# 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.

## Standings
### 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 | Conference Final (Away) |
| 3 | DC Current | 10 | 3 | 7 | 156 | 177 | −21 | .300 | |
| 4 | New York Rumble | 10 | 2 | 8 | 157 | 222 | −65 | .200 | |
* 1 2 The DC Current @ Boston Whitecaps match on June 11 was cancelled due to transport issues, with both teams awarded the win.

### 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 | |

## Postseason

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

### Conference Finals

* June 25, 2016 (2016-06-25) 19:00 PT Eastern Conference
| Seattle Rainmakers | 9–18 | Portland Stags |
| (1–5, 4–5, 1–4, 3–4) |||
| 2 goals Dylan Harrington | Boxscore | 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 | Philadelphia Spinners |
| (4–7, 6–4, 5–3, 1–6) |||
| 3 goals Jason Clark Tannor Johnson | Boxscore | 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

* August 16, 2016 (2016-08-16) 18:30 ET Final
| Philadelphia Spinners | 14–11 | Portland Stags |
| (3–5, 4–1, 5–2, 2–3) |||
| 2 goals David Brandolph Jack Casey Charles McCutcheon | Boxscore | 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 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
### Most Valuable Players

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

#### 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 |
| 3 | Timmy Perston | Portland Stags |
| 3 | Peter Woodside | Portland Stags |

### Spirit Awards

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.

### Rookies of the Year

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.

#### 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

This award was awarded to Raphy Hayes (Portland Stags) as the player who made the most improvement compared to the previous season.
| 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 |
| 5 | Erik Hunter | Vancouver Nighthawks |

### Offensive Players of the Year

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.

#### 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

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.

#### 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

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.