want to thank you all for an amazing season of ultimate. I had the best time getting to play with you all!

Cornell:

All-Coach: Justin Pierce aka Nilla (Cornell)

Nilla joined our coaching team this year, and we were so fortunate that he did. He understands ultimate at an incredibly high level and is fantastic at communicating with players, sharing his knowledge in a clear, digestible way. Nilla also has a really strong presence on the sideline, in the huddle, and on the line. My teammates and I looked to Nilla for confidence, encouragement, and inspiration. He delivered every time. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to play for Nilla. I also want to highlight Tanner Yuhas, whose coaching provided a whole extra element to the team. We are in great hands next year with Tanner.

All-Region:

Ben Goldman #20 (Cornell): Ben is an incredible ultimate frisbee player. First, he understands the game at a really high level and, like Nilla, is able to communicate this knowledge to teammates clearly. A great example of this is when Columbia (at Regionals) threw force-middle on us. Within a few throws, Ben had already recognized the look and communicated it with his teammates. Second, Ben has all the throws in the book. His hucks are insane, his break throws are always there, and his hammer and scoober are reliable and effective. Third, Ben is very athletic, making him difficult to guard. Cornell is a much different (and much better!) team with Ben Goldman.

Sam Hinson #7 (Cornell): I have felt so fortunate to play with Sam these past 3 years. He is one of the fastest players in the region and nearly impossible to guard, especially when he is following his throws upline on the open side. In dominator sets and in the handler space, Sam has consistently won his match-ups. Sam is also a dedicated system player who runs our systems the right way. He trusts his resets because he knows he will hit them. When the offense is not working too well, Sam has consistently brought us back through his successful commitment to our systems.

Eliot Hare #18 (Cornell): Eliot is a total beast on the field. He was a trusted leader of the D-line this semester and he delivered. He laid out for dozens of discs, and our senior highlight video is littered with dirty bids from Eliot. He just understands what the offense wants and he gets to that spot and he makes a play on the disc. Eliot opened up the field for our D-line with his 70-yard flick and backhand hucks. He is just a total treat to watch and play with.

All-Freshman: Davith Chan #31 (Cornell): Davith has been an absolute pleasure to play with. He is one of the quickest players I have ever played with. He can change direction in a instant, and it is really difficult to keep up with him. Davith often played the most points at tournaments, on our O-line and sometimes our D-line. I can’t wait to see him improve next year and dominate even more.

Non-Cornell:

Jeremy Bernier (UConn): In the finals at Regionals, Jeremy was a major force for UConn. Our team struggled to cover his hammers. He commanded the field with these (and other throws). He was also hard to guard in the handler space — with a really quick first step and great change of direction. I am definitely looking forward to the opportunity to guard Jeremy again. Congrats on a great season!

Hillel Rosenheim (Bing): Hillel was unfortunately injured this season, so he wasn’t able to play. I wanted to include him because he played so well in the fall against Cornell at Sectionals. He has all of the throws in the book, great decision-making, and can get the disc in the reset space on command. He also has great spirit and makes playing Bing an even better experience. It has been a pleasure getting to play with Hillel in our Western NY section. Wishing him a healthy and quick recovery and looking forward to playing with him soon!

–

Thank you again for an amazing season of ultimate. For all the seniors, congrats on a great college ultimate career. For all the non-seniors, see you in the fall!

Love your Buds,

Jack

[mavratin]

RIT alum here. Just want to shout out a few RIT seniors that tore it up this year.

Anthony (Jimmy Neutron) Fitzpatrick- Came to RIT having never thrown a frisbee. Leaving RIT with the best bidding form in all of D1 college ultimate. Great defender and probably knows your offense better than you know your offense.

Peter (Don’t take candy from strangers) Carter- Came to RIT with knives for hands. Leaving RIT with glue on his hands. Guy is always open and just a super reliable cutter.

Ryan Kelly- Huge presence on the sideline. Played great against Yale at regionals.

[lukesmith936]

Hi its Luke Smith #23 on Binghamton.

All - Region shoutouts
#4 Uconn - Jeremy Bernier - POTY watched this kid play out of his mind in the metro east final. Carried the offense.

#4 Cornell - Jack Waxman: I love this kid I don’t know if he knows who I am but he might be my favorite player in the region not just for his skill but he plays with some of the best spirit I have ever seen. Huge shoutout for that. But also see you going every other in the zone o and working it through the cutter space and getting what you want. I think we played against each-other in HS once or twice you surely have gotten way better. Excited to keep playing you and cornell.

#1 Bing - Aaron Maymin: This kid is a beast. I have been playing with him since high school and it has been an absolute pleasure to watch him develop year after year into the incredible player and captain he is today. I love you aaron, I have been telling you since day 1 you deserve a first team all region award. Your hard work is something we all look up to and it shows on the field how talented you are. If you have ever seen Aaron play you know whats up.

Freshmen All - Region
#1 Rutgers - Chris Iglesias
#40 Binghamton - James Pardo
Micah Derringer Yale (if this kid is a freshmen)

[mdjgoalie]

This is Matt Johnson on Columbia.

