Wapahani senior AnnMarie Gibson has won the The Star Press Female Athlete of the Year Fan Vote, brought to you by IU Health.
During the fall sports season, Gibson juggled cross country and volleyball, finding success in both. In cross country, she was the individual Delaware County champion and qualified for state finals, where she set a Wapahani school record with a time of 19:13. On the volleyball court, she averaged 1.9 kills per set and led the team with 36 total blocks.
Gibson competed in two sectionals in one day on Oct. 19. She placed third in the IHSAA girls cross country sectional with a time of 19:31 that morning, then played in two volleyball sectional matches that afternoon, a 3-0 sweep of Madison-Grant and a 3-1 loss to Muncie Burris in the sectional championship.
The IU-Indianapolis signee finished off her Wapahani career with track season in the spring, where she became a sectional champion in the 4×800, 800-meter and 1,600-meter.
Gibson received 804 out of 2,278 votes cast (35.29%). This is the fan vote portion of the process. The Star Press will release its selections for boys and girls athletes of the year in the near future. Winning the fan vote does not guarantee being named the staff’s pick for Athlete of the Year.
Here’s a look at the 16 nominees for The Star Press Female Athlete of the Year.
(Nominees are in alphabetical order by school.)
Serenity Lehman, senior, Blackford
Lehman was a strong two-way threat for the Bruins softball team this spring. She hit .355 at the plate with a team-high .694 slugging percentage and led the team in RBIs (17) and home runs (3). From the circle, Lehman compiled a 6-7 record over 15 appearances with a 4.20 ERA and a 1.473 WHIP and struck out 100 batters.
Charlee Gibson, senior, Blue River Valley
Gibson finished off an accomplished running career with her third straight trip to cross country state finals. The Southern Indiana signee became a sectional champion for the second year in a row, winning Sectional 10 at Marion with a time of 19:48.7. Gibson also became a sectional champion in the 800-meter run during track season with a time of 2:21.97 in Sectional 22 at Pendleton Heights.
Savannah Hall, sophomore, Cowan
Hall was a key contributor for Cowan athletics in the fall (volleyball), winter (basketball) and spring (softball). In volleyball, she averaged 1.7 kills per set and led the team in digs per set (2.9) and total blocks (45.) In basketball, she averaged 7.7 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2.6 steals and 1.8 blocks per game, leading the Blackhawks in rebounds, steals and blocks. Hall’s best season came on the softball diamond, where she hit .350 with a team-high .800 slugging percentage and hit seven home runs.
Trishell Johnson, senior, Daleville
Johnson led Daleville volleyball to a 25-6 record and a sectional championship in her senior year, averaging 4.7 kills per set and 2.6 digs per set. She led the team in total kills with 454 and recorded 38 total blocks. During basketball season, she averaged 9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 4.3 steals and 2.8 blocks and was named to The Star Press all-area defensive team. In track season, Johnson was a regional qualifier in the 200-meter dash with a second-place finish in Sectional 22 with a time of 26.2 seconds.
Jillian Barr, junior, Delta
Barr was the catalyst for a historic season for Delta girls basketball, leading the Eagles to their first sectional title in 33 years and their first regional title ever. She averaged a double-double with 16.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 4.0 steals and 2.4 blocks and was named The Star Press Girls Basketball Player of the Year. During track season, Barr set or helped set multiple school records. She became a county champion and sectional champion in the 4×100, the 100-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles and qualified for state finals in the 4×100 and the 100 hurdles. Barr was also a county champion and regional qualifier in the long jump.
Mallory Winner, senior, Jay County
Winner capped off a legendary Patriots wrestling career with her fourth state title in as many years. She finished the season 36-0 and won the 170-pound weight class state championship at the inaugural IHSAA girls wrestling state finals (her previous three state titles came under the IHSGWCA banner). During softball season, Winner hit .563 with a .803 slugging percentage and drove in 21 RBIs. From the circle, she compiled a record of 10-2 across 14 appearances with a 3.17 ERA and 1.409 WHIP with 67 strikeouts.
Sydney Patterson, senior, Monroe Central
Patterson was named to The Star Press girls basketball all-area first team after leading the Golden Bears to their first sectional title since 2019. She averaged 13.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 3.5 steals per game. Patterson also became the seventh 1,000-point scorer in program history this season.
Sydney Jackson, junior, Muncie Burris
Jackson led Muncie Burris girls soccer to a sectional championship and scored a school-record 27 goals. During basketball season, Jackson averaged 17.2 points per game and was named to The Star Press all-area third team.
Kei’Maija Hickey, freshman, Muncie Central
Hickey helped the Bearcats improve from two wins in 2023-24 to eight wins this season as a freshman and was named to The Star Press all-area third team. She also won the Fan Vote for Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
Lauren Wilson, senior, New Castle
Wilson led New Castle volleyball to a second-straight sectional title and its first regional title since 2019. She led the team with an average of 5.2 kills per set, was second on the team with 3.3 digs per set and added 35 total blocks.
Kayci Hill, senior, Shenandoah
Hill enjoyed a standout track and field season, setting school records in the high jump, 800-meter and 4×400. She was the top overall scorer at the Hagerstown Booster Invite and helped the Raiders win their first-ever Mid-Eastern Conference team championship. She was a regional qualifier in the 800, taking second place in Sectional 22 with a time of 2:23.22, and the high jump, tying for second at a height of five feet, She was also a sectional champion as part of Shenandoah’s 4×400 group, which broke its own school record at sectionals with a time of 4:04.94.
Glory Ellis, senior, Union (Modoc)
Ellis led the Rockets girls basketball team in all five major statistics with averages of 13.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 5 blocks and 2.2 steals. In track season, Ellis qualified for regionals in the high jump, placing second at sectionals with a height of 4 feet, 10 inches.
AnnMarie Gibson, senior, Wapahani
Gibson juggled cross country and volleyball during the fall sports season and was successful in both. In cross country, she was the individual Delaware County champion and qualified for state finals, where she set a Wapahani school record with a time of 19:13. On the volleyball court, she averaged 1.9 kills per set and led the team with 36 total blocks. The IU-Indianapolis signee finished off her Wapahani career with track season, becoming a sectional champion in the 4×800, 800-meter and 1,600-meter.
Bailee West, senior, Wes-Del
West was one of East Central Indiana’s biggest stars in softball season. She led the team with a .595 batting average and a 1.054 slugging percentage. She also led the Warriors with 44 hits, 30 runs and six homers and was second on the team in RBIs with 26. From the circle, she posted an 8-6 record with a 3.70 ERA and struck out 118 batters.
Lilyana Mayberry, sophomore, Winchester Community
During volleyball season, Mayberry helped the Golden Falcons to a regional championship with 2.9 kills per set and 46 total blocks, both second on the team. In the winter, she was also a key contributor to the Winchester girls basketball team, and in the spring, she became a sectional champion in the high jump with a height of five feet and qualified for state finals with a height of 5-4 at regionals.
Charlotte Vinson, senior, Yorktown
Vinson finished an accomplished Yorktown volleyball career by leading the Tigers back to the state championship match, where they finished as Class 4A state runners-up. The Indiana University signee was named 2024 Indiana Ms. Volleyball by the Indiana High School Volleyball Coaches Association and was a finalist for MaxPreps National Female Athlete of the Year. She averaged 4.3 kills per set and had 40 total blocks for the nationally-ranked Tigers. For her career, Vinson was named 4A 1st team All-State three times and All-District, All-County and All-Conference all four years.
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@muncie.gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Wapahani’s AnnMarie Gibson is The Star Press IU Health Fan Vote Female Athlete of the Year
Reporting by Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
