2022 Roster
Rachel Barr (she/her)
Rachel (“Boost”) was first introduced to ultimate in her home town, Lanesville, IN, where she joined a pickup group of fellow homeschooled kids. She moved to Louisville, KY where she attends University of Louisville. She has played with and captain the UofL’s Ultimate team (LUCKY). She is an American Sign Language Interpreter who loves to read, go to the gym, and take excessive naps.
Emily Bennett (she/her)
Emily has being pickup ultimate since middle school, however it wasn’t until her senior year of college that she joined an organized team. She is a family intervention specialist who loves long distance running and drinking too much coffee. Emily is excited to play with a group of athletes who empower each other, the community, and the great Southeast region.
Amanda Borders (she/her)
Amanda (“Coffee”) first learned how to throw a disc before an orchestra performance in high school. She knew she wanted to play ultimate in college her first year at University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She later moved to Kansas City where she is the Director of Social Services at a nursing home. Coffee is a club regional coordinator for USAU and one of the video editors for the PUL.
Emily Branson (she/her)
Emily grew up in Knoxville, TN where she began playing ultimate as a senior in high school. She continued to play at University of Tennessee Knoxville with the women’s team. Emily is an Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant Nurse who loves reading and hiking.
Lauren Bryant (she/her)
Returner Lauren has played ultimate for 11 years and started playing at the University of Alabama. She is an electrical engineer for the Army and enjoys traveling in her free time (she has traveled to 6 of the 7 continents!). She also enjoys running and hiking with her dog Maddie.
Grace Castro (she/her)
Grace (“Cas”) picked up ultimate her freshman of college. She immediately fell in love and continue to play women’s club in New England, Washington DC, and Kansas City. She moved to Nashville last year for her job as a Quality Engineer. Grace joined NightShade leadership this year as General Manager and Captain.
Meaghan Creamer (she/her)
Meaghan is originally from Syracuse, NY and started playing open ultimate her sophomore year at Providence College in Rhode Island. During Meaghan’s senior year she started and captained the Women’s Ultimate team (PC WULTY) which still exists today! In 2016 Meaghan had her first club experience with Providence Mob (2016) and played the past few summers with Nashville ‘Shine. When Meaghan is not running around she is probably at a concert screaming lyrics she only half knows or in total relaxation with all the candles in her home lit (partial to lavender).
Kayla Ferguson (she/her)
Kayla has been playing ultimate for the past 10 years including the competitive women's teams of DeSoto and Encore and the mixed team, Trash Pandas, out of Nashville. Outside of ultimate, she is a transportation engineer, wife, and mother to Mila and her two dogs Izzy and Linus.
Katharine Gilbert (she/her)
Originally from PA, Katharine (“KG”) began playing her freshman year of high school. She continued her ultimate career in Philly, Boston, Australia, and now Tennessee! She recently moved to TN to work at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Outside of ultimate, Katharine loves any outdoor activity - in particular hiking and backpacking.
Noel Holmes (she/her)
Noel is a South Carolina local going on her 13th year playing ultimate! She played, captained and was president for Scorch Ultimate at the University of South Carolina. She played mixed and women's club for 6 years and counting. In her spare time, she co-coaches VUDU (Vanderbilt University Women) and has captained for her club team, 'Shine, and local Nashville Ultimate League teams. When Noel is not on the ultimate field, she is most likely hiking with her pup, traveling, or trying to find the next best brunch spot on the weekends.
Macy Hudson (she/her)
Macy began playing ultimate her sophomore year of high school after she growing up swimming and running. She has continued to play and captain in college at University of Tennessee Knoxville. Macy loves to lift and watch endless Real Housewives episodes.
Rebecca Hunter (she/her)
This undergrad student at Johnson University began playing her freshman year. Becca is excited to get to know and play with awesome athletes in the area. She loves spending time with family, friends, and her dog!
Amanda Johnson (she/her)
Amanda (“Skittles”) has been playing ultimate for 15 years after getting convinced to join the ultimate community in college by a player she accidentally spilt milk on. Skittles is Rec Center Supervisor for Parks and Recreation in Kansas City. She loves dogs and any outdoor activity (hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding, etc.). She is excited to play with new elite players and to continue to grow as a player.
Rachel Kramer (she/her)
Rachel (“NASA”) began playing ultimate in high school and continued to play with Tufts University, Boston Brute Squad, and Portland Rising. She recently moved to Nashville for a graduate degree in education policy. She joined the NightShade board as Administrative Director this year. Rachel can be found baking incredible treats, walking with her small pup, or enjoying a charcuterie board with her friends.
