The Marion County Athletic Association will soon name its City and County Athletes of the Year, an award that dates to 1950 and grew to include girls’ achievements in 1979.
The awards are geared toward athletic achievement, but almost every winner over the years has exhibited impressive credentials in and out of their athletic, academic and personal areas. Generally, multi-sport athletes are given consideration over single-sport athletes, though in some cases a single-sport athlete has been so outstanding that he or she has been selected as the winner.
Here are the three finalists for County Female Athlete of the Year (last year’s winner was Kaelina Matthews of North Central):
Adelyn Flessner, North Central
Flessner starred as a diver on the North Central swimming and diving team, winning a pair of state championships as a junior and senior. A broken leg kept her from competing as a sophomore after finishing fifth at the state meet as a freshman. Flessner was a two-time sectional champion and two-time Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference champion. She has also competed on a national level, earning several honors at USA Diving events. Flessner was named to the Abe Lincoln Circle of Valor at her school, was the AP Statistics student of the month, a member of the National Hispanic recognition program and member of the college board. Flessner will attend the University of Iowa and plans to major in pre-physical therapy.
Samaya Smith, Warren Central
Smith has been a standout in track and field and tennis at Warren Central. She won the state singles state championship as a junior, becoming the first Black girls state champion in tennis in the state. In track and field, she has helped her teams to a state championship in 2024 and a runner-up finish in 2023. Smith was Warren Central’s first state champion in tennis. She is planning to attend the University of Louisville to play tennis. She has worked clinics and camps at Warren Central to share her knowledge with girls coming up in the community.
Reagan Turk, Roncalli
Turk is an 11-time letterwinner in volleyball, basketball and track at Roncalli, earning All-County volleyball honors as a sophomore, junior and senior. She helped her volleyball teams to two state championships and three Marion County championships. Turk was also part of a state runner-up in basketball. The two-time all-state selection in volleyball is a member of the National Honor Society and plans to play in college at West Virginia, pursuing a degree in education. She has accumulated 215 volunteer hours at Anna’s House, St. Vincent de Paul and CYO. Turk would like to become a teacher and coach after college.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis high school sports: 3 finalists for Marion County Female Athlete of the Year
Reporting by Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
