National Player of the Year: Alexis Schultz
UNIVERSITY OF AKRON
Alexis Shultz, where to begin. Many dodgeball writeups tend to include the words “key player”, but how true it is. Alexis began her first season last year as an experienced athlete and quickly picked up the game. She took what she learned last year and carried it all into the 2022-2023 season for Akron. One of the original dodgettes, Alexis works hard at practice with the entire team, and has been an awesome example to her class. Part of her effectiveness on the court comes with her general awareness and knowledge. Having good judgement on when to pump fake and when to throw, coupled with a 12-6 throw packing heat, is a threat. Alexis has a strong throw and knows when to use it, but that’s not all. Akron has been able to rely on Alexis to make catches in many different scenarios, including while being team thrown at. One of Alexis’s strongest areas and where she contributes a lot to Akron is on defense. Her pump fake on the right side of the court slows opponents down and allows the rest of her side to return to baseline safely. Alexis will be a a big leader for Akron going into the next season as she takes on a captain role. You can count on her to lead by example, and to continue to do her job on the court. Congratulations Alexis Shultz on being number 1!
-PJ Antalek, Akron Captain
2) Vanessa Hudson
KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
Vanessa Hudson finally gets her flowers after a long program battle with covid, causing her to lose most of her playing seasons. Ever since Hudson’s rookie year, she’s had the talent to make these lists, but never got the opportunity to showcase it to the league. Now, as a senior and captain for Kent State, she made every moment count. Establishing herself as one of the best catchers in the league, and someone that teams truly have to gameplan around. Hudson also boasts a strong arm, and can rack up tags quickly with smart crosses and well-placed throws. Very few players can “do it all” the way Hudson can, and if she had been able to play more during her career then this certainly would not be her first appearence on this list. Hudson should be a name in everyone’s minds when talking about the best female players this league has ever seen.
-Rylan Close, Kent State Coach
3) Kathryn Mays
CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY
This year marked the start of a new era for Kathryn as she began graduate school at Cleveland State University. Despite being in a new uniform, she did not miss a beat on the court. With this being her fifth (yes fifth) women’s all-american award in a row, it is hard to argue against the fact that Kathryn is the best female NCDA player of all time. Simply put, there’s nothing she can’t do well on the court, whether that be throwing, blocking, catching, or communicating. With 3 more years left, the sky’s the limit for what Kathryn can still achieve, and it will be fun to see what she can do with a full season of work. Perhaps more important to Kathryn than any individual accolade though is her involvement in expanding the women’s division within the NCDA, as she steps in to be the Director of Female Engagement this upcoming season.
– Ethan Lehmkuhl, OSU Captain
4) Elly Schipfer
MIAMI UNIVERSITY
The Miami University club dodgeball team owes a lot to Elly Schipfer, as without her, they may not even exist right now. Her persistence and recruiting during the pandemic have not only kept the Redhawks afloat, but back to being a competitive team within the league. Her contributions don’t stop off the court though, and there’s a reason Elly has made the Women’s All-American team each of the last two years. She is a very tactical player who rarely, if ever, makes a mistake on the court. Elly always knows where to be, and her catching ability has landed her on my short “do not solo throw” list. That’s not to say two balls will guarantee an out either, as she often will still make a catch on team throws. Above everything else, Elly is an exceptional leader and a great person. She oozes positivity wherever she goes, and it is rare to see her without a smile on her face. With her college dodgeball career coming to a close, there is no doubt in my mind that Elly will go on to do great things as she starts graduate school this summer to become a physician’s assistant.
– Ethan Lehmkuhl, OSU Captain
5) Sky Thornsberry
CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY
Sky Thornsberry was one of the strongest players on CSU’s roster last season, and finds herself 2-for-2 on making the All-Women’s list during her playing career. You can always find her looking for catches no matter where she is on the court. She’s someone that you cannot throw at alone. Thornsberry also has a strong and accurate arm that can easily catch you off guard. When she’s not playing pinch, she’s spent a lot of time honing her dodgeball skills in other formats such as no-sting and cloth, and it shows in her NCDA performances. Thornsberry is an incredibly versatile player and will continue to be a key component of CSU’s team next season.
