2016 Major League Ultimate season

The 2016 Major League Ultimate season was the fourth and final season for the frisbee league. The eight teams were split into two regional conferences (East and West), with each team playing a 10-game schedule, including some cross-divisional matches. The top two teams in each conference advanced to the next round, where they competed against the other qualified team from their conference. The winners of these matches advanced to the final to compete for the MLU Championship. On July 16, Philadelphia Spinners won the final 14–11 against Portland Stags to become the 2016 MLU Champions.

2016 MLU season
LeagueMajor League Ultimate
SportUltimate
DurationApril 9 – July 16, 2016
Number of matches43
Number of teams8
TV partner(s)YouTube, CSN
Regular season
Season MVPBilly Sickles (Eastern conference - Philadelphia)
Cody Bjorklund (Western conference - Portland)
Top scorerCody Bjorklund (57)
Playoffs
Eastern championsPhiladelphia Spinners
  Eastern runners-upBoston Whitecaps
Western championsPortland Stags
  Western runners-upSeattle Rainmakers
MLU Championship
ChampionsPhiladelphia Spinners
  Runners-upPortland Stags
Finals MVPCharlie McCutcheon (Philadelphia)
MLU seasons
← 2015

Standings

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Eastern Conference
Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD PCT Qualification
1 q – Philadelphia Spinners 10 9 1 217 161 +56 .900 Conference Final (Home)
2 q – Boston Whitecaps 10 8 2 193 159 +34 .800[a] Conference Final (Away)
3 DC Current 10 3 7 156 177 −21 .300[a]
4 New York Rumble 10 2 8 157 222 −65 .200
Source: [2]
q – Qualified for the phase indicated
Notes:
  1. ^ a b The DC Current @ Boston Whitecaps match on June 11 was cancelled due to transport issues, with both teams awarded the win.[1]
Western Conference
Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD PCT Qualification
1 q – Portland Stags 10 9 1 228 149 +79 .900 Conference Final (Home)
2 q – Seattle Rainmakers 10 7 3 207 167 +40 .700 Conference Final (Away)
3 San Francisco Dogfish 10 2 8 166 205 −39 .200
4 Vancouver Nighthawks 10 1 9 143 227 −84 .100
Source: [2]
q – Qualified for the phase indicated

Postseason

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Conference Finals MLU Championship
      
E1 Philadelphia Spinners 20
E2 Boston Whitecaps 16
Philadelphia Spinners 14
Portland Stags 11
W1 Portland Stags 18
W2 Seattle Rainmakers 9

Source: [3][4][5]

Conference Finals

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June 25, 2016 (2016-06-25)
19:00 PT
Eastern Conference
Seattle Rainmakers
9–18
(1–5, 4–5, 1–4, 3–4)
2 goals
Dylan Harrington
3 goals
Topher Davis
2 assists
Evan Klein
Henry Phan
3 assists
Benjamin McGinn
Tad Jensen
Raphael Hayes
Milwaukie High School Turf Field, Milwaukie
Players of the game:
SEA: Dylan Harrington (2 goals, 2 blocks)
POR: Benjamin McGinn (2 goals, 3 assists)


June 26, 2016 (2016-06-26)
15:00 ET
Western Conference
Boston Whitecaps
16–20
(4–7, 6–4, 5–3, 1–6)
3 goals
Jason Clark
Tannor Johnson
2 goals
David Brandolph
Matt Glazer
Jack Casey
Billy Sickles
3 assists
Adrian Banerji
Tyler Chan
2 assists
David Brandolph
Matthew Esser
Nick Hirannet
Michael Panna
Ethan Peck
Nick Patel
Carey Stadium, Fort Washington
Players of the game:
BOS: Jason Clark (3 goals, 2 assists, 1 block)
PHL: Greg Martin (1 goal, 4 blocks)

MLU Championship

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August 16, 2016 (2016-08-16)
18:30 ET
Final
14–11
(3–5, 4–1, 5–2, 2–3)
2 goals
David Brandolph
Jack Casey
Charles McCutcheon
2 goals
Trevor Smith
2 assists
Gabe Colton
Matthew Esser
David Baer
2 assists
Raphael Hayes
Tad Jensen
Benjamin McGinn
Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Referees:
Steve Kreider (Washington D.C.) — Head referee[6]
Morgan Wescliff (Seattle)
James Kulinski (Philadelphia)
James Rhodes (Boston)
Alan Baggish (Vancouver)
Noah Polsky (New York) — Scoreboard official
Players of the game:
PHL: Charles McCutcheon (2 goals, 2 blocks)
POR: Tad Jensen (1 goal, 2 assists, 1 block)

Season Awards

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Most Valuable Players

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Billy Sickles and Cody Bjorklund were voted for as the MVPs for their respective conferences.[7]

Eastern Conference
Rank Player Team
1 Billy Sickles Philadelphia Spinners
2 Delrico Johnson DC Current
3 Marques Brownlee New York Rumble
4 Matt Glazer Philadelphia Spinners
5 Piers MacNaughton Boston Whitecaps
Western Conference
Rank Player Team
1 Cody Bjorklund Portland Stags
2 Raphy Hayes Portland Stags
3 Brad Houser Seattle Rainmakers
Timmy Perston Portland Stags
Peter Woodside Portland Stags

