New York Gridlock
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The New York Gridlock is a professional women's ultimate team based in New York City which competes in the Premier Ultimate League (PUL). The team joined the PUL for the league's inaugural 2019 season.[1] Their stated mission is "to achieve competitive excellence on the field and equity in the sport of ultimate by increasing accessibility to and visibility of womxn [sic] ultimate players."[2]
| |
| Sport | Ultimate |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2019 |
| League | Premier Ultimate League |
| Based in | New York City |
| Head coaches | Eileen Murray and Ryan Thompson |
| Website | nygridlockultimate.com |
Franchise history
The New York Gridlock formed in early 2019, and is one of the original eight teams in the Premier Ultimate League.[3] Their name likely references New York's common rush-hour gridlock traffic.[4]
The team would have played its second season in 2020, but the PUL cancelled the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][6]
Record
In their 2019 season, the Gridlock defeated the Indianapolis Red 14–9, the Columbus Pride 17–10, the Austin Torch 14–12, and the Atlanta Soul 21–17. They fell to the Raleigh Radiance 20–11. This record gave them a third-place finish in the league.[7] In the league semifinals, they again lost to the Raleigh Radiance, 19–18.[7]
| Year | Reg. season | Playoffs | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 4-1 (3rd) | 0-1[7] | Lost in Semifinals |
| 2020 | Season Cancelled | 0-0 | Season Cancelled |
| Total | 4-1 | 0-1 |
Current coaching staff
- Coach - Ryan Thompson (he/him/his)
- Coach - Eileen Murray (she/her/hers)
- Coach - Martha Gregory (she/her/hers)
Roster
The team's 2020 roster was as follows:[8][9]
| 2020 New York Gridlock | ||||
| # | Name | Pronouns | College | Most Recent Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | Genny De Jesus | She/Her | NJ Jughandle | |
| 2 | Brittany "Bkap" Kaplan | She/Her | New York BENT | |
| 4 | Nastasia "Stazi" Tangherlini | She/Her | New York BENT | |
| 5 | Lindsay McKenna | She/Her | West Chester University | West Chester Loco |
| 6 | Janine Hlavaty | She/Her | New York BENT | |
| 7 | Luisa Neves | She/Her | University of Rochester | New York BENT |
| 8 | Kelly "Beezus" Hyland | She/Her | Washington DC Space Heater | |
| 9 | Sarah Johnson | She/Her | Philadelphia AMP | |
| 10 | Natalie Bova | Philadelphia AMP | ||
| 11 | Danielle Walsh | Philadelphia AMP | ||
| 12 | Amy Zhou | She/Her | Rutgers University | Washington DC Scandal |
| 13 | Becca Tucker | She/Her | Albany Rebel Rebel | |
| 14 | Tulsa Douglas | She/Her | St. Olaf College | Boston Brute Squad |
| 16 | Jessica Shatkin | New York BENT | ||
| 17 | Margo Cody | New York BENT | ||
| 18 | Wei Gao | She/Her | New York BENT | |
| 20 | Karen Chalif | She/Her | New York XIST | |
| 21 | Linda Morse | She/Her | Philadelphia AMP | |
| 22 | Lauren Woods | She/Her | New York BENT | |
| 23 | Andrea DeSabato | She/Her | Philadelphia AMP | |
| 24 | Casey Gorman | Washington DC Scandal | ||
| 33 | Lauren Piontek | She/Her | New York XIST | |
| 41 | Martha Gregory | New York BENT | ||
| 44 | Raha Mozaffari | She/Her | Philadelphia AMP | |
| 71 | Cassie Wong | She/Her | Boston Brute Squad | |
| 88 | Nikki Hair | She/Her | NJ Jughandle | |
| 99 | Veronica Kolegue-Spalaris | She/Her | Albany Rebel Rebel | |
| PP | Abbey Stolowski | NJ Pine Baroness | ||
| PP | Caroline Turner | Hudson Valley Funk | ||
| PP | Kyla Dayer | She/Her | University of Rochester | Brooklyn Grand Army |
| PP | Tricia Smit | She/Her | New York XIST | |
Social justice and equity
In 2020, the Gridlock raised over $10,000[10] for the National Bail Out collective, a Black-led and Black-centered collective of abolitionist organizers, lawyers and activists building a community-based movement to end systems of pretrial detention and ultimately mass incarceration.[11] Social justice and equity are built into their mission statement,[12] with text that centers gender and racial equity and accountability in community partnerships. These were elaborated further by Eileen Murray, owner and General Manager, and Khunsa Amin, Director of Community, Outreach, and Operations in an interview with Still Out of Your League.[13]