I’ve only had one year in the Metro East after spending undergrad up in New England but these are just some players I have been very impressed with in the few games I’ve played and deserve an extra shout for All-Region

Oscar Kohut #2 Columbia: It wouldn’t be incorrect to say that Oscar is the reason I played this spring. His fire for ultimate combined with his skill and leadership were what gave me the push I needed to get back into ultimate after thinking that I might start winding down my playing days and for that I am eternally grateful. I am also eternally grateful for his deep hucks which made my job easy and his timely lay out D’s in the under space. Man is versatile, surgical, and plays 6 inches bigger than he is. A more deserving player of All-Region and even POTY you couldn’t find.

Bobby Elston #23 CCSU: I terms of pure ability, I think there is maybe one or two people in the region that has more than Bobby. He is deceptively quick for his size, has ups for days, and throws that will make you chef’s kiss. If you put him on any of the bracket day teams, they would instantly become the favorite in my head and might even win a couple games at nationals.

Chis McLaughlin #67 Rutgers: Man is an incredibly talented thrower, a bowling ball up line and as been absolutely saucing on people at Empire practice these days so he deserves a shout.

Jeremy Bernier #4 UConn: Enough has been said. Read all the comments above.

There were a bunch of Cornell players who were having a day against Columbia in the semis and generally making my life hell in that game so Ben Goldman #20, Tomer Poole-Dayan #13, and Jack Waxman #4, all of whom have been mentioned above, have my vote as well for All-Region First Team.

Also shout out to #8 on Cornell (I don’t know his name) who played really good physical defense all game and was really spirited in discussion. I was impressed and would throw his name in the hat for second team.

I also have an all freshman nomination.

Wyatt Harte #13 Columbia: As has been mentioned, he’s a freshman who handles on our O-line which already speaks to a level of maturity and ability that I think is wildly impressive. I didn’t truly appreciate how valuable he was to this team until we were missing him on Saturday at regionals and then got him back Sunday. The difference it made was unbelievable and to have such an impact as a freshman deserves recognition. Man will be on a couple All-Region teams by the end of his career.

[danklin]

This is Duncan Lamont #34 from NYU.

If coach of the year is a thing, I have to vote for Princeton’s coach. Don’t know their name, but Princeton had such insane improvement from Fall to Spring. Really incredible.

Player of the year has to go to Uconn #4 or this is all rigged.

And I’d like to put in a good word for Antonio Brewer #7 and Eric Zhang #10 who are both on NYU with me. Both are incredible players and have been consistent for us all year long. Both played well on both sides of the disc and could get open whenever they wanted.

[lukesmith936]

AARON MAYMIN FOR CALLAHAN
AND FIRST TEAM ALL REGION

Aaron "Xbox" Maymin Callahan 2022

[oscarbkohut]

Sick vid Aaron! Wanna spread the Callahan love and send over that Columbia v Bing footage from No Sleep??

[grandimal]

Hey everyone,

I am one of the coaches of Yale Superfly, name is Alex Grande. While I am new to the region (Bay Area transplant), did not get to see all of the teams play, and still learning who everyone is, I wanted to provide my thoughts on who deserves to be All-Region:

• Jeremy Bernier (UConn): I actually watched UConn play for the first time in the finals at Regional and did not know who Jeremy was before this. But it was impressive watching him be the center-piece of their offense and consistently lead the line to score. Columbia threw a lot of zone and over and over, he just broke it with 40 yard hammers. Dude led his team with very skilled throws to a Regional Finals win, ‘nuff said.
• Bobby (CCSU): Really strong cutter who is fast, good in the air and an experienced thrower. He deserves all the attention that defenses put on him. Played against him multiple times throughout the season (and personally played against him in winter leagues) and the dude is a baller.
• Chris McLaughlin (Rutgers): We played Rutgers in the quarters at Regionals and this was ‘the guy’ who we needed to stop, which is a testament to his skill and reputation. We put Yoyo (see below) on him to just play super tight/hip pocket defense on him and it worked. They were forced to play through other players, we got breaks and went up 3-0. But then he adjusted, took care of the disc and beat our zone with his experience and throws. Rutgers came back to win 9-7, led by this dude.
• Masayuki “Yoyo” Nagase (Yale): Our O-line stalwart all year long. Consistently gets the disc and can move it around the field. When we needed him to play defense in an important, season-defining matchup (see above) he was up to the challenge and did very well. Could have been a starter for us on either side of the disc.
• Kosuke Tominaga (Yale): You might not have noticed him on the line, but he is our strongest cutter because he consistently gets open. In the Fall and Spring, we had several games decided on the last point. In two (maybe three) of those games, we had a game winning huck (and sky!) to Kosuke. He is quick and understands the movements to get open on any defender. So glad to have him for another year.

All Freshman Team (this is where my lack of knowledge of others team comes in, but these four below absolutely deserve recognition. They’ll be in contention of All-Region in the coming years):

• Micah Derringer (Yale): Multiple people in this thread are commenting that either they are surprised he was a freshman or nominating him for All-Freshman contingent on him being a freshman. But I can tell you, indeed…he is a freshman. Very quick and has great ultimate sense so he can play on both sides of the disc. Had some of our biggest layout blocks this year. He deserved to play in our most important points of the season.
• Nayan & Zubin Birnbach (Yale): These two “twins” are super talented. Strong cutters, and have all the throws and are solid in the air. Again, these freshman played in our most important points of the season because of their raw talent, experience and value on both sides of the disc.
• Javier “Javi” Pardo (Yale): Javi quickly became an obvious choice as one of our main offensive handlers, he was a rock for us on offense all year. He is always there as a reset, and is patient and calm with the disc.