May 13, 2024
By Evan Lepler
Tobe Decraene, Montreal Royal
No player across the league has accumulated more total yards through three weeks than Montreal’s Tobe Decraene, who helped the Royal earn their first win in nearly two full years this past Saturday against Toronto. Although conditions were not exactly ideal for pristine ultimate—bad weather stung several box scores in Week 3—Decraene still was prominently involved in the majority of Montreal’s scores. Overall, he tallied two goals, five assists, and two hockey assists in the team’s 15-12 triumph over Toronto, adding three blocks to his ledger as well. From a yardage perspective, the 20-year-old Belgian has produced over 600 total yards in each of his three games so far in the UFA, creating a new season-high with 368 receiving yards on Saturday against the Rush.
Mark Evans, Austin Sol
On a weekend where there weren’t too many otherworldly statistical performances, Mark Evans continued his early-season excellence for the Sol. Austin’s Aussie finished with nine scores—four goals, five assists—and one block in the Sol’s 25-17 victory over Dallas. Evans also led his team with 597 total yards. In two weeks against their two Texas rivals, the Sol’s offense has only been broken three times in eight quarters. The road ahead will provide more challenges—Austin’s next two games are against Chicago and Carolina—but the Sol have handled their business well through two weeks of competition.
Walker Frankenberg, Oakland Spiders
Five goals, five assists, and 55 completions over two games all accurately describe Walker Frankenberg’s Week 3 production, though the most important stats, obviously, were the pair of one-goal wins for an Oakland Spiders squad that not sits at 3-1 in the West. The second-year Spider also led his team with 869 total yards, 400 throwing and 469 receiving, across the two narrow victories. A unanimous First Team All-Rookie Team selection last season, the 24-year-old out of Middlebury College now has 50 goals and 31 assists in his 16 career UFA games. That ranks him fifth in Spiders history in scores per game—among players with at least 15 games played—trailing only four former champions: Simon Higgins, Beau Kittredge, Ashlin Joye, and Sean Ham. It’s still early in Frankenberg’s career, but that’s obviously some pretty good company.
Anders Juengst, Carolina Flyers
A steady contributor and an emerging star ever since he joined the league, Anders Juengst had never been quite as aggressive as a thrower as we witnessed on Saturday, when the almost 26-year-old cutter tossed for a career-high 401 throwing yards in the Flyers’ 22-19 win over Atlanta. In addition to leading his team in throwing yards, he also was number two on the squad in receiving yards, with 261, while also pacing his squad with four goals, four assists, and four hockey assists. Juengst had never before completed three hucks in any of his previous 32 UFA games, but he went 4-for-4 on his hucks against the Hustle, helping the Flyers improve to 2-0 on the season.
Grayson Sanner, Carolina Flyers
His spectacular fourth quarter layout score—hauling in one of Juengst’s majestic hucks—basically put the game away, but it was just part of Grayson Sanner’s awesome overall evening of ultimate. Praised by team leaders as one of the best players on Flyers throughout the preseason, Sanner seamlessly shifted onto the O-line and shined on Saturday against the Hustle, collecting three goals, three assists, and completing all 22 of his passes. Although injuries kept him on the sideline throughout the entire 2023 season, Sanner’s re-emergence has been one of the biggest early stories for the 2024 Flyers. Throughout his career, Carolina has relished having him active and available; to this point, the Flyers are 20-1 in the 21 career games in which Sanner has played.
Evan Swiatek, Austin Sol
The only player across the Association with a double digit plus/minus in Week 3? That would be Austin’s Evan Swiatek, who tied his career-high by finishing plus-10 in the Sol’s comfortable victory over the Legion. The fourth-year Captain delivered five goals, five assists, and two blocks, completing 29-of-30 passes and totaling just under 500 total yards. Interestingly, Świątek has now finished plus-10 in two of his last four games dating back to last year. He also produced a plus-10 in the dramatic South Division final against Atlanta last August.
Jake Thorne, Oakland Spiders (Pictured)
In recent years, Jake Thorne has been known more for his ultimate journalism than his on-field exploits, but on the other side of some tough injuries, the Cal Poly SLO product is reminding everyone that he’s still got game. Thorne caught 11 goals across the Spiders’ two wins over the weekend; no one else on his team snagged more than five. He also worked for 378 receiving yards on Friday against Portland, easily the most in his now 11-game UFA career. Thorne did not suit up for the Spiders in either of the past two seasons after debuting in 2021, nor did he find the end zone in Week 1 against Los Angeles, but his huge Week 3 helped elevate Oakland right into the thick of the West Division playoff race.
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