By Ben Sadis
Lead WUL Statistician
The halfway point of the 2026 WUL season has arrived—and the award races are anything but settled. From veteran frontrunners to rising rookies crashing the conversation, this year’s field is deep, dynamic, and wildly competitive.
What stands out isn’t just the numbers—it’s the variety of impact. Some players are carrying offenses. Others are flipping games with momentum-changing blocks. And a few are doing everything, everywhere, all at once.
With several weeks still to play, the margins are razor thin, the narratives are still evolving, and every possession from here on out could tilt the race.
Arizona
Arizona’s two key additions this year, Kez Gesell and Kristen Reed, have been as good as advertised. After missing the 2025 season with injury, Gesell has taken her game to new heights. She won BPOTY in 2023 primarily due to her receiving and defensive abilities, but it has been her evolution as a thrower that has been the most impactful for Arizona in 2026. So far this season she’s recorded four assists and completed 4 of 5 hucks to complement her eight goals and team-leading 1419 total yards. Her ability to stretch the field with her arm after gaining yards as a receiver has opened up the Sidewinders offense.
Likewise, Reed’s blazing speed has given Gesell and other Arizona throwers a big outlet downfield. Her 12 goals (6th in the league) and 990 receiving yards (7th) have come as she’s been featured on both O-line and D-line, giving Arizona impact in any situation. In addition, she’s made an instant impact defensively with a team-leading seven blocks. Gesell and Reed have been the most significant contributors to Arizona’s huge turnaround this season, and deserve consideration for MVP.
Bay Area
Alex Barnett has been as good as advertised in her first WUL season. She leads the Falcons in goals (11, 7th in league), assists (12, 9th in league), and yards (1921, 5th in league), and is third on the team with six blocks. Most impressively perhaps is her low turnover rate - she is one of two players in the league with over 1300 yards and fewer than 9 turnovers. Her season looks even better through the lens of advanced metrics - her 140 PER is second in the league, and she leads the league with 12 completions above expected*. Her offensive profile makes her a leading candidate for OPOTY, and her overall impact on the Falcons suggests a strong MVP candidacy as well.
While Barnett has taken much of the spotlight, her backfield partner and 2025 MVP finalist Robyn Fennig has been as good as ever. She has ceded some goals and assists to Barnett, but she has still managed to accumulate almost as many yards while keeping a low turnover rate. She won’t hit the impressive 19 completions above expected she managed last season, her total so far of 7.1 (7th in the league) and her 119 Player Offensive Efficiency Rating* (PER-O) (T-17th in league) point toward another year in OPOTY contention.
Two new players have made a big impact for the Falcons defensively - Bridget Wipfler and Dawn Culton. They have accumulated 10 and 8 blocks respectively, and have immediately become stalwarts on the Bay Area D-line. If they keep racking up the blocks, they will certainly be in contention for DPOTY.
Colorado
Just as it has the past few years, this Alpenglow team revolves around its two foci: Ari Nelson and Abby Thorpe. Nelson once again can make a claim to being the league’s premier thrower - with 13 assists (T-7th in the league), 1632 throwing yards (3rd), 14 huck completions (1st), and 10.3 completions above expected (2nd) at the season’s halfway point. Adding in steady play as a backfield receiver (137 receptions against just one receiving error) gives them a PER-O of 122, tied for eleventh best mark in the league and best on Colorado, presenting a strong case for another OPOTY recognition.
2024 WUL MVP Abby Thorpe, who has been an MVP finalist and All-WUL First Team selection each of her previous three WUL seasons, has once again been Colorado’s most important and complete player. She ranks 1st on the team in goals (14, tied for 1st in the league), tied for the lead in assists (13), 3rd in blocks (6) and 1st in total yards (2508, 2nd in the league). In addition, her presence is crucial for Alpenglow’s offensive success, as her Relative Offensive Efficiency* (ROE) of +23.5 is the highest mark in the league among players with at least three games played. She is once again a leading candidate for MVP.
Thorpe and Nelson have received help on offense this year by a new face - Kennedy McCarthy. After having her expected 2025 debut delayed by injury, she’s finally on the field in the WUL and has made an immediate impact. She is tied for 2nd on the team in goals, tied for 3rd in assists and 2nd in blocks, having accumulated nine each of goals, assists and blocks. Her three goal, four assist, four block (including one Callahan) performance in Week 2 against Seattle earned her the league Player of the Week award. She should be a strong contender for BPOTY.
