Who are the best players in the Atlantic Coast region? This is an open thread to discuss All-Region nominations, All-Freshman nominations, coaching awards, and more. Stay positive and keep it civil.
I TD’d Needle in a Ho-Stack in Charlotte, NC, and got to watch a couple of PUFF’s (Davidson College) games. They’re a bit of an unknown going in to ConfRegionals with the small sample size of games, but they have some ballers worth being considered, namely:
Alice Whisnant – strong hybrid capable of making a difference in the game from any position on the field. She is often the team’s initiation look and is almost always in a position to receive the disc. She keeps PUFF moving upfield and is instrumental to PUFF’s success.
Caroline Hiers – although she is a bit newer to ultimate than the remainder of the team’s core, she pretty regularly dominated her matchups and was open whenever she wanted/needed to be. She has to be one of the fastest players in the division and will win a 1v1 against nearly anyone she matches up with.
Ella Dittmer – very solid handler who can keep an offense moving. She can throw in the wind, and always picks the right space to be. She has adult club experience and it reflects in her play/decision making.
Virginia Barber – Davidson’s ace. She generally covered the other team’s top player and won every matchup she entered. The offense would typically flow through her, and no other team had an answer for how to stop her. She’s a devastating combo of height, speed, skill, and experience.
Despite the team being so new, their ceiling is incredibly high. I’m sure they’ll make some noise this weekend & beyond!
Just watched all the teams play this AC Regionals weekend and wanted to shoutout players that particularly impressed me this weekend (Many apologies in advance for the players whose names I did not catch before I left and could not quite figure out despite my research on the internet):
Richmond
Emma Alatzas - Richmond’s ace with some of the most intense lockdown defense I have seen in a while in this region. She is their main O-handlers with unstoppable up-lines and an impeccable ability to get open consistently in the handler space. It is one thing to have a handler that can open up new throwing lanes with their throws, but to also have the intensity to get as many run through Ds and blocks on both cutters and handlers this past weekend shows that the she could easily be the player of the region after this weekend’s performance.
Kavya Borra - Solid cutter able to beat her matchups downfield with her speed, height, and athleticism. She proves again and again to be a formidable opponent who is able to get open whenever she wants. I would watch out for her deep.
Arianna Kightlinger - Strong D-handler with the ability to pull off incredible pulls upwind this past weekend. You had to be there to know how bad it was that first day. I would like to commend her for her calm and collected decision-making on offense, and her fantastic marks on handlers, racking up at least six or seven hand blocks for the weekend.
Lucy Sevetson - Richmond’s other main center O-handler with the ability to stretch the field with her deep hucks and break any mark easily. Despite being only a sophomore, she was critical for Richmond’s success this past weekend.
Jolie Martin - I’m calling it early, but Jolie Martin is a top pick for rookie of the year. Having less than one year of ultimate under her belt, she is the fastest player out on the field. Her ability to get open on all her matchups and catch the impossible (I’m talking about fading disc high in the air, someone tips it, backwards catch kinda grabs) is insane for the amount of ultimate she has been playing. Her lockdown defense and aggressive marks give her at least four hand blocks and seven run-through D’s to add to the stat sheet. When she gets to nationals, she is the player to watch for sure.
Davidson
Virginia Barber - She is easily one of the top players in this region. Her ability to get open in tight windows and the trust the team has in her shows with her ability as a playmaker and defense machine. I would watch out for this player in the next coming seasons, and am excited to see their development in the future.
I would also like to shoutout three players whose names I did not catch but can somewhat describe. To Davidson’s handler with the deadly flick hucks, your throws were instrumental to moving the offense down the field. We had to make many adjustments to stop her hucks as the game progressed. To Davidson’s Asian primary cutter, your spin around moves to get open downfield and speed were unmatched. Some of the best fakes that even I looked the other way to see where the disc went. There was also another tall cutter who was quite fast and athletic with great grabs downfield. She was pretty much open every time.
Mary Washington
Miriam Gorbach - Strong handler with the solid flick hucks. Her ability to place throws right into cutters hands and keep the momentum going was awesome to see.
Catholic
Unfortunately did not get any names, but Catholic had two particular players who I’d like to shoutout. Their main handler had the prettiest flick and backhand hucks right into space and solid upline cuts to keep the flow going. They also had a tall cutter downfield who was pretty much unguardable when the disc was up in the air. She had some of the best catches and grabs in contested space that I have seen with pretty good body control and awareness.
I’m a Davidson PUFF Captain and just wanted to give names to the three players you shouted out in addition to Virginia Barber, who is a key player for our team. We run our offense through her and the team trusts her with the disc and to get the disc. Not to mention she’s a dominating force on defense as a mark (she pulled off several impressive foot blocks this season), playing tight person D, and with smart, successful poaching.
Ella Dittmer is the handler you’re referring to. She is an essential part of our offense that makes smart decisions and incredible throws. Another player the whole team trusts. She’s also pulled off some incredible grabs and Ds over the season, making catches against match ups that are much taller.
Lily Dyslin is the cutter you shouted out. She’s a rookie with a background in soccer that shows in her athleticism and field awareness. We can always rely on her to get open with her iconic spin move, ability to find open space, or pure speed. She also already performs as a successful hybrid after less than a year of playing. I know I’m biased, but I think she is easily one of the most impressive Freshman in the region.
Ally Williams is the tall cutter you mentioned. She started playing this year as a sophomore and with her athletic background immediately soared is a cutter. She’s fast and smart and has truly had some incredible grabs.
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