by Noam Gummerman, WUL Lead Writer
Full roster drops for the 2026 WUL season are coming soon, but that hasn’t stopped teams from making big moves early in the offseason. From locking in cornerstone players to landing major transfers, the groundwork for 2026 is already being laid. Which teams are leveling up? Who’s changing jerseys? And how will the return to an eight-team league reshape the competitive landscape? Let’s break down the most impactful roster moves so far.
Robyn Fennig Highlights Returning Vets to Bay Area Falcons
After falling just two points short of a first-ever WUL Championship—on home turf, no less—the Bay Area Falcons have re-signed their offensive engine, Robyn Fennig. Fennig helped propel the Falcons to the final, commanding the offense throughout the season. She finished with the second-most throwing yards across the league, earned First Team All-WUL honors, and was an MVP finalist.
Fennig adds a level of verticality to the Bay Area offense that, in recent years, only Colorado—with Ari Nelson—has consistently matched. But she’s also an elite decision-maker who controls the pace of play at a very high level. With another year in Bay Area’s system, she’ll be an even greater threat.
And it’s not just Fennig. Bay Area has also signed five other multi-year Falcons veterans who have been key contributors, signaling a continued commitment to building an experienced roster. Georgia Cardosa (2025 DPOTY finalist, Second Team All-WUL) and Margo Donahue (2024 BPOTY finalist, Second Team All-WUL) headline the returning group. We’ll see if any big-name rookies join the Falcons once again, but even if Bay Area brings back the same roster as last season, they’ll enter 2026 with a strong chance to capture the WUL title.
Kyra Khoroujnikova (UT) and Megan Maxfield (CO) Join Defending Champs
The biggest news from San Diego Super Bloom’s roster announcement (the first of the 2026 team rosters to drop) was the addition of longtime Utah Wild stalwart Kyra Khoroujnikova and standout defender Megan Maxfield, who previously starred with Arizona Sidewinders and Colorado Alpenglow. For a team that—despite their offensive firepower—rode a dominant defensive performance to their first-ever WUL Championship in 2024, the additions of Khoroujnikova and Maxfield feel like a case of the rich getting richer.
Both players add depth, range, and versatility to a defense that stifled every offense in the league last season and seamlessly shifted between zone, person, and hybrid looks. Perhaps even more notably, it’s a talent-stealing coup for San Diego. Both the Wild and Alpenglow will look noticeably thinner without Khoroujnikova and Maxfield and will have to adjust to life without two players who consistently did the little things right for their teams.
San Diego Super Bloom Enter New Era Without Dena Elimelech
Despite the flurry of signings, perhaps the most significant news of the pre-signing period is the departure of Dena Elimelech from the defending champion San Diego Super Bloom to the PUL’s Atlanta Soul. Elimelech has been a cornerstone of Super Bloom’s core for several seasons and was a critical contributor to their championship run a year ago. Among her many accolades, she is the WUL’s all-time leader in both blocks and receiving yards.
Khoroujnikova and Maxfield will help fill some of the gaps, and Super Bloom has also signed Cam Helm and Naomi Guzman from Los Angeles Astra, along with 2025 USAU College Callahan Award winner Laura Blume. Still, none of those players—at least so far—replicate exactly what Elimelech brought to the field. Who steps up to fill the void left by one of the greatest players in league history will be the central question facing the Super Bloom roster in 2026.
Kristen Reed, Kez Gessel Make Returns To WUL With Arizona
Arizona has endured a challenging couple of seasons, but the Sidewinders have made several moves aimed at stabilizing the roster and pushing toward the franchise’s first-ever winning season. Chief among them are the return of a healthy Kez Gesell and the addition of offensive powerhouse, Kristen Reed.
Gesell and Reed both address one of Arizona’s biggest struggles in recent years: scoring goals.
Reed, a proven goal-scorer at every level she’s played, immediately raises Arizona’s offensive ceiling. In her lone WUL season with Colorado in 2023, Reed finished with 21 goals—third-most in the league—including an unforgettable seven-goal performance against Bay Area that showcased her ability to completely take over a game. Known for her elite timing and natural instinct for finding space in the endzone, Reed has consistently been one of the most difficult downfield matchups in the league. Her résumé beyond the WUL only reinforces that reputation, having led top club programs (namely Molly Brown) as a primary scoring threat.
Paired with Gesell—2023’s Breakout Player of the Year and a relentless cutter—Reed gives Arizona something it has lacked in recent seasons: a reliable, high-volume finishing duo capable of converting possessions into points. If the Sidewinders can complement that firepower with even modest improvements in throwing depth and offensive consistency, Gesell’s and Reed’s return could be the catalyst that finally allows Arizona’s offense to operate with confidence and pace.
As full rosters for the 2026 WUL season begin to take shape, these early moves offer a glimpse into how teams are positioning themselves for the year ahead. From defending champions doubling down on depth, to returning stars reshaping offenses and departures forcing new leaders to emerge, the ripple effects of the offseason are already being felt across the league.
With eight teams back in the fold and more signings still to come, this is only the beginning. The next few months will reveal which teams have built on their momentum—and which still have work to do—before the opening pull of the 2026 season.