June 15, 2023
By Daniel Cohen, Evan Lepler, and Adam Ruffner
After seven weeks and 75 total games, we’ve reached the midpoint of the 2023 season.
There’s not always a great consensus between three independent minds, but presently, your trio of intrepid AUDL analysts seem to be on the same page. Unsurprisingly, there’s plenty of New York and Salt Lake among our midseason honorees, though perhaps the twist is how many members of the LA Aviators and Oakland Spiders, who are currently tied-for-third in the West, are prominently featured in the following selections.
As we keep grooving on this windy road toward Championship Weekend, here are our 2023 Midseason Award winners.
MVP
Jeff Babbitt, New York Empire
I don’t love giving the MVP award to a player that isn’t a particularly dynamic thrower, but Jeff Babbitt has forced my hand. No player has looked more unstoppable through the first half of the season on both sides of the disc—he is redefining what it means to be a “cheat code” is in ultimate. —Daniel Cohen
Jeff Babbitt, New York Empire
We toss the word ‘unstoppable’ around way too much, but the term truly applies to Jeff Babbitt. When he wants to get the disc in a certain spot, there’s very little an opponent can do. After this past Saturday’s game, an Atlanta player commented that it felt like Babbitt would often just stand still for like 45 seconds, then make his cut and score a relatively easy goal. There’s no one else playing near his level right now. —Evan Lepler
Jeff Babbitt, New York Empire
Each week, opponents hurl a carousel of defenders at Jeff Babbitt in hopes of slowing down or deterring the most dominant individual force in the league. And each week and in seemingly every matchup, Babbitt out-muscles the competition, making front cone cuts and sky-scraping grabs look equally imposing as the fulcrum piece on the league’s best team. —Adam Ruffner
Rookie Of The Year
Walker Frankenberg, Oakland Spiders
Any time a rookie can slot seamlessly into their team’s system and play like they’ve been there for years, it’s going to get some well-deserved attention. Frankenberg has gone beyond being a simple ‘cog’ for the Oakland offense; he operates (and excels) at all levels of the field in a versatile hybrid role that’s been central to Oakland’s offensive success. —DC
Walker Frankenberg, Oakland Spiders
The only rookie among the top 20 league leaders in plus/minus, Frankenberg has been the prototypical AUDL playmaker, capable of both big highlights and steady possession-based ultimate. In seven games, he’s accumulated 24 goals, 13 assists, and another 18 hockey assists, with just six turnovers, along with a completion rate of 96.8 percent. The young Middlebury alum has a chance to be a really good player in this league for a long time. —EL
Walker Frankenberg, Oakland Spiders
The open field playmaking. The diabolical give-and-gos when he has a favorable matchup in the red zone. The production and efficiency numbers. Walker Frankenberg has shown a full package of potential in his first seven games with the Spiders, and given how visible his determination is already, this may just be the beginning. —AR
Coach Of The Year
Bryce Merrill, Salt Lake Shred
We had lots of questions about Salt Lake entering this season, and Coach Merrill has answered all of them: Can the D-line continue to create turnovers despite all the losses? Can the offense successfully integrate its new pieces? How does Jordan Kerr’s role adjust from Year 1 to Year 2? Every franchise staple has improved, every new addition is playing exactly where they should be, both lines look as fine-tuned as ever, and Salt Lake appears to be the new favorite for the West Division. —DC
Bryce Merrill, Salt Lake Shred
From integrating new pieces to bringing along young talent to developing his team’s collective maturity, Merrill has done a masterful job through the first half of the season. The Shred have clearly grown a great deal from their oft-undisciplined 2022 ways and are in a great position to advance to the franchise’s first Championship Weekend. That fourth quarter in Golden last week was a huge checkpoint, and just for the record, there’s a decent chance I’ll view the Shred as the favorite out West even if they stumble in the Colorado rematch tomorrow night. —EL