Colorado’s final award contender is someone who had been a member of the offensive supporting cast the past few seasons, but a move over to D-line this year has resulted in a career year - Sarah Itoh. Itoh’s 11 blocks through five games rank 2nd in the league, and those blocks haven’t come cheap - her blazing speed and elite instinct have led to several run through blocks on some under cuts by some of the best cutters in the league. If she continues racking up the blocks she’ll have a strong case for DPOTY.
LOS ANGELES
In their first year back in the WUL, LA Astra needed one of their core players to elevate their game in order to contend with the league’s best, and Chip Yen has answered the call. Yen’s 13 goals ranked tied for 2nd in the league, and her 1022 receiving yards and nine blocks rank tied for fifth. She leads Astra in all three of those categories. Her 127 PER ranks 10th in the league among players with at least three games played - the only LA player to show up in the top 50 on that leaderboard. If Astra can score a few more wins in the back half of the season and Yen continues leading the way, she could earn some MVP votes.
OREGON
WUL veteran Rachel Egan is having a career season. She’s already set career highs in goals (9), assists (7), and blocks (8) - one of five players in the league with at least seven of each stat. Additionally, her 909 receiving yards rank 11th in the league, and she’s managed those totals while committing just 3.5 turnovers. And her performance looks even better through the lens of advanced metrics, with her 136 PER ranking fourth in the league. All together it's a strong MVP resume.
With a second year team that experienced a lot of roster turnover after year one, a few fresh faces were bound to become major contributors. Of them, Emily Pozzy is having the most impressive debut season. Fresh out of college, Pozzy leads the team in yards (1327, 18th in the league), is 2nd in assists (8) and 3rd in blocks (6). She has also handled pulling and a lion’s share of the handling duties for the Soar D-line and done so with the composure of a multi-year veteran. It would not be a surprise to see her among the BPOTY finalists.
SAN DIEGO
Three-time MVP Kaela Helton has taken a step back on the field, allowing Super Bloom’s up-and-coming stars to take a bigger role. The problem is there are so many of them – no one stands out as a singular super-star. However, there are some leading contributors. Abbi Shilts leads the team in goals (10) and is tied for the team lead in blocks (6). Additionally, the eye test says she has evolved into one of the most dynamic two-way players in the league. However with so many mouths to feed on the Super Bloom roster, she is averaging just over 150 yards per game, not nearly enough to compete with the other award contenders. It would require a major late-season usage uptick to get her into the MVP conversation.
If not Shilts, another potential award contender for Super Bloom is 2022 DPOTY Kristen Pojunis. While her 2026 block total (5) lags behind her tremendous 2022 numbers (17 in just 6 games), she is on pace to set career highs in assists, throwing yards, receptions above expected, and PER (currently 8, 602, 4.9 and 125 respectively). If she can up the block rate over the second half of the season her overall contribution could deserve MVP consideration.
After a DPOTY finalist nomination in 2025, Kaitlyn Weaver (also a 2023 MVP finalist with LA) is putting up offensive numbers in 2026 that showcase how complete her game is. Weaver leads San Diego with 9 assists and over 1000 total yards despite committing just 7 total turnovers. She has operated as a true hybrid player, and is one of seven players in the league to have gained over 500 throwing yards and 500 receiving yards. While San Diego’s even rotation style of line-calling may prevent her from reaching the heights of other team’s O line stars, Weaver’s is playing her way into the OPOTY conversation with her efficient offense.
SEATTLE
On a team with a +55 point differential, it is no surprise that Seattle has multiple players that stand out when looking at stats. Above all, Jamie Kauffman has had as good of a debut season as you could ask for. Following the departure of 2025 DPOTY Sadie Jezierski, Tempest were in need of a player to take over Jezierski’s role of dominating the deep space on defense and facilitating the D-line offense on a turn, and they couldn’t have wished for a better replacement than Kauffman. The WUL rookie leads the league in assists and blocks per game (3.8 and 2.6 respectively) among players who have played at least three games, and is tied for 1st in goals per game (2.8). Additionally, she has the lowest turnovers per game among players with at least 350 yards per game. While her height (6’) warps the field on defense, it is perhaps her composure with the disc and efficiency in the red zone which has most helped Seattle race out to huge leads in many of their games. She is on pace to become the first player in league history to record at least 20 goals, 20 assists and 20 blocks in a season, and to set the record for highest PER in a season (currently 163). Seattle has never had a player with so strong an MVP candidacy.
