Abington High School Ultimate Frisbee captain Joshua Flaherty received his Rookie of the Year award on May 6 for the work he did on the team as a freshman.

Flaherty, a junior, won the awardin the  2019 season. But due to COVID, he was not able to receive the plaque until this year, making him “the longest rookie” according to Mr. Matthew Cutter, the coach.

Cutter said Flaherty earned the award that year because of “his aptitude and being able to start a number of games.” Cutter said, “I have never seen a freshman with that level of ability” so Flaherty was the natural choice.

During the 2019 run, the Ultimate Frisbee team went undefeated. Flaherty’s efforts helped propel the Frisbee team to their first State Championship, capping an incredible season.

Flaherty now will take a bigger role becoming the captain of the team as most of the 2019 team has graduated High school and new faces begin to take on the challenge of following up the historical season. 

“After winning Rookie of the Year, I felt proud and happy that as a freshman I made a difference on the team. It also, gave me a confidence boost with that title,” Flaherty, references his 2019 Ultimate Frisbee State Championship.

He was a part of the Green Wave team that was mostly comprised of juniors during the 2019 run.  

Flaherty was outstanding that year, his first. He’ll need to follow up his historical season in 2021. 

This year, most of his teammates from earlier years are gone. So he doesn’t need to play differently now, just become a leader, a bigger role model than the one he’s already become. 

Flaherty said, “The role I take now is a leader. I’m one of the only members on the team who is a returning player and one that has prior knowledge of the sport. Being that leader, hopefully I could bring the team to another championship.”