Carolyn Finney

Carolyn Finney is known for competitive excellence on the ultimate field, finding success at every level during her illustrious career. Finney established herself as a fearless handler, attacking with her legs, precise hucks, and quick-release break throws, while also being an elite defender who seamlessly transitioned from playing shut-down defense to jumping a lane and generating help D blocks. Her quickness, fitness, and field vision enabled her to drive an offense, but her intense competitive spirit is truly what set her apart from other talented players. As a natural leader, Finney’s tenacity, determination, and focus could will her teams to victory. 

Finney started playing ultimate with the UC Santa Barbara Burning Skirts, where she made it to the finals of College Nationals 5 years in a row, captaining the team to two championships in 2009 and 2011. After graduation, she joined Fury and established herself as one of the greats from a storied program full of talent. With Fury, Finney won 5 national titles during her tenure with the team from 2012 through 2025, also racking up three 2nd place finishes and four more semifinals appearances. She was a co-captain for five years on Fury, leading the team to back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018. Fury often relied on Finney to take calculated risks with the disc or gamble on D within a team scheme, and her high tempo play became a hallmark of Fury’s style and a critical part of its success.

Cementing her place in the history books, Finney is among a select few to earn a spot on the USA World Games team three cycles in a row (2017, 2022, and 2025), winning all three, twice as captain. A mainstay on US National Team rosters, both for women’s and mixed rosters, Finney has eleven Worlds appearances at WUCC, WUGC/WUC, WBUC, WMUC, and the World Games, with six golds, 3 silvers, and a bronze medal for her trophy case. Recognized by UltiWorld four times as one of the top club players in the women’s division, she earned the prestigious Player of the Year (2018) and Offensive Player of the Year (2024) awards in seasons where she marshalled Fury to national titles. Finney was also honored by her peers as the Kathy Pufahl Award winner in 2021. Committed to equitable growth of the sport, she has volunteered as SW Regional Director, National Women’s Director, and a coach for youth and college teams. She currently lives in Oakland with her partner and Fury teammate, Kristin Johnson, and looks forward to traveling in their converted camping van when retiring from competitive ultimate.