Bryce Merrill, Salt Lake Shred
The Shred offense has become a blueprint for advantageously using all seven players and the full width of the field to attack space. The defense is relentless in both depth and pressure, and has a knack for getting big blocks that lead to breaks in crucial moments. And there’s an unmistakable focus and resolve to this young team that comes from their knowledge and preparation from Bryce Merrill’s gameplan. —AR
Best Team
New York Empire
22 straight wins and counting. There’s no other choice here until another team decides New York should finally lose. —DC
New York Empire
You can try and make a kooky argument about how Salt Lake has more wins in regulation than New York, but with all due respect to the Shred, the Empire are the class of the league. They’re not necessarily unbeatable, but they have more superpowers, better depth, and a perpetually burning desire to conquer the next big challenge, a dynamic that has kept them ready to battle and beat the best teams when those opportunities arise. The fact that they’ve made a history of playing their highest level ultimate against their fiercest foes speaks to New York’s collective culture, and the Empire have an excellent chance to not only win their third title in four years, but also become the first team in AUDL history to complete back-to-back undefeated seasons. —EL
New York Empire
There’s never been a combination of talent and tenacity quite like the current era of the Empire. Their defense is playing at a legendary level, and the offense is so good at executing in the clutch that their other errors feel almost inconsequential. There’s more teams making attempts at the throne, but New York is relishing every opportunity to prove themselves as the best of all-time. —AR
Best Offense
Salt Lake Shred
Basically everyone’s leveled up on this offense compared to last year, and this was already a top-eight unit in 2022. While one could easily argue the Salt Lake defense should receive credit for more of their wins this year, the consistency and oftentimes effortless flow of this O-line has kept them in every game. —DC
New York Empire
Yes, Salt Lake leads the league in both O-line hold rate and conversion percentage, but those stats don’t make any adjustment for brutal weather conditions. The Empire have played three of their seven games in horrid elements, skewing the statistics significantly. Despite being just ninth in conversation percentage, New York’s still number three in hold rate, an indication of the unit’s collective toughness and ability to fight through their mistakes, particularly in adverse situations. There’s no combo in the league like Osgar and Babbitt, but role players John Lithio, Elliott Chartock, and Solomon Rueschemeyer-Bailey are also having under-the-radar excellent seasons. All this is to say, I’ll ride with the Empire O-line when it matters most. —EL
Salt Lake Shred
The Shred have honed their bombastic playmaking from 2022 into a more versatile and effective approach this year. Jordan Kerr is still the ignition key, but there’s much more to the overall machine with seemingly every player playing at an elevated level. Six of the eight O-line starters in rotation already have 10 goals; six players are averaging over 20 completions per game. —AR
Best Defense
New York Empire
Not many teams have two D-lines that can be considered dominant, but New York is absolutely one of them. There’s playmaking everywhere you look, no obvious weakness at any level, and the depth to get the job done for a full four quarters. —DC
New York Empire
The Empire’s 38.2 percent break rate is the highest the AUDL has seen since the 2016 Madison Radicals broke their overmatched regionals rivals 43.4 percent of the time in a season where they went 15-1. Having Ben Jagt, Ben Katz, John Randolph, and Antoine Davis anchoring New York’s top D-line is an outrageous luxury. Letting Mike and Ryan Drost, with their 389 career blocks, make plays for their second D-line is similarly ridiculous. —EL
New York Empire