-Rylan Close, Kent State Coach
6) Nicole Cutich
UNIVERSITY OF AKRON
Nicole finishes her sophomore year with her second Women’s All-American appearance in as many years. This time rising to the #6 spot. It is clear to anyone who watches that she has shown great improvement with every part of her game, and with at least 2 more years left in the NCDA, it is safe to say she should only be climbing these ranks. Nicole played a prominent role for Akron on the main and women’s rosters, both of which had very successful seasons. Most notably, she had a stellar performance at the first ever women only tournament, proving without a shadow of a doubt that the Zips have the best women’s team in the league. Her vibrant personality and positive energy will help Akron remain successful for seasons to come.
–Ethan Lehmkuhl, OSU Captain
7) Reni Kaiser
BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY
Reni Kaiser is a fantastic gadget player for BGSU, and has the versatility to play several different roles on the team. She’s quick, agile, and high energy when she plays. Always a catching threat, and boasting some of the best survivability skills in the league, she can quickly frustrate opponents with how tough of an out she can be. The best part is that this past season was only her sophomore year, and she has plenty of time to keep growing and getting even better as a player. The sky is the limit with a player as versatile as Kaiser.
-Treanna Bidlack, BGSU Coach
8) Danielle Kubbe
SAGINAW VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
Danielle ends her college dodgeball career with a bang as she makes her first ever Women’s All-American team. She has been a cornerstone of Saginaw’s starting 12 all year, and was a very consistent player for the Cardinals. Danielle has exceptional catching ability, and wouldn’t back down from any top thrower across the league. She even had some highlight reel worthy catches throughout the year including one where she lost a shoe mid-match and still managed to catch the next throw. For only having one prior year of experience, Danielle has shown a very impressive amount of improvement and has gained some well-deserved notoriety amongst the league.
-Cole Machiela, SVSU Captain
9) Skye Marvin
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
Skye finished the 2022-2023 receiving her second women’s All-American award. She is a fiery leader on the court, and she helped keep the Kentucky program alive this year off the court as well. She has great verbal communication and helped coach many of Kentucky’s newer players this year. In a season where the team struggled with numbers, Skye also stepped up into a larger role on the court this year. She would often find herself making the majority of the Wildcat throws, whether it be to get a kill or go for a reset. Skye leaves Kentucky with an impressive resume and they will surely miss her next year in Lexington.
-Ethan Lehmkuhl, OSU Captain
10) Katie Mei Williams
MIAMI UNIVERSITY
Katie Mei has shown an incredible amount of improvement since her first season at Miami. She was an assistant captain for the team this year, helping to lead the team in strategy and morale. Since the Redhawk Classic at the beginning of the season, Katie has been a strong catcher for the roster. She’s not scared to make a play, and would rather go for a catch than try and block a team throw. Katie has also worked all season on strengthening her throw. She can keep the team from a shot clock violation with her solid resets, but can make a kill when she needs to. Her best game was against SVSU at nationals, where she held her own with her well-placed throws. Katie Mei is a big reason why Miami had so much improvement this season, and she will help lead the team to great things next year.
-Elly Schipfer, Miami Captain
11) Kacey Durliat
UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
Kacey finishes her short but impactful collegiate dodgeball career making her first All-American appearance! A much deserved honor for the first woman Bearcat, Kacey spent much of this season carving up her competition. Leaving Kacey unaccounted for on the court this season proved to be a mistake as she made catch after catch in every tournament she participated, and constantly caught teammates sleeping with well timed and placed crosses in practice. While she dominated on the court, she also stepped up as a leader off it as well, serving as Cincinnati’s Secretary/Fundraising Chair this season. Kacey has indeed set a high bar for future women’s players coming from Cincinnati, earning the notoriety and accolades she has in only 1.5 seasons of competitive dodgeball.
-Wes Peters, UC Coach
12) Allie Pohl
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Despite not having many opportunities to showcase her talent throughout the year, Allie made the most of the chances she did get. For only being a freshman, she has incredible arm talent, often leaving people questioning if she had really never played a throwing sport before joining the NCDA. Being so young, there is no doubt that Allie will continue to develop her skills and awareness on the court, and she will soon be a force to be reckoned with within the women’s division. Heading into next year, Allie will look to lead a MSU women’s team to success and potentially contribute on the main roster as well.
-Ethan Lehmkuhl, OSU Captain
