Kenan Nowak of the Metamora swimming and diving team was voted the Journal Star high school boys athlete of the week nominees for Jan. 12-17.
The Metamora junior diver put his name in the record books last week. In Wednesday’s road triangular meet against Mahomet-Seymour and Pekin, Nowak set a new Pekin pool record with a six-dive score of 311.95. This snapped the previous mark (287.00) from 18 years ago and gave him a new personal best and a new Metamora program mark. The Redbirds (71.8 points) finished third behind the hosts (83.2 points) and winner M-S (92.7 points).
The poll closed at noon Friday. Information about the nominees is below.
If you have a nominee for the honor, email us at sports@pjstar.com or tag us on Twitter @pjstarsports. Last week, Orlando Edwards Jr. of the Peoria High basketball team was named JS boys athlete of the week.
Jerry Hahn, Deer Creek-Mackinaw basketball
Hahn continued his standout senior season with a hand in two wins last week. He capped the unbeaten week with 26 points as Dee-Mack won its third in a row, beating Fieldcrest 59-50 on Friday. Hahn’s week began last Tuesday by flirting with a triple-double (20 points, 11 rebounds, six assists) in a 71-40 win over host Fisher. Dee-Mack is 13-3 heading into the Heart of Illinois Conference Tournament as the No. 3 seed.
Gavin Gibbs, Dunlap basketball
The junior played a big role in helping the Eagles end a historic streak last week. Gibbs shared game-high honors with 21 points as Dunlap beat Metamora, 63-62 in double overtime on Friday. His 13 points in the opening two quarters kept Dunlap within six points at halftime. Gibbs then scored eight second-half points including a big bucket in extra time. The victory snapped a 50-game home winning streak for the Metamora, which ranks No. 6 all-time in state history.
Isaac Showalter, Farmington wrestling
The Farmington freshman remains unbeaten following a tournament championship on Saturday. Showalter made a run to the 103-pound weight division crown thanks to dominate three matches. In the title bout, he scored a 20-3 tech fall over Fulton sophomore Coltin Hartman. This came after a pair of falls in the semifinals (39 seconds over Kewanee freshman Ryan Conway) and a quarterfinal pin (1:20 against St. Bede sophomore Jameson Daley). Showalter stands at 27-0 on the season.
Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Metamora diver voted Journal Star boys athlete of the week, presented by CEFCU
Reporting by Adam Duvall, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
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