Players on the USA U-20 National Team for 2016 World Ultimate Championships: Colby Chuck, Ivan Lee, Jeremy Dolezal-Ng, Lucas Chen, Micah Jo, Daniel Mah, Justin Ting

USA ULTIMATE ANNOUNCES U-20 NATIONAL TEAM FOR WORLD JUNIOR ULTIMATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Forty-eight Athletes Headed to Poland this July in Search of World Titles 

 

Contact: Andy Lee – 719-219-8323 – andy@hq.usaultimate.org 

 

Colorado Springs, Colo. (February 18, 2016)—USA Ultimate, the national governing body for the sport of ultimate (Frisbee) in the United States and member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, announced today the 48 athletes who will represent the United States this summer on the U-20 U.S. National Team at the 2016 World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) World Junior Ultimate Championships (WJUC), July 31 through August 6 in Wroclaw, Poland.

 

The 48 selected athletes will compete in one of two gender divisions – men’s and women’s – and collectively represent the nation’s top ultimate talent under the age of 20.

 

The final rosters were chosen following two weekends of tryouts that included more than 200 participants chosen by coaches from a pool of more than 400 applicants.

 

More than a third of the athletes representing the United States comes from the greater Seattle area with 17 local players earning roster spots. North Carolina’s Triangle Area has the second most geographic representation with four athletes hailing from Chapel Hill and Durham.

 

“The U-20 National Team coaches had a daunting task in evaluating and selecting the 48 individuals we felt would form the most cohesive and successful team for this year’s world championships,” commented Team Leader and USA Ultimate Manager of Competition & Athlete Programs Connor Maloney. “The selection process can be particularly challenging with this age bracket as national prominence, visibility and exposure are relatively limited in youth competition. I was impressed by the coaches’ thorough evaluation and attention to detail with regards to each and every applicant.”

 

The 2016 WJUC, which is expected to host 40 teams and 1,000 athletes from more than 20 countries, represents the 17th edition of the tournament. Since the event’s inception in 1983, the U.S. has participated in 13 editions, winning medals at all but one (1992).

 

Dating back to 1988 – the first time the U.S. participated – American teams have won 19 medals: nine gold, four silver and six bronze.

 

The U.S. National Team will head to Poland with its sights set on winning gold in both divisions, a feat accomplished only once, in 2006.

 

At the most recent edition of the biennial event, in Italy in 2014, the girls’ team won the world title with a 17-9 victory over Canada, while the men’s team won the silver medal, falling to Canada 17-16.

 

“Both teams are comprised of remarkable athletes who play with respect and honor and are committed to bringing home a gold medal while having a memorable and positive experience,” added Maloney.

 

The men’s team is coached by Chase Sparling-Beckley (Portland, Ore.) and assistants Sam O’Brien (Minneapolis, Minn.) and George Stubbs (Somerville, Mass.). Jamie Nuwer (San Francisco, Calif.) coaches the women’s team along with assistants DeAnna Ball (Columbus, Ohio) and Alyssa Weatherford (Seattle, Wash.).

 

2016 WFDF World Junior Ultimate Championships

U.S. National Team

Men’s Division

 

Head Coach: Chase Sparling-Beckley (Portland, Ore.)

Assistant Coaches: Sam O ‘Brien (Minneapolis, Minn.), George Stubbs (Somerville, Mass.) 

 

Athlete	City, State	High School	College (If Applicable)
Michael Bartell	Seattle, Wash.	Seattle Academy	Emory University
Stanley Birdsong	Atlanta, Ga.	Paideia
Nathan Champoux	Ypsilanti, Mich.	Washtenaw Technical Middle College	Wayne State
Lucas Chen	Bellevue, Wash.
Colby Chuck	Berkeley, Calif.	Berkeley
Sam Cook	Seattle, Wash.	Northwest School	USC
Jeremy Dolezal-Ng	Alameda, Calif.	Berkeley
Robbie Farwell	Seattle, Wash.	Bush School	Whitman College
Duncan Fitzgerald	Washington, D.C.	Woodrow Wilson
Joe Freund	Blacksburg, Va.	Yorktown	Virginia Tech
Micah Jo	Lawrenceville, Ga.	Brookwood	Georgia Tech
Tannor Johnson	Lexington, Mass.	Lexington	UMass
Dillon Lanier	Chapel Hill, N.C.	Carolina Friends
Ivan Lee	Seattle, Wash.	Franklin
Tremont Miller	Seattle, Wash.	Franklin
Jordan Monnin	Clarksville, Ohio
Drew Peterschmidt	Albany, Ore.	Crescent Valley
John Randolph	Seattle, Wash.	Lakeside
Jake Reinhardt	Lake Jackson, Texas	Brazoswood	Brazosport College
Aldous Root	Bellevue, Wash.	Interlake
James Rushing	Yardley, Pa.	Pennsbury
Liam Searles-Bohls	Durham, N.C.	Carolina Friends
Trey Taylor	Minnetonka, Minn.	Hopkins	University of Utah
Grant Waldron	Murfreesboro, Tenn.	Blackman

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