2024 Western Ultimate League Award Winners
The annual WUL Awards honor outstanding players and coaching staff who have made significant contributions to the league and their teams. Each nominee exemplifies excellence in their respective roles and was honored with an awards ceremony during Championship Weekend.
Most Valuable Player - Abby Thorpe
Abby Thorpe lead the league in goals with 23 goals — 10 more than any other player. Thorpe’s 23 goals not only led the league by 10, they were the second most in a single season. On her team, she was 5th in assists, 2nd in blocks, and 1st in receiving yards. Thorpe's +/- of 28.5 led the league by 5. Her 32.4 Offensive Impact Score (OIS) was 1st in the league and she had the highest block rate in the league, averaging nearly 1 block every 11 defensive possessions. Thorpe was also nominated for Player of the Week 3 times, and won the award in Week 5 while tying the single-game record for goals with 7 and setting the single-game record for receiving yards with 406.
Offensive Player of the Year - Ari Nelson
Nelson’s ability to accurately push the disc down the field took Colorado’s offense to the next level. Their 23 assists led the league and tied for the most assists in a single season. Nelson's 2007 throwing yards were second in the league, and of the seven players who threw for more than 1500 yards, Nelson had 5 fewer throwing errors than anyone else. Nelson completed 70% of their hucks and their 16 huck completions were the most in the league by 5. Colorado’s O-line scored on just 23% of their possessions without Nelson on the field, compared to 50% of possessions with Nelson. They were nominated for Player of the Week twice and finished the season with the highest Offensive Impact Score among handlers in the league.
Defensive Player of the Year - Dena Elimelech
Dena Elimelech ranked 1st in the league for blocks with 15, and ranked 1st in blocks per game, averaging 2.5 blocks per game. She has recorded at least 1 block in every game this season and has now recorded at least 1 block in 20 of her 22 career games. Her 7 blocks against Bay Area in Week 6 tied the single-game league record. She won the Player of the Week award in Week 2, recording 2 blocks in addition to setting a single-game record at the time of 373 Receiving Yards. Her 46 career blocks make her WUL’s all-time leader (with 8 more than any other player), and her teammates described her as the most important and impactful player for San Diego this season.
Breakout Player of the Year - Abbie Davis
Abbie Davis had a phenomenal first season in the WUL. She was 2nd in the league in blocks with 13, and 1st among qualifying players with a Block Rate of 13.1. On her team, she tied for 2nd in goals, 1st in blocks, and 4th in receiving yards. Most impressively, Davis recorded at least two blocks in every game this season — the longest such streak to start a career and tied for the longest ever. She averaged 2.3 goals and 194 receiving yards per game since moving to O-line in her fourth game. Davis also won Player of the Week for her outstanding performance in Week 9, scoring 5 goals, recording 2 blocks and 274 total yards.
Coaching Staff of the Year - Bay Area Falcons
Head Coach Manisha Daryani and Assistant Coaches Shaun Webb, Candice Tse and Byron Liu
The Bay Area Falcons' success this season is in no small part because of their excellent coaching staff. The Falcons finished with a 5-1 record and a +32 goal differential. No other team in the league has a goal differential above 1. During the regular season, they ranked 1st in Hold Percentage, Break Percentage, Defensive Efficiency, Completion Rate, Blocks, and Huck Completion rates. In Week 8, the Falcons tied a league record in Week 8 with 20 different players scoring or throwing an assist. On the season, Falcons had 29 different players score a goal (a league record), 26 players throw and assist and 28 players record a block (a league record).