Week eight athlete of the week voting has concluded, and it is time to announce a winner. The weekly Athlete of the Week ballot features nominated athletes from around the County. Athlete nominations can be submitted every Sunday by 9:00 p.m. Athlete of the Week polls run until Wednesday at midnight each week. Athlete nominations that are submitted will be automatically included in the final poll.
Entering to vote at hillsdale.net can enter you for a chance to win a prize from one of our sponsors. The ballots can be found posted to our Facebook page at The Hillsdale Daily News.
Week 8 Winner: Damon Newell – Jonesville Baseball
Comet baseball player Damon Newell has been one of the biggest power hitters for Jonesville softball this season. After slamming a homer in Big 8 play against Homer late in the regular season, the Comet followed it up with a end-of-season and district championship week worthy of an athlete of the week nomination. Newell has now been voted the Week 8 Athlete of the Week.
Newell was responsible for helping Jonesville finish off their regular season with a doubleheader sweep of Climax-Scotts. In the final game, Newell homered twice, scored two runs and had six RBI. He followed it up with one hit and one run in the district championship game that helped his team win a title. Newell and the Comets recently concluded their season in the regional semifinals. Newell is the second baseball player this spring to be voted the athlete of the week.
Honorable Mentions
- Beau Groves – Camden-Frontier Baseball: Camden-Frontier senior Beau Groves helped his team break their 10-year district title drought with a pitching effort that saw him step on the mound two different times in the title game against Reading. In the 10-8 victory, Groves had a total of 13 strikeouts. He left the game in the middle innings, and he came back to close out the game in the final inning.
- Pittsford Girls 4×800 Relay Team: The Pittsford girls 4×800-meter relay team of Ava Mallar, Riley McCumber, Brooke Smith and Halle Clark were the runner-up team at the MHSAA D4 state finals with a time of 10:01.23. Their entry in this ballot also represents their runner-up 4×400 team of Ava Mallar, Karlee Embach, Brooke Smith and Halle Clark.
- Tayshawn Bester – Reading Boys Track and Field: Reading junior Tayshawn Bester won a 110-meter hurdles D4 state championship with a time of 15.13. The Reading boys track team took second overall as a team at the state finals.
- Hillsdale Girls 4×100 and 200 Relay Team: The Hillsdale relay team of Mia Hinz, Amelia Dietz, Annemarie Moore and Kia Charboneau took second place in both the 4×100 and 4×200-meter relay event at the MHSAA D3 state finals. The team took second and all-state in the 4×100-meter event with a time of 50.44. The team then took second place again in the 4×200-meter relay, earning all-state and recording a time of 1:47.58. They won LCAA titles and set new records earlier this season. This is their second nomination and honorable mention as a team.
- Hillsdale Academy Girls 4×800 Relay Team: The Colts girls 4×800-meter relay team of Angela Alvarez, Whitney Wilkinson, Caroline Roberts and Megan Roberts won a D4 State Championship with a time of 9:57.73. They also represent their 4×400-meter state championship team of Haven Socha, Angela Alvarez, Caroline Roberts and Megan Roberts.