As is the case with their brethren, choosing the Female Athlete of the Year for Northwest Florida high school sports is not a cut-and-dried process.
Is the best candidate built around the multi-sport mold, or can she simply be a specialized talent? Does being overwhelmingly the best at one sport shine brighter than being solid in two or three? And how do you weigh individualized sports versus team sports, or projectability at the next level?
This year’s nominees are no doubt each worthy of AOTY, but here’s the kicker: Your vote, not mine, will decide the winner. Voting runs through 2 p.m., Tuesday, June 17, so vote now and vote often.
Izzy Douglas, FWB rising junior
Entering this softball postseason, Douglas didn’t think she was that great a hitter. With a state ring soon on her finger thanks to her bat — and her right arm — she should never lack for confidence again.
At the dish during the 7-0 postseason run, she drove in nine, logged seven hits, had an on-base percentage above .300 and scored five runs. That included two clutch doubles, two RBIs and two runs in the state championship win as she finished the season with a .347 batting average, seven homers and a team-leading 35 RBIs.
On the mound she pitching all 48 innings of Fort Walton’s 7-0 postseason run, bending but never breaking as she struck out 29 and allowed just 14 earned runs. There was the 10 inning marathon district championship over Arnold where she scattered seven hits and eight walks. There was the one-hitter over Menendez to open regionals. There was the eight-inning effort in the region championship rematch with Arnold, lifting the Vikings to their very first Final 4. Then, in Wildwood, she stranded the tying run in the seventh inning to cap the complete-game, 7-6 4A championship win over American Heritage.
Carson Fayard, Niceville rising senior
On the short list of area’s best basketball players and fastest track athletes, Fayard is going to have her picks of colleges in her swan song.
The 5-foot-11 point guard filled up the stat sheet on the hardwood with 19.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.7 steals and 3.1 points per game for the Eagles, who finished 21-7 and were a 53-47 loss to Tocoi Creek away from advancing the Final 4.
On the track, Fayard helped the 4x400m relay team run a school record 3:48.26 at state to finish with bronze and also placed fifth in the 400m hurdles in 1:02.60.
Alyx Hall, FWB 2025 grad
Bound for Hinds Community College to play softball, Hall came up clutch on both the softball diamond and hardwood. And she departs with a state ring.
This past winter, the 5-11 forward served the 3-and-D mold well in helping the Vikings claim districts, finish 17-9, sweep Niceville and advance to the Sweet 16. She then segued to the diamond, where her middle-of-the-order bat mashed and her battery-ace connection with Douglas helped lead the Vikings to state glory.
Hall slashed a team-best .536/.880/1.416 and led the Vikings with 10 homers and 24 free passes compared to just nine strikeouts. In the playoffs, she delivered at least a hit or RBI in all seven wins to help the Vikings sweep districts, regionals and state, where she shrugged off missing graduation to play (and win) in the finals.
Neely Kight, South Walton rising sophomore
Freshman or not, the area’s best female golfer has to be here. Leading the Seahawks to the program’s first state championship on the shoulders of a seventh-place individual finish will do that.
Kight shaved six strokes off her first-round at state with a 72 to finish with a two-day 150 and help the Seahawks edge edge SLAM Academy by a single stroke and finish their season unbeaten.
Diaris Morales, Choctaw rising senior
The point guard and quarterback positions have a lot in common, and Morale’s vision translated into stellar campaigns on both the hardwood and the gridiron.
After helping the Big Green sweep Niceville, advance to regionals and finish 10-12 with nightly 20-point efforts, Morales guided the flag football team to an 18-3 record, a fourth straight region title and a state title appearance. She threw for 4,425 yards and 60 touchdowns compared to just 16 interceptions, and she rushed for 327 yards and 10 touchdowns.
This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Vote for the Daily News Female Athlete of the Year for 2024-2025
Reporting by Seth Stringer, Northwest Florida Daily News / Northwest Florida Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