Brielle LeClear (she/her)
This Floridian first picked up ultimate in college after being approached for her height at the club fair. Brielle is a student and Navy reservist who loves trail running. She loves hairless cats almost as much as she loves being apart of promoting women in sports.
Genevieve Leo (she/her)
Gen began her ultimate career freshman year of college in DC. She immediately fell in love with chasing the disc and continued to play mixed club in the DC area for over 7 years. Gen was DC Shadow’s Executive Director in 2021 for their inaugural season. She is currently USAU’s Mixed National Director. She is a Financial Research Analyst who loves fostering cats, long-distance running, and making throw pillows. Gen is excited to play high level ultimate in a new city.
Margie Quinn (she/her)
Margie is a Nashville local who was first dragged to a frisbee practice by local legend Alison Reedy during her freshman year of high school. Margie hasn’t stopped playing since. Margie has loved her time on USN’s Brutal Grassburn, UGA’s Dawgma, Seattle Underground, Toro, ‘Shine, and (most importantly) her Turkey Tourney team, Socket. When Margie isn’t frizzin, she’s playing guitar, reading classic fiction, and serving as a bonafide church lady.
Micah Roberts (she/her)
Micah began playing ultimate during her sophomore year of high school in Oak Ridge, TN. This Tennessean is a student at University of Tennessee Knoxville where she plans to attend vet school at UTCVM in the fall where she will specialize in orthopedic surgery in small animals. Micah is excited to play high level ultimate with powerful women. She loves to hike, read, and be outdoors.
Grace Robinson (she/her)
Grace (“Grob”) was immediately hooked after the first practice of freshman year at Mississippi State University. She is excited to play women’s again after 3 years. When she isn’t grabbing the craziest throws or breaking marks, Grace is a Procurement Analyst in Memphis who loves cooking and baking new things.
Mariana Rodriguez (she/her)
Mariana was introduced to ultimate in the Spring of 2011. Her club experience includes playing for DeSoto, including one Nationals appearance (2011), Old #7, including a second place finish at mixed masters nationals (2018), and 'Shine including nationals appearance in 2021. Mariana played on the inaugural 2018 NightShade team and is a board member this year. In addition to her love for ultimate, Mariana is passionate about rock climbing, hiking, and all things outdoors. She is originally from Caracas, Venezuela but has called Nashville home for 10 years.
Elena Rubino (she/her)
Elena (“Lemur”) picked up ultimate her first year at Gettysburg College after searching for a sport that wasn’t rugby (due to her parents request). Since then, she has been hooked and played in DC, Florida, and Philly. Lemur is an Assistant Professor of Conservation Social Science at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. She loves to hike, read, and playing with her dogs.
Amy Schlabach (she/her)
Amy started playing frisbee during her freshman year at Boston University and captained for 2 years. Since then she has planned many youth clinics, tryouts, and tournaments as well as captained her fair share of club teams, including Safari (San Diego) and Encore (Nashville). Outside of ultimate, Amy works in marketing and is passionate about making people laugh, spending time with her family, and drinking delicious beer. Spending time on both coasts has really taught her when to bring her East Coast focus and when to use her West Coast vibe.
Jesse Shofner (she/her)
Jesse began playing ultimate in middle school in Nashville. The rest is history. You’ve seen her play all over the world - from Oregon, to Washington DC and everywhere in between; and you already know about her numerous national teams appearances. When she isn’t tearing it up on the field, Jesse is busy creating pottery and art.
Tori Taylor (she/her)
Tori first start playing after her high school cross country coach introduced her to the sport. She immediately joined the University of Florida women’s ultimate team during her first year. 10 years later and you can still catch her roasting people deep or layout d-ing players. Tori is an Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Resident at UTMC which has brought this Floridian closer to us. Off the field, she loves visiting breweries, hiking, and exploring the outdoors with her fiancé and dog, Juno!
Colleen Wright (she/her)
Colleen grew up in a suburb of Nashville and learned to play ultimate in 2002. She went on to play varsity soccer at Rhodes College before playing DeSoto/Encore for eight seasons, captaining the team to one Nationals appearance. Colleen is the founder and board member for NightShade. She lives in Nashville with her husband and daughter. In her free time, she loves making homemade bread, wakesurfing, and doing home renovations. Colleen is a fierce competitor who was destined to play ultimate with a maiden name of Callaghan (pronounced Callahan).