USA Ultimate

U.S. U-19 National Teams set their sights on Lecco, Italy

Boulder, Colo. (April 9, 2014) – USA Ultimate, the national governing body for the sport of ultimate in the United States, is pleased to announce the athletes selected to represent the U.S. at the World Flying Disc Federation’s World Junior Ultimate Championships (WJUC) this July in Lecco, Italy.

More than 250 athletes from across the United States applied to be considered for the open and women’s U-19 National Teams. Invitations to participate in one of two tryout camps, either in Atlanta or Seattle, were extended to 180 applicants. Both tryout camps were a chance for the nation’s best youth ultimate players to showcase their abilities. And thanks to continued growth and increased playing opportunities in the youth division, the selection process for national teams continues to increase in difficulty.

The teams’ coaching staffs and their selection assistants worked tirelessly to be sure the players named to the final rosters will form the best teams possible to represent the U.S. at WJUC. In all, 45 athletes were invited to join the two national teams, and an additional 11 were selected as alternates.

"We were very excited that the level of play at try-outs continued to improve," said women’s team head coach Kyle Weisbrod.  "The competition made for many difficult decisions but we believe it will help us to forge a world-class team."

The team will gather for a week-long training camp in July before traveling to Italy. The World Junior Ultimate Championships are schedule for July 20-26, 2014, in Lecco. Forty teams and approximately 1,000 athletes will make the trip to the shores of Lake Como for this year’s WJUC. 

"As coaches, this moment is both bitter and sweet for us," commented open team head coach Chase Sparling-Beckley. "It is with great excitement that we look forward to building chemistry and competing in Italy this summer with the group that we have selected, but the process has already been an incredible one. The athletes and teammates that comprised the two tryout groups have gone a long way towards helping us develop the strong base on which we will build our team moving forward. We are extremely grateful for their contributions and hope to make their dreams of U.S. National Team success a reality."

The World Junior Ultimate Championships are a biennial event, held every two years, that bring together the world’s best youth ultimate players. The first event was held in 1983 with just three teams in the junior boys’ division.  The United States first competed at WJUC in 1988 when Bronx Science High School claimed a bronze medal. Since that time, U.S. teams have earned eight gold, three silver and five bronze medals.

National Team Staff
Team Manager: Baker Pratt – Denver, Colo.

Women’s Junior National Team

Kyle Weisbrod Head Coach Seattle, WA	Jamie Nuwer Assistant Coach San Francisco, CA	Moses Rifkin Assistant Coach Seattle, WA

 

Sarafina Angstadt-Leto Eugene, OR		Mia Bladin Seattle, WA		Piper Curtis Hanover, NH		Hallie Dunham Seattle, WA
Leah Farris Atascadero, CA		Zoe Freedman-Coleman Amherst, MA		Frances Gellert Seattle, WA		Caitlin Go Stanford, CA
Sadie Jezierski Westfield, NJ		Nhi Nguyen Superior, CO		Tiffany Phan Seattle, WA		Clea Poklemba Corvallis, OR
Claire Revere Seattle, WA		Alissa Soo Seattle, WA		Linnea Soo Seattle, WA		Jane Urheim Wynnewood, PA
Jaclyn Verzuh Seattle, WA		Hayley Wahlroos Eugene, OR		Julianna Werffeli Kirkland, WA		Monisha White Stanford, CA
Angela Zhu Hanover, NH

 

Alternates

Gabrielle Aufderheide Eugene, OR		Madeline Gilbert Seattle, WA		Ella Hansen Seattle, WA		Carolyn Normile Wynnewood, PA
Sarah Sparks Falmouth, ME

 

 

Open Junior National Team

Chase Sparling-Beckley Head Coach Portland, OR	George Stubbs Assistant Coach Somerville, MA	Sam O'Brien Assistant Coach Minneapolis, MN

 

Steven Benaloh Redmond, WA		Emmett Blau Bedford, NY		Samuel Cook Seattle, WA		Sebastian Di Francesco Atlanta, GA
Brett Gramann Austin, TX		Nathan Haskell Atlanta, GA		Mac Hecht Newton, M		Ryan Hiser Vero Beac, FL
Levi Jacobs Bargersville, IN		Natan Lee-Engel Seattle, WA		Sam Lehman Mercer Island, WA		Connor Matthews Eugene, OR
Terrence Mitchell Durham, NC		Josiah Mort Atascadero, CA		Eli Motycka Nashville, TN		Anders Olsen Atlanta, GA
Alexander Olson Seattle, WA		Aaron Peterschmidt Albany, OR		Jake Ritmire Seattle, WA		Dominic Schuster Cincinnati, OH
Charles Schuweiler St. Cloud, MN		Scott Trimble Gibsonia, PA		Tristan Van de Moortele Minneapolis, MN		Sol Yanuck Chapel Hill, NC

 

Alternates

Alex Kunzer Shoreview, MN		Andrew Lehmberg Westfield, NJ		Walker Matthews Durham, NC		Wyatt Mekler Minnetonka, MN
Grant Mitchell Bellevue, WA		Jack Shanahan Naperville, IL

 

Photos by: Brian Chu and Christina Schmidt/Ultiphotos

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