AUDL's Nashville Nightwatch Sign Jesse Shofner - League's First Women To Make Opening Day Roster

It was announced yesterday (March 27) that former Oregon Ultimate superstar, Jesse Shofner, had made the official opening day roster for the AUDL's Nashville Nightwatch. This is the first woman to achieve this in the history of the league. The former Callahan Award runner-up and All-Star Ultimate Tour team member is expected to play Week One against the Cannons in Jacksonville, FL on April 1st. After numerous rounds of tryouts, Shofner had proven that she was capable of playing with the rest of the players on the field and the coaches and staff are confident in their decision to add her to the roster. 

“The body of work over the course of three months that she showed left every single one of the coaches with full confidence in her to make the right decision on the field with the disc in her hands,” said Nashville Head Coach Ryan Balch. “That made it an obvious decision.”

“I’m excited to play for my hometown,” Shofner told Ultiworld. “I grew up in Nashville.”

The only other time a woman has been seen in the league was Jessi Jones, who signed a one-game contract with the Raleigh Flyers in 2015. She played 14 points in their 33-22 win over Nashville. While this was a monumental moment in the league, the signing of Shofner has definitely broken the glass ceiling.

While it's no doubt she will be extremely popular with anticipated jersey sales going through the roof, the real question is how will she do? At only 5' 1" she is definitely at a disadvantage athletically, however if the Nightwatch can strategically run defensive sets that can keep Shofner in the handler space and not downfield, her IQ will definitely be more than enough to generate some turnovers and make some big plays. 

This is a very groundbreaking moment in professional sports, and we can hope to expect more great opportunities like this for women to keep happening in the future.

-Cam Bellando