I try to follow as much ultimate as I can and with so many filmed games these days it is easier than ever! Even though I watch as many games as I can, it seems like every time I watch a game I learn about an amazing player that I’d not known about previously. Sometimes – if not most of the time – I’m sure that I would have known about her sooner if I was better at paying attention, but the thrill of learning about someone “new to me” never goes away.

Here are 7 players that caught my eye in 2017:

(1) Kerilee Coote -> Australia’s GWS Blaze

I learned about Coote watching the Australia club bronze medal game back in June – she had an amazing game for Blaze. Here’s just one example:

(2) Adelaide Dennis -> Australian national team + Factory

Dennis’s play in the two exhibition games that the Australian national team had with Japan just blew me away. She also had a incredible showing for Factory in the Australian club bronze medal game. Here’s one example with the national team:

Adelaide Dennis’s bio on the Aussie Crocs website

(3) Laura Ospina -> Colombia national team + Revolution

The Colombian women earned a ton of praise for their performance with the national team and at the US Open. Laura Ospina’s play jumped off of the page. I didn’t remember seeing her play before, but I did see this exchange on Twitter:

I didn’t write about the US Open final so I don’t have any video clips of Ospina handy, but she has a nice goal around 3:12 in this highlight film that the Colombian team published:

(4) Maddie Gilbert -> Seattle Riot

The Riot vs Ozone game at the Pro-Elite challenge introduced me to two players. The first is Riot’s Maddie Gilbert who had this incredible block:

Gilbert also had a fantastic game in the finals of the Pro Flight Finale. I love how far she’s come as a player this year. Can’t wait to see her at nationals.

(5) Shanye Crawford -> Atlanta Ozone

The second player that just jumped off the screen watching the Riot vs Ozone game was Ozone’s Shayne Crawford. Ultiworld filmed that game and I don’t have any video clips. It is pretty easy to sum up Crawford’s play in that game, though -> She did whatever she wanted whenever she wanted. Blocks, goals, assists . . . anything. Riot had no answer for her.

Here’s a screen grab of one of the goals.

(6) Claire McKeever -> Molly Brown

My summary of seeing Claire McKeever play at the US Open is here:

My biggest wow of the US Open was Molly Brow’s Claire McKeever

It seemed like every time I looked at the screen in a Molly Brown game she was guarding the most dangerous player on the other team. I was super impressed with her D and also impressed that Molly Brown was giving her this responsibility. Here’s a clip of her guarding Opi Payne and also poaching in the lane when Alex Snyder has the disc.

(7) Anouchka Beaudry -> 6ixers

If you watch the finals of the Canadian national championships you’ll see an outrageous game from Anouchka Beaudry from the 6ixers.

Take some time to learn from Anouchka Beaudry

Below is just one of many fantastic examples from her from that game – I can’t wait to see more of her play in the next couple of years!

Sorry if this post seems a little early – after all it is still just September! I’m planning on heading down to Sarasota to watch US Nationals in person and thus probably not watching those games on film (at least not immediately). So, now seemed like the right time to celebrate learning about these players in 2017.