Welcome to the final IU Health Herald-Times Athlete of the Week poll for 2025.
Congratulations to last week’s winner, Lighthouse Christian girls basketball player Ellie Mae Winders, who received 48% of the vote (587) to top the Edgewood girls basketball team (474).
Readers can vote as much as they like until the poll closes at noon on Friday, Dec. 26. Here are this week’s nominees:
Ally Bland, Edgewood girls basketball
Torched Indian Creek for 31 points, hitting two 3s in a critical situation late when the lead was cut to five to preserve the 71-51 win.
Bloomington South boys wrestling
Panthers dominated the Jeffersonville Invitational with 340½ points to top Kentucky’s Oldham County for the title by nearly 80 points. South won seven titles, Nicholas Russell (106), Jaxsen Jean (113), Josiah Stanton (120), Jude Pratt (126), Wyatt Cooksey (157), Ezra Ostler (165) and Mason Grubb (215). South was also invited to compete in the IHSWCA Class 3A Team State Meet.
Sydney Bush, Seven Oaks girls basketball
Freshman scoreda career high 23 points in the Firehawks’ 47-20 win against Cannelton.
Duncan Combs, South boys basketball
Had 27 points and seven rebounds in the Panthers’ 71-68 overtime win over Terre Haute North. He was 11-of-16 with three 3s, the last putting South ahead for good in the OT.
Zion Crum, Seven Oaks boys basketball
Junior scored 15 points and had eight rebounds and a block in a loss Cannelton.
Paightan Davidson, North girls wrestling
Became the first (and last) Cougar girl to win a Conference Indiana wrestling title, taking the 170-pound division with two pins of 1:32 and 4:34.
Tatum DeVries, South girls basketball
Had 13 points, six rebounds and three steals as the Panthers topped Bloomington North 62-36.
Joslyn Hererra, South girls wrestling
Junior won the 105-pound bracket at the last Conference Indiana Tournament. She had two quick pins of 1:40 and 24 seconds to take the title. She also had a pin in the Panthers’ 36-30 win over Owen Valley.
Trae Hopkins, North boys wrestling
Won the 132-pound bracket at the Bo Henry Classic going 4-0 with a pin (1:14), two technical falls of 20-2 and 17-2 and an 18-8 major decision in the final. He was named the meet’s Most Outstanding Wrestler.
Kyan Hudson, Eastern Greene boys basketball
Had a big week in helping the T-Birds beat Pike Central 74-45 and Vincennes Rivet 62-50 and fall to Loogootee 49-47 with 53 points, 13 rebounds, 18 assists and seven steals. He went 12-of-18 from the 3-point line as the T-Birds knocked down 33-of-69 for the week.
Evan Jacobs, Edgewood boys basketball
Had 11 points and six rebounds, scoring the final three points in the last 30 seconds of a 53-50 overtime WIC win over Sullivan.
Hadley Laughlin, South girls diving
Piled up 315.30 points for six dives in a dual meet against Jeffersonville to win the diving title. The score broke a 10-year-old school record of 308.05 set by Courtney McKeen.
Owen Valley boys wrestling
The Patriots had a big week, beating Greencastle 50-15, then took first place out of 16 teams in the expanded Bo Henry Classic by piling up three titles from Austin Boltinghouse (113 pounds), Reid Lanman (144) and Luke Burner (175) and six others taking second. Patriots were also invited to the IHSWCA Class 2A Team State Meet.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: VOTE for the IU Health Herald-Times Athlete of the Week for Dec. 15-20
Reporting by Jim Gordillo, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
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