The spring sports season is heating up in Monroe County, and so is the competition for Athlete of the Week honors. After a strong start from softball—which claimed the first three titles of the spring—track and field has stepped into the spotlight, taking home the last three awards.
Luke Dulecki of New Boston Huron kicked off the track takeover for April 13-19, followed by Bedford's Iva Ravindra for April 20-26. Last week, Erie Mason's Lincoln Murbach claimed the April 27-May 3 title with an impressive 4,066 votes, edging out Airport softball standout Julia Dyson, who finished with 2,734 votes.
Now the question is: will softball and track continue their dominance, or will athletes from baseball, tennis, soccer, golf, or lacrosse rise to the challenge? The decision is in your hands, voters.
Voting is open until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13. Here are this week's candidates, listed alphabetically:
Braden Bydlowski, Ida boys track and field – Soared to a personal-best 13-9 in the pole vault to claim the Lenawee County Athletic Association championship.
Nick Coberley, Bedford baseball – Delivered a clutch home run in the seventh inning to tie a game against Monroe, then singled home the winning run in the ninth.
Julia Hughes, Ida girls track and field – Dominated both hurdle races and anchored two winning relays at the Lenawee County Athletic Association championships.
Zane Knezevich, Jefferson boys track and field – Shattered a 200-meter school record that had stood since 2004, helped the 800 relay break a mark from 1988, and contributed to a new 1,600 relay record over the weekend.
Lukas Linzell, SMCC baseball – Delivered a walk-off hit in the eighth inning to defeat New Boston Huron, the No. 1 team in Division 2, and added a grand slam on Saturday.
Lincoln Murbach, Erie Mason boys track and field – Claimed Tri-County Conference titles in both hurdle events and far exceeded expectations with second-place finishes in the 100 and 200 dashes.
Guiliana Nastale, Erie Mason girls track and field – Swept the 100, 200, and 400 meters, and anchored the winning 400 relay at the Tri-County Conference meet.
Olivia Piepsney, SMCC softball – Reached a major milestone with the 100th hit of her career, continuing a standout season.
Cast your vote now and help decide who will take home this week's top honors!