It’s time to vote for the Detroit Free Press Buffalo Wild Wings Girls Prep Athlete of the Week.
The 2025-2026 Michigan High School spring season concluded this past weekend and saw the final 32 girls’ teams – 16 apiece in soccer and softball – vying to win state championships.
This week’s poll features five players – four from softball and one from soccer – who had standout performances during the week of June 7-14.
Voting will close at 3 p.m. on Thursday, June 18.
Here are the nominees (listed in alphabetical order by last name):
Sophia Chaput, Farmington Hills Mercy, softball
Chaput’s offensive efforts allowed Farmington Hills Mercy to clinch a 7-1 victory over Ogemaw Heights in the semifinals on June 11, and advance to the state finals for the first time since 2016. The senior scored three runs and had an RBI in the game.
Megan Cox, Armada, softball
The freshman pitcher dominated from the mound in Armada’s final two games of the season, defeating Stevensville Lake Shore and Farmington Hills Mercy to win the Division 2 state title. Cox racked up 27 strikeouts in 14 innings while only allowing three hits.
Natalie Rosel, Ravenna, softball
Rosel’s pitching carried Ravenna all the way to the Division 3 state championship, defeating New Lothrop and Brown City in East Lansing. She had 24 strikeouts and allowed two runs in the final two games of the season.
Jenna Shaban, Birmingham Detroit Country Day, soccer
The 2025 All-State defender for Country Day led her team to a 1-0 victory over Grand Rapids Catholic for the Division 3 state championship on June 13. The Yellowjackets surrendered only one goal throughout the entire postseason and 12 goals in total during the 2026 campaign.
Lyla Turmell, Walled Lake Northern, softball
Turmell made plays at the plate and in the pitching circle for Walled Lake Northern as the team won its first state championship on Saturday. She pitched all 14 innings over the weekend, with 20 strikeouts while giving up two runs. She hit one of two home runs in Saturday’s 4-2 title game against Grass Lake.
This week’s nominations include reporting from Brandon Folsom.
Editor’s Note: We reserve the right to disqualify a candidate or declare a vote “no contest” if tampering such as bots or offering to pay for voting is evident. Please respect the integrity of the vote the way these athletes respect the integrity of the game.
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Eric Guzmán covers youth sports culture at the Free Press as a corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support this work.
Contact Eric Guzmán: eguzman@freepress.com; 313-222-1850.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Vote now for the Freep Buffalo Wild Wings Girls Athlete of the Week
Reporting by Eric Guzmán, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Eric Guzmán, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
