HILLSDALE COUNTY — Congratulations to Camden-Frontier sophomore Zailey Conroy and Hillsdale Academy junior Lucy Cote, two girls track and field SCAA champions, for earning the reader’s choice and Hillsdale Daily News choice May 4-10 Athlete of the Week awards.
Conroy was nominated and won the voting poll award after earning SCAA titles at this year’s finals held at Hayden Park. The sophomore sprinter ran down a personal best time of 1:01.73 in the 400-meter run to take the SCAA title. She added a runner-up finish in the 100 and won another title in the 200-meter dash (27.23). She then ran a personal best 26.86 in the 200 to win the 41st Lamberson Invitational.
Lucy Cote was named the Daily News award honoree for also running down championships at the SCAA finals. Cote won Female Athlete of the Meet honors at the SCAA championships after earning three individual league titles and helping Hillsdale Academy win the team title. She won the 100-meter dash (13.19), 100 hurdles (PB 15.48) and 300 hurdles (47.02) and also earned school records. It was only her second 100-meter dash race this season. She followed up her league title performance with a first-place finish in the 400-meter (1:02.18) at the Chuck King Invitational, first in the 100 hurdles and first in the 300 hurdles (PB 47.02). She helped the 4×400 team win a SCAA title and anchored it to a win at the Chuck King Invite.
Congratulations to the two athletes, both of which earned state qualification for the Division 4 finals held in Hudsonville. Both athletes will also compete at the Hillsdale Area Best meet at Hayden Park on May 26.
Athlete of the Week nominations can be submitted by coaches and Athletic Directors by every Sunday each week. The Athlete of the Week voting poll can be found at hillsdale.net weekly. Below are the other top performers from May 4-10 who were nominated for the voting poll.
Honorable Mentions
Runner-Up: Kherington Ladd — Hillsdale Softball: Hillsdale sophomore Kherington Ladd struck out 14 batters in five innings to earn a no-hitter win over Concord. It was the sophomore ace’s best game of the season so far, and the 10-0 final was a much-needed win for the Hornets to start May. Ladd was runner-up reader’s choice, taking second in the voting poll.
Third Place: Ally Marshall — Jonesville Softball: Jonesville earned a much-needed doubleheader sweep of Addison with 13-3 and 14-10 finals. Catcher Ally Marshall had 10 putouts in the series and finished the week with 17 total. She scored five runs and finished the week with six total hits. Marshall was the third-place honoree in the reader’s choice poll.
Other Nominees
- Jayden Martinez — Camden-Frontier Baseball: Martinez struck out six batters in four innings in a 12-0 win over North Adams-Jerome that split a doubleheader. Martinez added an additional nine strikeouts in a doubleheader against Concord.
- Madison Recob — Will Carleton Girls Track and Field: WCA senior Madison Recob earned an individual SCAA title in the girls shot put event, throwing 31-6 to take the crown and her fourth straight win. This is the first season Recob is throwing for the Cougars since her freshman season.
- Aiden Vanwormer — Hillsdale Baseball: The senior helped lift his team to win the Red Bat Classic with wins over Vandercook Lake and Sand Creek. Against Vandy Lake, Vanwormer earned the win on the mound with six strikeouts across five innings. He finished the week with six putouts, six hits, one double, four RBIs and nine runs. He also had his first home run of the season.
- Maverick Baker — Jonesville Baseball: There were plenty of Jonesville baseball players that could make the list of nominees after the week of May 4-10. However, Maverick Baker’s two home runs were the highlight of the week that included the Comets winning five of seven games. Against Addison, he had two home runs, multiple runs, multiple steals and multiple RBIs.
- Logan Perkins — Litchfield Baseball: The catcher for the Terriers helped his team defeat East Jackson and sweep Waldron for important bounce back wins. Perkins collected 22 putouts, eight stolen bases, five runs, three RBIs, a triple, a double and seven total hits during the three-game stretch.
- Pittsford’s 4×100 and 4×200 Boys Relay Team: Senior Mondale Knepfler, eighth grader Gavin Leggett, senior Jake Drawe and junior Brendon Nave won two SCAA championships as a team in the 4×100 and 4×200 with respective times of 46.29 and 1:36.52. Nave also won the long jump title.
- Dawson Scharer — Hillsdale Academy Boys Track and Field: Senior Dawson Scharer helped his team win a SCAA championship with three individual titles in the 100-meter dash (PB 11.22), 110-meter hurdles (15.12) and 300 hurdles (15.12). For his effort, he won Male Athlete of the Meet. He followed it up with two more wins at the Chuck King Invitational. He anchored the 4×400 team to a SCAA title and a first-place finish at the Chuck King Invitational.
- Brandon Menchaca — Camden-Frontier Boys Track and Field: Camden-Frontier junior Brandon Menchaca won his third pole vault event of the season at the SCAA championships. His 12-feet personal best clearance earned him his first pole vault title. He followed it up with another 12-0 to take second at the 41st Lamberson Invitational.
- Ashton Thornsbury — Hillsdale Boys Track and Field: Senior Ashton Thornsbury ran down a LCAA title in the 110-meter hurdles, taking first place with a time of 14.89. That time is the new school hurdle record at Hillsdale. Thornsbury followed it up with a third-place finish in the 300 hurdles, a personal best time of 41.29. However, the senior was able to collect a second LCAA title in the high jump. He took first overall with a new personal best height of 6 feet, 5 inches.
- Reading’s 4×100 and 4×200 Boys Relay Teams: The quartet of Aiden Clark, Gaven McKibbin, Will Elder and Brayden Wright ran down a school record at the Chuck King Invitational. The team took first in the 4×100 relay with a time of 44.05, a time now in the record books at Reading and good enough to qualify them early for states. The same team earned state qualification in the 4×200 with a first-place finish. Wright also took first in the 100-meter dash.
- Leah Headley — Reading Softball: The junior ace passed 100 strikeouts for the season. Headley also added four hits, one RBI, one run and three steals during the week. She finished the week with 29 strikeouts.
- Harrison Packer — Jonesville Boys Track and Field: The junior ran in four events for the Comets at the East Jackson Dome Classic. He took second in the 200, second with the 4×100 and 4×200 teams as the lead runner, and he took first with the 4×400 team (3:31.24) as the lead runner. He helped the 4×200 and 4×100 teams secure wins at their first home meet at the new LDK stadium. He took first at the home meet in the 100-meter dash (11.72).
- Cheyanne Goodlock and Dhara Patel — Hillsdale No. 1 Singles Tennis Team: The team of Cheyanne Goodlock and Dhara Patel took runner-up in a close three-set match with Lansing Chrisitan 6-4, 4-6 and 8-10. Their second-place finish earned them first-team all-league. The team, featuring the Hornets’ only senior in Patel, also beat Three Rivers in three set scores of 4-6, 6-4 and 10-0.
- Cole Trumper — Jonesville Boys Golf: Senior Cole Trumper led the Jonesville Comets to a first-place team finish at a Cascades Jamboree hosted at White Oaks Golf Club. The team had a season-best day of 168 to defeat Michigan Center’s final score of 190. Trumper had a birdie on 18, a par 5, to deliver a final score of 39. His 3-over-par finish tied freshman teammate Jack Sturgill, who birdied the 13th hole.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Hillsdale County Athlete of the Week May 4-10 honors two track champs