As good as their situational schemes are at pinching offenses at the most stressful times, the Empire’s overall defensive ability to simply line up and pressure virtually every throw has been a treat to watch. Nothing comes easy, and New York knows in particular where the pain points are and how to elicit turnovers from them; they push you deep, there’s Ben Jagt and Antoine Davis to swat down hucks; midrange is a minefield of Drost blitzes and Ben Katz poaches; John Randolph is turning into DPOTY material with the way he boxes up handlers. —AR
Best Thrower
Mac Hecht, Oakland Spiders
Hecht has transformed this Spiders offense, serving as the team’s primary quarterback in their run-and-gun approach. Whether he’s throwing and going, tossing red zone scoobers, or launching standstill hucks, Hecht’s presence has helped lead the Spiders to the number four offensive efficiency rating in the league. —DC
Ryan Osgar, New York Empire
Perhaps my recency bias is too strong, but after watching Osgar dissect the Hustle in New York this past Saturday night, it’s hard to contemplate anyone else having better throws. He’s found a great balance of blending two styles; often, he simply hits open hands, but the 2022 AUDL MVP also showcases his otherworldly talent by artfully angling difficult throws into tight windows and leaving a defense feeling helpless to stop it. —EL
Pawel Janas, Los Angeles Aviators
The thing about Pawel Janas at this point in his career is that there’s an inevitability to his game. When he’s pushed, he responds by playing better and reducing mistakes, and the sheer volume of his workload means that he’s going to fill up the stat sheet like no other thrower ever. The West isn’t used to Janas’s level of insistence, and he’s causing blunt force trauma to opposing defenses who suddenly have to figure out a grinding Aviators offense. —AR
Best Receiver
Jeff Babbitt, New York Empire
Just throw it up to him anywhere, at any time. He is also ultimate’s current owner of the front cone. —DC
Jeff Babbitt, New York Empire
What else can you say? In addition to being the best receiver in the league, he’s also got mad skills in the kitchen. —EL
Jeff Babbitt, New York Empire
Simply put: Nobody is able to stay in front of this man. He’s bigger and faster than any one-on-one matchup he’s seen in 2023, and he knows it. It’s a perfect combination of confidence, field intelligence, and ability, and Babbitt is flexing them like an infinity glove in order to rampage over the competition. —AR
Best Defender
Lukas Ambrose, Los Angeles Aviators
Ambrose has been everywhere for the Aviators defense this year. He provides over-the-top help on seemingly every deep shot, consistently takes the opponents’ top matchups, and at least half of his league-leading 15 blocks have been outright jaw-dropping. —DC
Lukas Ambrose, Los Angeles Aviators
There are a bunch of guys in the AUDL that can make an insane shoulder-high layout block, but no one can do it as often as Ambrose. The 24-year-old rookie is averaging better than two blocks per game, with seemingly each highlight more staggering than the one before. —EL
Lukas Ambrose, Los Angeles Aviators
After getting zero blocks in his pro debut, Lukas Ambrose asked teammates if he should bait more looks in his defensive approach. Since he received confirmation for his idea, Ambrose has been an anti-air missile system against the best receivers in the West Division over the last month. There’s zero lag time between him getting a read on a disc and hitting his top acceleration, and not only have his numerous layout blocks been impressive for their aerial awesomeness, he’s displayed an incredible agility in not making contact on his flying bid attempts. —AR
Best New Addition
Pawel Janas, Los Angeles Aviators
No surprise here. The biggest free agent signing this past offseason, Pawel Janas has taken on a gargantuan workload to start 2023. He’s averaging nearly 67 completions—currently on the same pace as his 2017 record-setting season—and over 600 total yards per game and has given LA a new offensive identity. —DC
Mac Hecht, Oakland Spiders
