-By Margaret Pugh
Lily Terpstra is an offensive handler from Salt Lake City, Utah. Terpstra is entering her third year playing professional Ultimate and is one of the Wild’s seven pre-signed players this season. She’s played for the Utah Swarm, Utah Yard Sale, Dark Sky, and the University of Utah’s Spiral Jetty. Terpstra is also on the roster for the 2025 US Women’s National Team.
Terpstra got her start playing in seventh grade when she had just moved to Salt Lake from Phoenix in the middle of the school year. “My dad saw a poster of the Krakens and said something along the lines of, ‘Wow, honey! That’s so cool. You have to do that!’” Terpstra said she attended a practice after that, where she was one of only two girls attending. The other was the coach’s daughter, and she’s been playing ever since.
Terpstra’s favorite memory from last season is championship weekend. “I flew into Colorado and got so sick when the plane landed. I was supposed to share a bed with Kenzie, but I ended up spending the whole night before the semis on the floor of the bathroom. The next morning, Kenzie told me that I could’ve thrown up in the bed, and I’m pretty sure I started crying because it was so ridiculous.”
“I felt really loved that weekend,” said Terpstra. “I played surprisingly well in the semis, and then we ended up winning, which was super awesome.”
Terpstra is most looking forward to her first game of the season with the Wild. Unfortunately, she will miss the team’s home opener due to a conflict with a college tournament, much to her dismay, but Terpstra still said, “I’m excited for the first time that I get to be on the turf in front of friends, family, and fans, playing super fun and competitive ultimate.”
Terpstra also mentioned being excited to play with her teammates for the season as well as with some of her favorite players. “Look out for the pinkie celly with #22!”
Terpstra also mentioned being grateful to have a stage for women and non-binary players to showcase their talents. “There are so many amazing athletes that don’t get to do what they love simply because they’re women or non-binary, and I don’t think that’s fair,” said Terpstra. “Women and nonbinary ultimate might be different than what’s played in the open division, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less deserving of respect or admiration.”
“To me, the Wild and the WUL have carved out a space for us that hasn’t existed in the past, and it’s so important to me that we as a community continue to put effort into keeping these organizations alive,” said Terpstra. “I want ultimate to be mainstream, and I want it to become the way through the advancement of the WUL and PUL, not just through the UFA.”
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