The Ball State Daily News will use this program to honor athletes who had an impressive week or a breakout performance. A candidate from each school will be chosen and the community can vote for the winner.
Candidates will be announced every Wednesday with the voting closing on the following Saturday at 5 p.m. If you believe a certain student-athlete should be your school’s candidate, email the Daily News high school sports reporter Zach Carter at zachary.carter@bsu.edu.
To vote for the athletes, check the Daily News Sports account on X.
Here are your nominees for athlete of the week from 10/11 - 10/18.
Delta: Senior cross-country runner Nicki Southerland - After being named last week’s Delaware County Athlete of the Week, Southerland turned in a stellar performance once again. The senior and recent Notre Dame commit came in first at Sectional Nine. Her time of 17:31.8 was the fastest girls’ sectional time in the state.
Yorktown: Junior volleyball player Charlotte Vinson - Vinson led the Tigers with 64 kills during sectionals. This stretch was good enough to help Yorktown take the Sectional Eight championship and gave Vinson the school record for most kills in a season.
Cowan: Senior cross-country runner Gavin Ashby - The Blackhawks competed in Sectional Ten. Ashby led the boys’ team as he finished in ninth. This earned him a spot in regionals.
Muncie Central: Senior football player Leo Boyd - The Bearcats’ starting quarterback only threw four passes in Friday night’s 41-12 win over Indianapolis Arsenal Tech. However, Boyd used his feet to record 182 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.
Burris: Freshman volleyball player Ja’Maria Jackson - Jackson tallied 23 kills in sectional play. This helped the Owls capture their first sectional championship since 2014.
Wapahani: Senior cross-country runner Nick Cook - The boys’ team took first at Sectional Nine. Cook led the Raiders as he was the individual champion with the time of 16:03.3.
Wes-Del: Senior football player Triton Blevins - The Warriors’ starting quarterback turned in a huge performance as he went 10-for-12 with 214 passing yards and three touchdown passes. He also had 48 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. This performance helped Wes-Del defeat Cambridge City Lincoln 42-6 and capture its first three-game win streak in five years.
Daleville: Junior volleyball player Trishell Johnson - Johnson recorded 29 kills in the Broncos’ sectional matches. This performance aided Daleville as the Broncos went on to win the Sectional 55 championship.