Spirit Awards

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Quinn Hunziker (New York Rumble) and Clay Dewey-Valentine (Seattle Rainmakers) were voted for by the other players as the most spirited within their conferences. This award was given based on their sportsmanship both on and off the pitch.[8]

Rookies of the Year

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This award was given for the players who had the best season as a first-year player. Graeme Barber (Vancouver Nighthawks) and Sean Mott (New York Rumble) won the award for their respective conference.[9]

Eastern Conference
Rank Player Team
1 Sean Mott New York Rumble
2 Greg Martin Philadelphia Spinners
3 Kyle Khalifa DC Current
4 Tanner Halkyard Boston Whitecaps
5 Ethan Peck Philadelphia Spinners
Western Conference
Rank Player Team
1 Graeme Barber Vancouver Nighthawks
2 Dylan Harrington Seattle Rainmakers
3 Daniel Naruo San Francisco Dogfish
4 Devon Williams San Francisco Dogfish
5 Trevor Smith Portland Stags

Breakout Player of the Year

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This award was awarded to Raphy Hayes (Portland Stags) as the player who made the most improvement compared to the previous season.[10]

Rank Player Team
1 Raphy Hayes Portland Stags
2 Himalaya Mehta Philadelphia Spinners
3 Brad Houser Seattle Rainmakers
4 Lloyd Blake DC Current
5 Taylor Cascino San Francisco Dogfish
Erik Hunter Vancouver Nighthawks

Offensive Players of the Year

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This award was given to the best offensive player in each conference. Brad Houser (Seattle Rainmakers) and Delrico Johnson (DC Current) were the two winners of the award.[11]

Eastern Conference
Rank Player Team
1 Delrico Johnson DC Current
2 Billy Sickles Philadelphia Spinners
3 Lloyd Blake DC Current
4 Matt Glazer Philadelphia Spinners
5 Sean Mott New York Rumble
Western Conference
Rank Player Team
1 Brad Houser Seattle Rainmakers
2 Cody Bjorklund Portland Stags
3 Timmy Perston Portland Stags
4 Gabe Saunkeah San Francisco Dogfish
5 Raphy Hayes Portland Stags

Defensive Players of the Year

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This award was given to the best defensive player in each conference. Marques Brownlee (New York Rumble) and Peter Woodside (Portland Stags) were the two winners of the award.[12]

Eastern Conference
Rank Player Team
1 Marques Brownlee New York Rumble
2 Christian Foster Boston Whitecaps
3 Charlie McCutcheon Philadelphia Spinners
4 Matt Esser Philadelphia Spinners
5 Greg Martin Philadelphia Spinners
Western Conference
Rank Player Team
1 Peter Woodside Portland Stags
2 Evan Klein Seattle Rainmakers
3 Cam Bailey Seattle Rainmakers
4 Topher Davis Portland Stags
5 Riley Meinershagen Portland Stags

Coaches of the Year

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This award was given to the coach in each conference who surpassed their goals throughout the season. It was awarded to Danny Quarrell (Portland Stags) and Darryl Stanley (Philadelphia Spinners) who both took their teams to the final of the competition, losing only one conference match each.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Tom Levy (June 11, 2016). "JUNE 11: Game Cancelled". mlultimate.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Standings". Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  3. ^ "Boston Whitecaps @ Philadelphia Spinners boxscore". mlultimate.com. June 26, 2016. Archived from the original on July 6, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  4. ^ "Seattle Rainmakers @ Portland Stags boxscore". mlultimate.com. June 25, 2016. Archived from the original on July 6, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  5. ^ "Philadelphia Spinners v Portland Stags boxscore". mlultimate.com. July 16, 2016. Retrieved July 22, 2016.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ Tom Levy (July 13, 2016). "MLU Championship Officiating Crew Announced". mlultimate.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  7. ^ Tom Levy (July 8, 2016). "Billy Sickles, Cody Bjorklund Named Most Valuable Players". mlultimate.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  8. ^ Tom Levy (July 8, 2016). "Quinn Hunziker, Clay Dewey-Valentine Win 2016 Spirit Awards". mlultimate.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  9. ^ Tom Levy (July 7, 2016). "Graeme Barber, Sean Mott Named 2016 Rookies of the Year". mlultimate.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  10. ^ William Curb (July 7, 2016). "Raphy Hayes Named Breakout Player of the Year". mlultimate.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  11. ^ Tom Levy (July 6, 2016). "Delrico Johnson, Brad Houser Named Offensive Players of the Year". Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  12. ^ Tom Levy (July 6, 2016). "Peter Woodside, Marques Brownlee Named Defensive Players of the Year". Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  13. ^ Tom Levy (July 5, 2016). "Darryl Stanley, Danny Quarrell Named Coaches of the Year". mlultimate.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2016.