Who are the best players in the Northwest region? This is an open thread to discuss All-Region nominations, All-Freshman nominations, coaching awards, and more. Stay positive and keep it civil.
All-Freshmen: Anika Alschuler. Such a beast on the field and so locked in, truly embodies spirit of the game and sportsmanship. Tears it up in the cup (#Chalice), locks it down on the mark, hucks the disc, bids in the deep space, what can’t they do??
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Coaching shout-out: Jacob Artz. Mans is the definition of committed. He is incredibly available to players for advice and support, he maintains an excellent balance between competitive and loving vibes, he’s deeply knowledgeable about the game, and he’s such a sweetie. He knows exactly how to meet people where they’re at and adjust feedback based on that. He believes that every single player, no matter where they start at, can become a great player. He has a long-term vision for the team that I have seen realized over the past few years, based on equity and building a deep roster. I think you’d be hard pressed to find a valid critique of his coaching style and Artemis would not be the team that it is without him.
Artemis players:
Katelyn Osborne #13 - Jack of all trades here. She’s a beast on defense and a dog on offense. She handles with insane fakes and diverse throws, and she cuts like she doesn’t even have a defender. She doesn’t get tired even when she’s playing 1 week into mononucleosis!!
Mira Larrance #17 - Extremely assertive handler. She commands the field easily and communicates psychically with her cutters. Everyone in the region knows to fear her when she’s defending in the deep space - if a huck goes up there’s a high chance that Mira comes down with it, no matter how good of a throw it was. She’d be sad if I didn’t mention the fact that she’s fast as hell and when she gets a chance to cut, she’ll roast your ass.
Mikah Keetch #77 - Katelyn’s mom asked, “Okay, so there’s handlers and cutters, but what’s Mikah’s distributor role called?”. That’s exactly what they are. They get the disc and give it back like there’s no tomorrow. Mikah can find holes no one else would even consider. They are smart, reliable, fast, technical, and they’ve started screaming when they bid or get a D which I’m sure is intimidating as hell to the competition.
UpRoar:
Hana Elawady #3 - Holy shit this squirrelly little lefty is FAST. And she can do it all. If she weren’t so fun and such a sweetie I would NEVER want to mark up on her.
Audrey Steinman #37 - She keeps it calm and collected. Diligently runs their systems and seems like an absolute rock for their offense, constantly breaking the mark. She baits run through D’s and sees results.
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Calista Aragon #18 - One of the speediest demons you will find on the field, she is prepared to grind it out on the unders, run deep again and again, and challenge her opponents on every cut. Not only that, she’s one of the most hungry people you will see in a cup zone and is rewarded with D after D.
All region:
Artemis:
Katelyn Osborne #13 is truly a joy to play with. Her ability to flow from the cutting space to the handling space demonstrates her diverse skill set on the field. She is an incredible threat in the cutting space; consistently getting miles open. With the disc, she is calm, patient, and commanding, with fakes that fool everyone. She’s a heads up defender; solid and athletic, she makes run through D’s look easy.
Mikah Keetch #77 is an incredibly solid handler, a rock of Artemis’s offense. They are an incredibly principled player, always choosing throws with the highest chance of completion. They have a diverse set of throws: low releases and hucks always hitting their target. Mikah is a scary defender, working hard to lock up some of the best players in D3.
UPRoar:
Hayden Ashley #12 has been an asset in UP’s handler set since her freshmen year. Her hucks are consistently gorgeous, her inside shots make it easy for UP to work the disc up the field, and her upline cuts are deadly. Even when face-guarded she’s smart and opportunistic, taking advantage of a split second lapse in focus to cut to the disc.
Hana Elawady #3 is a tenacious cutter. She utilizes her speed, engaging her defenders to get open in the under and deep space. Her tenacity is clear in her defensive game as well, an intimidating mark and part of UP’s suffocating cup.
Sweets:
Gaby Campbell #27 is a huge threat in the handler space. She demonstrates a mastery of a wide variety of throws, and her inside shots are particularly nasty. She has a sense of calm with the disc, and makes it all look smooth and easy.
Olli Fox #4 is a menace in the cutting space. They utilize their speed to catch defenders on their heels and their size to come down with the disc in the deep space. They are patient and practiced with the disc, executing throws at a high level. Seeing them play, you wouldn’t guess they’re coming back from an injury last season.
All-freshmen:
Anika Aschuler #38 is speedy beyond belief. Their athleticism and intentionality make it easy for them to get open in the cutting space, and you’d be hard pressed to find a low-release more evasive than theirs. Defensively, she’s quick on her feet and excels on handler D and in the cup.
L&C:
#0 Izzy Quattrucci - Izzy is an absolute rock as a handler. Smart thrower, gets the disc moving. Can see the whole field.
#13 Katelyn Osborne - I would echo everything that has already been said
Puget Sound:
#25 Luna Wagner - Should be in any conversation for best defender in the region. Locks up handlers or cutters. It doesn’t matter. If she doesn’t shut them down then you know she just got the run through D! She will also make you pay for your mistakes. As handler or cutter. Very dangerous on offense with some very sticky fingers.
#4 Hayes Freeman - Hayes is a solid O line contributor. Hayes is great a down field cutter or handler. She also is afraid to rip it deep.
#21 Amity Humphrey - first year ever playing ultimate. Already coming up big on defense. She has a great field awareness. Always hunting the disc. Look out in the future.
Whitman:
#27 Gabbie Campbell - One of the best throwers in the division. Super creative. Throwing dots all over the field.
Very steady captaining the O line.
Shout out to all the first year players - Very strong group with a high frisbee IQ and talent. Is there a new exit in Walla Walla? In the the Seattle to Northfield pipeline. Time will tell
Portland:
#12 Hayden Ashley - Everything goes through Hayden. Going every other on offense. If she doesn’t beat you with her throwing then she will cook you up line.
Luna Wagner is soooo good! I can’t believe how good she is. One of best for sure!
From a women
All Freshman:
Anika Alschuler (Artemis #38) - Unstoppable low releases, impeccable field awareness, selfless cutting, lifesaving bids, and killer jukes: these are just some of the things that make Anika Alschuler an asset to their team and a player to watch out for. This upstart baller brought skill and high frisbee IQ, playing Artemis X line all season. They showed up to practice in the fall and I decided “Yup, I’m going to mark that tiny freshman, and it’s going to challenge me to be a better player.” I was right. You can always trust Anika to be open for a massive gaining under cut, or dust her defender to get open in endzone. On defense, they are the first to volunteer for the cup, and will relentlessly chase down handler Ds. Anika is also chilly with the disc and will flex into a dependable handler in a pinch. My dad came to watch us play conferences, and afterwards he recounted one notable point where Anika stood out. A deep huck went up, and while everyone else waited for the result, Anika was already hustling to be in the right space for the next play. They waited out a few clogging cuts, then read the field perfectly and dusted his defended to the open side for a beautifully timed score.