2021 U.S. Men’s D-III First Team

The top seven all-around players of the fall season.

20 January 2022 by Michael Ball, Alex Rubin and Keith Raynor in Rewards with comments

The 2021 Ultiworld College Awards are presented by the National Ultimate Training Camp; all opinions are those of the authors. NUTC helps young gamers become better athletes and community members.

Each year Ultiworld presents our annual College Awards. While the 2021 college season certainly wasn’t typical with its rapid journey from a fall series to a first-ever college championship in December, we still want to celebrate and honor the tremendous performances we’ve seen.

Ultiworld is pleased to announce our annual D-III All American Teams. These players were selected for their overall performance in the 2021 college season. Please join us in honoring the top college players of the year.

2021 Men’s D-III First Team All-American

Kyle Henke (Oklahoma Christian)

Our unanimous selection for Player of the Year is also an obvious choice for first-team All-American. Kyle Henke’s ultimate D-III half was memorable, leading the Oklahoma Christian Eagles to a national championship and near-perfect record. Henke looked like he was playing the game at a different speed than everyone else, maneuvering effortlessly across the field and commanding the CO attack. In defense, he always felt in control of his confrontation, often daring to throw opponents at his person and eating any throw that was not perfect. Henke is not expected to return in the spring, but his one season will go down as one of the best in divisional history.

Drew Otterlei (St. Olaf)

This year’s second player of the year showed up at Norco and played perhaps the best tournament of his career. A playmaker in both attack and defense, Otterlei started most of the points by throwing a commanding jumper. On defense, he landed his fair share of layout blocks. After a turn, it was the game that led St Olaf’s attack, which set the tone for a quartet of comfortable wins before Bezerker lost double game points in the semi-finals. Although it didn’t end with a title, Otterlei capped off his college career with a bang.

Walker Frankenberg (Middlebury)

The ultimate workout adage of “winning with your legs” has become a cliché, but Frankenberg makes it sound like a fighting discipline. He set the gold standard for producing yards from the backfield, setting Middlebury’s offensive pace with a decisive mix of slashes, loops and bursts. He’s a confident pitcher who can break through a defense while minimizing risk. A wonderful example of how being a center manager doesn’t have to mean being sedentary and letting others make the plays, Frankenberg fuels his attack by improving the efficiency of his teammates.

Hunter Lang (Richmond)

It’s a testament to the rest of the division’s talent that this is the first mention of Hunter Lang in our awards. The graduate all-rounder has been incredible for the Richmond Spidermonkeys this fall, leading their side offense effectively and crossing when needed for crucial defensive points. Whether it was throwing the big pitch or executing it, it felt like Lang was always involved in Richmond’s offense, and everything he did felt smooth and easy. Having just missed out on the POTY podium, Lang was a unanimous choice for the 1st team.

Elliott Moore (Oklahoma Christian)

The second strike from the Eagles 1-2 punch, Moore was clearly one of the most dangerous offensive weapons of the season. He was just as capable of delivering the knockout blow with a blazing through drive as he was the quick setup jabs that weakened his opponent’s defense. His daring style of play made him hard to miss and one of the most entertaining entities in the division and his usage will only increase in 2022.

Leo Sovell-Fernandez (Middlebury)

What Walker Frankenberg was to Middlebury’s attack, Leo Sovell-Fernandez was to their defence. The versatile defender did everything for his D-line, from shooting, taking the toughest game and then leading his attack after forcing a turnover. While never short of highlight blocks, Sovell-Fernandez is also the team’s consummate defender, constantly playing with his head on a pivot and looking for opportunities to help his teammates. Sovell-Fernandez won our Defensive Player of the Year; factoring in his excellence on offense makes him a no-brainer for our first-team All-American.

Corbin Atack (Whitman)

The only losing team to score double-digit points in the quarter-finals, Whitman only lost to eventual finalists Norco and impressed opponents and spectators alike with their quick and remarkably efficient attack. At the center of it: a left-handed initiation cutter just as likely to blow his overmatched mark as he is to deliver a crushing shot to break through the opponent’s defence. Every scouting report on Whitman featured Corbin Atack’s name high and bold, yet he still dominated through game and zone defenses, down and into the backfield. With Whitman’s impending move to DI, this may be the last senior tournament in the spotlight; he certainly did not miss the opportunity.

1. Michael Ball
   

   Michael Ball is the Men’s D-III College Editor for Ultiworld. You can reach him by email ([email protected]) or on Twitter @mike_ball423

2. Alex Rubin
   

   Alex Rubin began writing for Ultiworld in 2018. He graduated from Northwestern University where he performed for four years, but now spends his time playing pickup and coaching Toledo High School in Los Angeles. You can reach him via email ([email protected]) or Twitter (@arubes14 or @dthsultimate).

3. Keith Raynor
   

   Keith Raynor is Editor and Head of Business Development at Ultiworld. He co-hosts our Deep Look podcast and does play-by-play and color commentary. He coaches UConn Rise, the college’s women’s team. You can reach him via email ([email protected]) or on Twitter (@FullFieldHammer).

TAG: USAU College D-III Men’s, 2021 D-III Men’s College Awards, All-America, College Awards, College Awards by NUTC, Corbin Atack, Drew Otterlei, Elliott Moore, Hunter Lang, Kyle Henke, Leo Sovell-Fernandez, Walker Frankenberg,

TEAMS: Middlebury, Oklahoma Christian, richmond, St. Olaf, Whitman