August 20, 2024
By Evan Lepler
Tuesday Toss: Championship Weekend Preview | Part 1
1. A New Era of Stars Emerging
Thinking about the upcoming weekend, I’ve been contemplating how it very much feels like a showcase of players from the next generation in our sport. Ponder this: every Championship Weekend since 2013 has featured either Beau Kittredge or Ben Jagt. Both two-time UFA MVPs, Kittredge competed in every final four from 2014 to 2019, while Jagt—and his former teammate Jeff Babbitt too—were involved in five straight Championship Weekends from 2018 to 2013.
There are certainly some aging all-stars—DC’s Rowan McDonnell, Minnesota’s Bryan Vohnoutka, Seattle’s Khalif El-Salaam—who have had impressive careers and will be looking to seize the day and claim their first championships, but it’s the new batch of playmakers—Carolina’s Tobias Brooks and Christian Belus, DC’s Jonny Malks and Jacques Nissen, Minnesota’s Will Brandt and Paul Krenik, Seattle’s Spencer Lofink and Jasper Dean, among others—who are the names we’ll probably be watching for the better of the next decade.
2. The Team USA Presence
Before the season, there was some concern that the UFA’s Championship Weekend might be occurring too closely to the World Flying Disc Federation’s upcoming World Championships for the national team members to participate, a dynamic that would have been tough to digest. But thankfully, almost every Team USA member on the four division champs will be present.
Obviously, one big reason why DC is seen as the favorite is because of its half-dozen dudes who’ll be representing USA in Australia at the end of the month. The list includes Thomas Edmonds, Troy Holland, Jonny Malks, Rowan McDonnell, AJ Merriman, and Jasper Tom. In Khalif El-Salaam, Anders Juengst, and Dylan DeClerck, the Cascades, Flyers, and Wind Chill will each have one current member of Team USA playing with them this weekend.
Carolina’s Sol Yanuck, who is on the national team and also currently in med school, knew all season long that he would be unable to attend Championship Weekend if his team made it due to a personal conflict.
Also, keep an eye on the trio of 2024 Team USA U-20 gold medalists—Seattle’s Cedar Hines and Gavin Leahy and Minnesota’s Thomas Shope—who will be in action this weekend. If you’re searching for other future stars, this triumvirate that’s already had a golden summer is a solid place to start.
3. Don’t Forget the International Flavor Too
Half of the teams at Championship Weekend this year have a key European import helping to anchor their offense. Seattle’s Aaron Wolf joined the Cascades from Germany and has been a hugely important disc-moving cog all season long, while DC’s Elliot Bonnet has gone from a French sensation upsetting the United States at Beach Worlds to a relentlessly reliable young cutter in the Breeze’s superb system.
There’s also Minnesota’s Matej Petrovic, from the Czech Republic, who’s not expected to be active this weekend but played in eight games for the Wind Chill this season.
If one of these individuals can experience two wins this weekend, I think they would become the first non-North American native to win a UFA Championship. We’ve seen plenty of international players do great things in this league, and Great Britain’s Justin Foord and France’s Nasser Mbae Vogel have played in semifinals before, but there’s a decent chance we’ll see a new bit of history in terms of international ultimate influencing the UFA this weekend in Utah.
4. Four Faces of the Franchises
Four guys I’ll be watching closely this weekend: Carolina’s Terrence Mitchell, DC’s Rowan McDonnell, Minnesota’s Brandon Matis, and Seattle’s Marc Muñoz.
Do you know what these four players have in common?
Sure, their last names all start with the same letter, but that’s besides the point. These four individuals all lead their respective franchises in total games played.
Matis has played 127 games since joining the Wind Chill in 2013, Mitchell has been in the lineup 126 times since 2015, McDonnell’s at 103 games since first donning the Breeze jersey in 2016, and Muñoz, the kid amongst this quartet, has played in 59 games since 2018, when he turned and became a Cascade.
The commitment, dedication, and durability from all four is exemplary, something that’s probably well established and recognized with Mitchell, McDonnell, and Matis. Meanwhile, Muñoz may be a lesser-known presence at just 24 years old, but he has been credited as one of the key foundational cornerstones of the Cascades franchise.
