USA Ultimate

2010 Callahan Winner- Shannon O’Malley

University of Washington Element has been one of the biggest names in college women’s ultimate since 2005, when Element broke through in the competitive Northwest Region, nabbing the third bid en route to a Finals appearance at the College Championships.  Over the years, Element has featured at least one prominent player who has embodied the fun-loving, intense spirit of Element.  Players like Melina Coogan and Lisa Niemann (who currently coaches Element) have helped to keep the Element identity at the forefront of the college game.

2010 Callahan Winner Shannon O’Malley has been one of these special players since her entrance into the college division in 2006.  This year marks her 12th year playing Ultimate as she was introduced to the sport in her gym class in 6th grade and fell in love with the game instantly.  O’Malley credits much of her development as a player to her experience playing high school club Ultimate with Seattle MoHo under the direction of past Callahan winners and Ultimate idols Ben Wiggins and Miranda Roth.  O’Malley is also a former Junior Worlds player and in 2005, O’Malley made her debut with the elite Seattle women’s team, Riot, before she had even set foot in the college Ultimate arena.  She says that Riot teammates Miranda Roth, Kati Halmos, and Beth Wise have taught her a lot about the game.  O’Malley has played at the highest level of Ultimate in the youth, college, and club divisions, and has been a playmaker on every team that she has been on. 

O’Malley is known for her intensity on the field and willingness to sacrifice her body to make big plays for her team.  She is a tenacious defender, an unstoppable cutter, and over the past couple of seasons, has honed her throws as she has taken on a bigger role around the disc for Element.  The well-roundedness of her game is matched by few players in the college game.

As if all of her impressive accolades and skill set aren’t enough, O’Malley also coaches youth ultimate in Seattle.  She is a huge advocate of youth ultimate and sees coaching as passing on her passion and heart to her players.  O’Malley and her Element teammates serve as role models to other college teams around the country as a program that consistently goes above and beyond to give back to the local Ultimate community.  Youth ultimate in Seattle is booming, thanks in large part to the investment of Element.  And Element is benefiting too with a dozen players who played high school ultimate in Seattle on their 2010 roster.  O’Malley is the poster child for Seattle youth ultimate and she is doing everything she can to make sure that a love for Ultimate continues to be fostered among the youth there.

The Callahan Award is the most prestigious award in the college women’s division as it is voted on by the players and is seen as a sign of tremendous respect.  Congratulations to Shannon O’Malley and the other top five finishers: Leila Tunnell, Cree Howard, Julia Sherwood, and Kaela Jorgenson on all of their accomplishments this season and for representing the college women’s division so well!