Get ready, ultimate frisbee fans! The U.S. is sending its best young talent to the 2026 World Junior Ultimate Championships (WJUC). USA Ultimate has just announced the 72 athletes who will represent the nation next summer in Logroño, Spain. This is a huge deal, showcasing the future stars of this exciting sport!
These athletes were selected from a pool of over 200 hopefuls who attended tryouts this past fall. They'll be split into three teams: mixed, open, and women's, each comprised of 24 players. The competition will be fierce, with each team vying for the top spot.
What's particularly exciting is that the teams include some seasoned winners. Several athletes were part of the gold-medal-winning mixed and open squads in 2024, while others earned silver medals as part of the women's team. This experience is sure to give them an edge.
Team USA has a rich history at the WJUC, having competed in 16 previous editions since 1988. The open team boasts an impressive record, with ten gold medals, two silvers, and four bronzes. The women's division, introduced in 2000, has also seen great success, with six golds, four silvers, and a bronze medal.
And this is the part most people miss... The mixed division, a more recent addition to the WJUC in 2022, saw Team USA take gold in 2024 for the first time! This highlights the growing popularity and competitiveness of mixed ultimate.
The 2026 WJUC is scheduled for July 11–July 18, co-hosted by the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) and the local organizing committee in Logroño. It's a fantastic opportunity for these young athletes to showcase their skills on an international stage.
Here's a glimpse of the talented players who made the cut. This is just a sample of the full roster.
Mixed Team:
- Ally Adair (Minneapolis, MN)
- Eva Armstrong (Portland, OR)
- Ethan Austin-Cruse (Avondale Estates, GA)
- Bridget Barnett (Seattle, WA)
- Silas Bell (Logan, UT)
- Max Coe (Lexington, MA)
- Wyatt Cook (Portland, OR)
- Ellie Cymrot (Fredericksburg, VA)
- Ashima Gandhi (Atlanta, GA)
- Henry Garcia (Alameda, CA)
- Imogen Gatewood-Wolfe (San Jose, CA)
- Arisa Gilbert (Boulder, CO)
- Elise Hetland (Durham, NC)
- Walter Hipps (Edina, MN)
- Dre Jackson (Washington, DC)
- Emilee Jensen (Bountiful, UT)
- Sarek Mallareddy (San Francisco, CA)
- Rina Meschke (Yardley, PA)
- Henry Mullen (Carrboro, NC)
- Gretchen Schmitt (Vienna, VA)
- Katie Stack (Swarthmore, PA)
- Bodhi Weston (Austin, TX)
- Jonah Yang (Seattle, WA)
- Colin Zeng (Ann Arbor, MI)
Open Team:
- Muhammad Awais (San Francisco, CA)
- Evan Benoit (Montpelier, VT)
- Aage Bonnell (Seattle, WA)
- Owen Erdman (Philadelphia, PA)
- Will Fath (Ambler, PA)
- Nikolas Goodrum (Mercer Island, WA)
- Danny Hobday (Saint Paul, MN)
- Ben Holland (Washington, DC)
- Blake Holt (Hyde Park, UT)
- Joe Lodahl (Saint Paul, MN)
- Simon Logan (Louisville, CO)
- Son Mai-Clark (Santa Cruz, CA)
- Noah Malla (Seattle, WA)
- Reggie Masket (Oakland, CA)
- Stefan McCall (Berkeley, CA)
- Lane Mires (El Cerrito, CA)
- Tanner Monohan (Seattle, WA)
- Caoba Nichim-Luta (Montclair, NJ)
- Suriya Sethi (Bellevue, WA)
- Joel Simon (Bala Cynwyd, PA)
- Jude Small (Seattle, WA)
- Sawyer Thacker (Madison, AL)
- Finn Thaler (Louisville, CO)
- Ely Vaquerano (Oakland, CA)
Women's Team:
- Sydney Belfiore (Yarrow Point, WA)
- Lily Brooks (Durham, NC)
- Haley Chau (Minnetonka, MN)
- Lily DiGioia (Kirkland, WA)
- Mia Fischer (St. Paul, MN)
- Eva Gartland (Decatur, GA)
- Lilly Hodges (Swarthmore, PA)
- Joyce Hui (Seattle, WA)
- Kyla Hurt (Eugene, OR)
- Talia Knox (Seattle, WA)
- Emily Kretschmer (Silver Spring, MD)
- Ellie Lemberg (Newton, MA)
- Nor Luloff (Seattle, WA)
- Kari Manzo (Chevy Chase, MD)
- Cora McCabe (Ithaca, NY)
- Isadore McCune (Liberty Township, OH)
- Samantha Montgomery (Lexington, KY)
- Kumari Okumura (Minneapolis, MN)
- Alysha Parshall-Matylas (Northampton, MA)
- Alice Rieger (Swarthmore, PA)
- Julia Segre (Berkeley, CA)
- Lou Shernoff (Seattle, WA)
- Amelia Welsh (Seattle, WA)
- Violet Yap (Alameda, CA)
But here's where it gets controversial... Some might argue about the selection process or the balance of representation across different regions. What do you think? Do you agree with the selections? Let us know in the comments below! Are there any players you're particularly excited to watch? Share your thoughts!