“Marc’s passion for the team was the fire that ignited all of this to happen a few years ago,” said Cascades Coach Jesse Bolton. “The reason I came to come coach was because Marc asked me to. He’s brought a lot of energy to the program.”
5. Four Game-Changing Defenders
It’s crazy that we’re 3,000 words deep into the Championship Weekend Preview Toss without mentioning Lukas Ambrose, but the Seattle standout is absolutely one guy who could put his team on his back this coming weekend. He’s the first player in the UFA since 2017 to have at least 30 blocks in a season and the first player ever to lead the league in blocks in consecutive seasons. His expanding skillset, developing leadership, and nuclear athleticism are all huge reasons why the Cascades shocked the ultimate world to even make it this far.
Furthermore, three other defenders I’ll have my eye on this weekend are Carolina’s Matt Tucker, DC’s Miles Grovic, and Minnesota’s Dylan DeClerck.
Tucker is among the most underrated block-getters in the entire league. He’s produced 24 blocks in 23 games as a Flyer after tallying 13 Ds in 11 games as a rookie with the Radicals in 2022. He’s fast, lanky, and has a knack for getting his hand on the disc.
Grovic has been a revelation for the Breeze in 2024. His best game of the season came against New York in the regular season finale, but he’s been steady, solid, and spectacular all year long. DC teammate Jonny Malks called Grovic ‘one of the most exciting young players in the league right now’ after his two-goal, two-block performance in July against the Empire, and he’s absolutely right.
The veteran of this quartet is DeClerck, the 29-year-old bundle of muscle and fire who doubles as Minnesota’s representative on Team USA. He’s the heart and soul of the Wind Chill defense, a guy who can take over points by himself. Whomever he matches up against on the Breeze O-line, that player will have his hands full against DeClerck’s pressure, which has created 144 blocks during his eight-year UFA career, all with the Wind Chill.
6. Congrats to Detroit’s Terry Gaither!
Since the Detroit Mechanix usually don’t get mentioned in a Championship Weekend preview, I wanted to quickly shout out the winner of the 2024 BE The Change Community Award.
Terry Gaither delivered a heroic Honor Roll-worthy performance in the Mechanic’s landmark victory this past summer over Pittsburgh, and as the league highlights in the announcement, Gaither’s positive impact on numerous organizations he’s been involved with has created an admirable legacy far beyond the playing field.
“[Terry] is a force of positivity in the Midwest,” said Detroit Coach Brent Steepe, “and makes it his accomplished goal of never knowing a stranger by talking to everyone he meets.”
7. Calling All ShredHeads
While the Salt Lake Shred were not able to earn their spot in the semifinals, the ShredHeads can still leave a lasting mark on Championship Weekend this year. Since the franchise’s inception in 2022, Salt Lake’s dedicated fans have created one of the best atmospheres in the league. With one of the nation’s ascending youth scenes, here’s hoping that all the ultimate lovers across Utah pack Zion’s Bank Stadium this weekend.
I understand it’s disappointing to not have your team playing, but let’s face it, they can still help the team by showing up this weekend. If the Shred fans show up strong and create an awesome gameday environment, it’ll be way more likely that Championship Weekend could return to Salt Lake sooner rather than later in the future.
Bring a friend, be loud, and hopefully we’ll all have a thrilling weekend to remember.
The Hammer
That’s it for the 2024 Championship Weekend Preview!
Thanks for reading, and if you’re at Zion’s Bank Stadium this weekend, please don’t hesitate to say hello. I’m once again honored to be a part of the UFA Championship Weekend broadcast crew, and incredibly, Saturday’s title game will be my 10th since joining the league a decade ago. It’s a responsibility I take super seriously, and I assure you I do not take it for granted.
This weekend, I’ll be alongside Bryan Jones and Ian Toner, two trusted friends, colleagues, and super insightful ultimate minds, for all three games. Additionally, we’ll have expanded pregame and postgame coverage, featuring the thoughts of several guest analysts, including Salt Lake Coach Bryce Merrill, Colorado’s Alex Atkins, and Philadelphia’s James Pollard live on the gameday set.
We’ve got a great crew, and I hope you’ll join us on WatchUFA.tv this Friday night as we launch the final weekend of the season with so much on the line.