Hecht has a few too many turnovers, but his quarterbacking leadership is a huge reason why the Spiders are back in the mix for a playoff spot. He’s number two in the AUDL in completions, and his confidence is contagious. If not for the one silly game he suited up for Detroit last year, he’d be my Rookie of the Year. —EL
Mac Hecht, Oakland Spiders
The toughest award to choose at the midway point, Mac Hecht has filled the visible leader role and quarterback presence this Oakland franchise has been searching for since 2015. His technical throwing skills have always been unquestionable, but his ability to step in and immediately assume the driver position in the rebuilt Spiders offense has exceed even lofty expectations. —AR
Most Improved
Brett Hulsmeyer, Atlanta Hustle
Easily the toughest category right now, loads of contenders halfway through the season—I wish there was an All-AUDL Most Improved Team. I’m giving it to Brett Hulsmeyer for his offensive breakout season, in addition to his continued dominance as a defender. He’s looked like one of the top downfield threats in the league, while at the same time being able to straight up run the offense as a give-and-go handler. His throws look vastly improved—he’s been unleashing some pretty, looping outside-in flicks—and he’s completing a career-high 94.2 percent of his passes. —DC
Duncan Fitzgerald, Austin Sol
He knew he was capable of a bigger role than he’s been given in DC the past couple years, and Fitzgerald has cashed in on the opportunity in Austin. His bookends to beat the first-half buzzer against Carolina this past Saturday has to be one of the top five individual sequences of the entire season thus far. —EL
Duncan Fitzgerald, Austin Sol
I had him pegged for this spot even before last Saturday’s hellacious bookends that made the top spot on the weekly best plays highlight, but Duncan Fitzgerald really put an exclamation point on his incredible come-up this season with the Sol. Fitzgerald has had a visible spark and quickness since his days in DC, but the full bag of throws and the absolute lack of hesitancy in unleashing them has given Austin another big-time playmaker on offense. —AR
All-AUDL First Team
Jeff Babbitt, New York Empire
Brett Hulsmeyer, Atlanta Hustle
Pawel Janas, Los Angeles Aviators
Jordan Kerr, Salt Lake Shred
Sean McDougall, Los Angeles Aviators
Ryan Osgar, New York Empire
Evan Swiatek, Austin Sol
—DC
Jeff Babbitt, New York Empire
Christian Boxley, DC Breeze
Jacob Fairfax, Carolina Flyers
Brett Hulsmeyer, Atlanta Hustle
Jordan Kerr, Salt Lake Shred
Jacob Miller, Salt Lake Shred
Ryan Osgar, New York Empire
—EL
Jeff Babbitt, New York Empire
Christian Boxley, DC Breeze
Jacob Fairfax, Carolina Flyers
Quinn Finer, Colorado Summit
Jordan Kerr, Salt Lake Shred
Sean McDougall, Los Angeles Aviators
Ryan Osgar, New York Empire
—AR
All Defense Team
Lukas Ambrose, Los Angeles Aviators
Brett Hulsmeyer, Atlanta Hustle
Ben Jagt, New York Empire
John Randolph, New York Empire
Cody Spicer, Colorado Summit
Max Trifillis, Philadelphia Phoenix
William Wettengel, Indianapolis AlleyCats
—DC
Lukas Ambrose, Los Angeles Aviators
Jeff Babbitt, New York Empire
Brett Hulsmeyer, Atlanta Hustle
Ben Jagt, New York Empire
Max Trifillis, Philadelphia Phoenix
Kyle Weinberg, Salt Lake Shred
William Wettengel, Indianapolis AlleyCats
—EL
Lukas Ambrose, Los Angeles Aviators
Ben Jagt, New York Empire
Joey Wylie, Austin Sol
John Randolph, New York Empire
Cody Spicer, Colorado Summit
Jasper Tom, DC Breeze
Kyle Weinberg, Salt Lake Shred
—AR
All Rookie Team
Lukas Ambrose, Los Angeles Aviators
Sam Berglund, Minnesota Wind Chill
Walker Frankenberg, Oakland Spiders
Anthony Gutowsky, Madison Radicals
Liam Haberfield, Atlanta Hustle
William Wettengel, Indianapolis AlleyCats
McKay Yorgason, Salt Lake Shred
—DC
Raekwon Adkins, Oakland Spiders
Lukas Ambrose, Los Angeles Aviators
Tobias Brooks, Carolina Flyers
Walker Frankenberg, Oakland Spiders
Liam Haberfield, Atlanta Hustle
William Wettengel, Indianapolis AlleyCats
McKay Yorgason, Salt Lake Shred
—EL
Lukas Ambrose, Los Angeles Aviators
Simon Carapella, Boston Glory
Dexter Clyburn, Oakland Spiders
Walker Frankenberg, Oakland Spiders
Liam Haberfield, Atlanta Hustle
William Wettengel, Indianapolis AlleyCats
McKay Yorgason, Salt Lake Shred
—AR
