Willa Morales and Anneliese Collin traveled to Kennesaw, Georgia, in November to take part in tryouts for the World Ultimate Junior Championships, not knowing what to expect and with no expectation as to how it would go.

The teenagers, both students at high schools in Portland, made an impression. Morales and Collin made the U-20 women’s roster for Team USA and will play in the world championships in Birmingham, England, in July. A total of 200 players tried out for three teams – open, women’s and mixed – and 72 were selected.

They are the latest examples of Ultimate players from Maine competing on the world stage. In July, Cole Moore (Cumberland), Nate Buchholz (Norway) and Calvin Stoughton (Cape Elizabeth) played in the U-24 World Championships. Portland’s Ben Horrisberger made the U-20 men’s team in 2022, and Falmouth’s Chloe Rowse made the U-24 squad in 2015.

It will be the first world tournament experience for both Morales, a South Portland resident and senior at Casco Bay High, and Collin, who lives in Portland and is a junior at Portland High.

“(My thinking was) it’s going to be really fun to play with a ton of amazing players, and we’ll see what happens,” said Morales, 17. “This was a really cool thing to happen.”

Collin, 16, was surprised to see herself selected to join her teammate and friend in England.

“I was definitely shocked,” she said. “It was a surprise to me, but definitely an honor.”

Hannah Baranes coaches both players for the Riptide, a club program that has competed nationally in the Youth Club Championships. Baranes, who is also a coach with the professional Portland Rising team and has coached the USA U-24 mixed national team, said she didn’t share her players’ surprise at what she called a “huge accomplishment.”

“I’ve gotten to watch those players match up against many of the top players in the country of their age group over the last two years, and they’ve consistently been some of the top players at that tournament,” she said. “One thing for both of them that sticks out to me is their mental game. They’re both just unflappable at a really high level of competition.”

That, however, is where many of the similarities end, as Morales and Collin have taken different paths to selection on Team USA. Morales is the daughter of two Ultimate players who “has been playing Frisbee since I could walk,” she said. Her mother, Victoria, started a Portland area middle school club, and her father, Alberto, “always tries to get me to throw.”

“It’s definitely my favorite sport. I love it. It’s so fun, and I just know it so well,” said Morales, who also plays basketball for Portland High. “The Ultimate community is one of the best I’ve ever experienced. The people are just so kind and competitive, they balance that line really well.”

That dedication has allowed Morales, a competitive player since middle school, to rapidly develop her talents. She earned a spot on the Portland Rising roster last year as a practice player – only players 18 and older can play in games – and while her primary position is handler (the player who distributes the disc), she’s become versatile enough to play all positions.

“They call them hybrids, people who can cut and handle, so I can do that,” she said. “I feel like my throwing is probably what I contribute to my team most of the time, and defense. I love defense.”

Baranes said Morales’s pull – the throw to start a game, similar to a kickoff – can cover the length of the field, giving her team an advantage in field position.

“Willa is an extremely sophisticated offensive player who can get open, can place the disc wherever she wants to,” she said. “She makes it look easy, and whenever an athlete makes it look easy, I think that’s a reflection of tons and tons of hard work.”

Collin’s introduction to Ultimate came later. She’s a standout soccer player for Portland High who also plays for Seacoast United.

But when her older sister, Meribel, suggested she give Ultimate a try, Collin found something endearing about a sport in which she can use the speed, agility and endurance she’s honed in both soccer and track and field.

“It definitely took me a little bit to get into, because it’s definitely a little bit different of a sport to soccer and track,” she said. “But the physical aspect (is) definitely fun for me. Running super hard all the time and plays that are similar to soccer were definitely appealing to me.”

Baranes said Collin has progressed faster than most players she’s seen. As a cutter (the player who catches the disc downfield), Collin’s speed makes her a game-changer while both separating from defenders and closing in on other cutters to break up a throw.

“She can swing the momentum of a game at any point,” Baranes said. “Defense is absolutely where she shines. She has a great understanding of space coming from soccer. She can anticipate what the offense wants to do, and use her athleticism to get in the way and prevent plays from happening.”

The different paths led to both players working out in Georgia to make the team after hearing in October that they had been invited. The tryouts called for a grueling workout, with Ultimate games stacked one after the other for two days.

“It was really, really, really hard,” Collin said. “It was 18 hours in total of Ultimate. … It was drills and running and throwing and cutting and mini scrimmages and big scrimmages. … It took a lot out of all of us.”

Morales said they were told going into the tryout that it would be harder than the actual tournament.

“It was the most amount of Frisbee I’ve ever played in my life,” she said. “I was going into it with lots of confidence, in terms of ‘I’m not going to get too tired.’ But it was very physically draining, and then you just get back at it the next day.”

The players held up enough, however, to get the chance to play in England this summer, and test themselves against their highest level of competition yet.

“I’ll definitely be nervous going into it, but I think I’ll have the mindset to make an experience of it and want to take something back,” Collin said. “Not just playing-wise, but the whole experience around it.”

Morales said it’ll be easier to have Collin make the trip with her.

“I think it’s special that two of us from Maine get to go,” Morales said. “It’s a little intimidating, but I’m definitely super stoked. I’m mostly excited to see what happens.”

UPDATE: This story was corrected at 2 p.m. on Jan. 21 to show that Willa Morales is a senior at Casco Bay High and that Anneliese Collin is 16 years old.

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