#10 Max Thorne

Nickname: Sanchez
Height: 5′ 7”
Weight: 130 lbs
Position: handler
Years w/ESN: A 2012-2016
Major: Mechanical engineering
Hometown: Pittsburgh
Former Teams:

  • Swagger Youth 2009-2010

E-mail: met72 AT pitt.edu

Awards:

  • 2016 Ohio Valley 1st Team All-Region (5th Year/Grad)
  • 2016 USA Ultimate D-1 College Championships All-Tournament Team 2nd Team (5th Year/Grad)
  • 2015 Ultiworld 1st Team All-American (Senior)
  • 2015 Ohio Valley Player of the Year (Senior)
  • 2015 Ohio Valley 1st Team All-Region (Senior)
  • 2015 Callahan Finalist (Senior)
  • 2014 Ohio Valley 1st Team All-Region (Junior)
  • 2013 Ohio Valley 1st Team All-Region (Sophomore)
  • 2012 Ohio Valley 1st Team Freshman of the Year

Biographies
2013-2014
Max Thorne first threw a Frisbee when he was about a year old. His father, Henry, would roll the disc into his lap and Max would attempt to roll it back. As far back as Max can remember, he’s been addicted to figuring out how to throw that “stupid piece of plastic.”

Since the days of rolling around a Frisbee with his foster father Henry, Max has had to deal with the clear family favorite, Alex. When our little gloved niño starting living in Al’s shadow, he began to gain a better understanding of his fate.

“Al was one of those only child punks who wanted all the attention,” Max said. “Having a younger brother was detrimental to play time.”

Max will tell you that Alex took out his own insecurities on him by trying to stunt his most basic developments as a child.

“As I was learning how to walk, taking my very first steps, he would consistently walk right past me and nudge me down,” a teary eyed Thorne remembered.

Being the tough little chico he was, Sanchez decided that instead of crying he would let his big brother from another mother (and father) make these childish acts of defiance and accept that they could only make him stronger. To this day he believes that the strength he’s gained over Baby Al and his petty deeds would give him the edge in a true one on one fight to the death.

*Max earned this nickname for his beautiful olive skin (and of course, his biological parents’ Mexican heritage), but really cemented it after complaining about said nickname for an entire car ride to a tournament in North Carolina and then – at the first rest stop – nonchalantly ordering tortilla chips and a side of refried beans from a fast food joint that wasn’t Taco Bell.

Q: Who is your dream girl?
A: Clearly, my dream girl is Emma Watson. No explanation needed.

2015 Ultiworld 1st Team All-American
Max Thorne isn’t flashy. He’s not going to make many stunning layout Ds. But he is one of the most purely talented offensive players in the country and plays the game with grace and style like you might see from Roger Federer in tennis. Thorne absolutely annihilated teams as Pitt’s most important cutter – he could create with his legs and his throws. He was the #1 reason Pitt’s offense was the best in the country for the large part of the year.