If Kauffman doesn’t win a major award, the likely reason will be all the other Tempest players having similarly fantastic seasons and taking some votes away. Foremost among them is Meg Manning. The former Raleigh cutter has been the primary driver behind Seattle’s downfield attack off of turnovers, and is tied for the league lead in goals (14) and 2nd in receiving yards (1269) despite playing primarily D-line. Additionally, with three games to play she has already set league records with 13 huck receptions and 13 receptions above expected. But it hasn’t just been her receiving ability that has made an impact. Her eight assists rank 5th on Tempest and her nine blocks are tied for 2nd, making her one of three players to have recorded at least eight goals, assists, and blocks so far. Her dynamic pairing with Kauffman could land Seattle two players on the MVP podium.
For OPOTY, Seattle’s main contender is center handler Cheryl Hsu. Holder of just about every Tempest throwing record, Hsu is having the best season of her illustrious career. She currently sits 2nd in the league in assists (16) and throwing yards (1788), and has added seven goals and three blocks to those numbers. She has been remarkably efficient - completing 9 of the 12 hucks she has attempted - yet has pulled deep into her bag of tricks to finish points with mindbinding break throws and unguardable give-n-gos. The 2024 OPOTY finalist should certainly return to the podium in 2026.
While Kauffman and Manning have led the D-line offense, Tempest has a few more players who have been putting in the grunt work that has led to the highest Defensive Efficiency in the league. Lauren Page and Anna Pettee have been two of the best lock down defenders in the WUL for a few years now, and both have managed to consistently get blocks this season (8 and 9 respectively) despite offenses largely avoiding throwing their way. If one or both maintain a high block rate the rest of the way, they will have a strong claim to DPOTY podium status.
The final Tempest player who deserves mention is rookie Gemma Munck, whose 13 goals rank tied for fourth in the league. Her speed and aerial ability have made her the target of choice for throwers Cheryl Hsu and Kaitlynne Roling in just her first season, and will put her on the short list for BPOTY.
UTAH
While Utah’s season has not gone as they might have hoped, the team is lead by a strong group of young players that should give them a great foundation for the future. Abbie Davis and Lily Terpstra have led the team admirably, putting up huge numbers despite each missing a few games with injury. However, the best news for Utah has been the emergence of a third young superstar to give the Wild an exciting trio to lead them in future seasons.
In her second season in the league Eva Bell has played well enough to follow in Davis’ footsteps as a Utah BPOTY winner, and possibly even make a run at OPOTY. Bell’s 2838 yards easily lead the league, and even on a per-game basis her yardage total ranks 2nd. And in an offense that has been turning the disc over regularly, her team-leading 15 assists and 8.3 completions above expected display a level of skill and composure far beyond her years.
In addition to Bell, another second-year Wild player has shone flashes of brilliance despite the team’s rough season. Liz Bunderson’s 10 blocks rank tied for third in the league, and her eight huck completions lead the Wild and have been a huge reason for any success they have had in converting turnovers into breaks on defense. In addition, she has become one of the league’s premier pullers, a huge boon for a Utah team that needs every advantage it can get. Despite the team’s struggles, Bunderson’s play deserves recognition, and maybe a spot on the DPOTY podium.
*STAT DEFINITIONS
Player Efficiency Rating (PER)
A measure of a player’s per-turnover production (goals, assists, blocks, yards) weighted by turnover type, game conditions, and other factors. A value of 100 is league-average, while a value of 110 is 10% better than league average, etc.
Player Offensive Efficiency Rating (PER-O)
A measure of a player’s per-turnover production (goals, assists, blocks, yards) weighted by turnover type, game conditions, and other factors. A value of 100 is league-average, while a value of 110 is 10% better than league average, etc.
Relative Offensive Efficiency (ROE)
Team offensive efficiency while the player is on the field minus team Offensive Efficiency while the player is not on the field, calculated separately for offensive and defensive points and combined as a weighted average.
Completions Above Expected
The difference in the number of throws the player completed compared to the number of those same throws a league-average player would be expected to complete. The equation is: (Completion % - Expected Completion %) * Throws. This is equivalent to summing the values of each throw where a throw’s value is equal to subtracting a given throw's expected completion rate from one (if the throw was complete) or zero (if it was incomplete).
Receptions Above Expected
The difference in the number of throws to a player (“Targets”) that were completed compared to the number of those same throws that would be expected to have been completed if the receiver was a league-average player. The equation is: (Receptions as a % of Targets - Expected Receptions as a % of Targets) * Targets. This is equivalent to summing the values of each target where a target’s value is equal to subtracting a given target’s expected completion rate from one (if the throw was complete) or zero (if it was incomplete).