Several female athletes across Section 4 have dominated in their respective sports, creating headlines and outshining their competition this season. The question posed: What characteristics make a standout athlete?
These fan-picked athletes have shown up and shown out in their respective sports this year; some athletes creating new legacies, other athletes stepping up to lead a team, and a handful of newcomers who changed the perception of the “underclassman” label.
Here are this year’s “Athlete(s) of the Season” in Section 4 girls’ basketball, wrestling, bowling and track:
Click below to see all nominees and their accomplishments.
All Nominees and Descriptions
Girls Wrestling
This season’s nominees: Ellisa Bly (Horseheads), Teagan McGuinness (Union-Endicott), Isabella Phelps (Sidney), Delaney Dixon (Windsor)
The fan-picked 2026 “Athlete of the Season” in Section 4 girls’ wrestling is Union-Endicott’s Teagan McGuinness.
McGuinness’ accomplishments this season: McGuinness captured the girls’ wrestling individual state championship title at 185 and ended her senior season with an unbeaten record of 36-0 to become the first women’s state champion in Union-Endicott history. The senior also captured another individual title at the Section 4 wrestling championships. Teagan placed 5th at the Women’s National U23 Division, receiving All-American Honors. McGuinness is committed to Division I wrestling at Lehigh University, where she’ll study industrial engineering.
Words from Coach Corey Munn
“Teagan’s performance this season has had an overwhelming impact on the entire Union-Endicott community. Upon her return from the State Tournament in February, she was escorted by the local fire and police departments, where the entire high school had been dismissed early to cheer her on. Teagan has undoubtedly inspired future female wrestlers as she continues to work with the district’s youngest tigers. Her silver medal run of 2025 helped build the program into what it was this year, inspiring new wrestlers to give the sport a try.
Her performance on the mat this season was the cornerstone to the team’s success this year as well. The team won the Windsor Lady Knight Invitational and finished in the top five in all but one of their 8 tournaments, with Teagan being the leading individual scorer.”
Girls Basketball
This season’s nominees: Maggie Warpus (Chenango Forks), Harper Eagan (Maine-Endwell), Ava Kariam (Susquehanna Valley), Nayla Miley (Sidney)
The fan-picked 2026 “Athlete of the Season” in Section 4 girls’ basketball is Susquehanna Valley’s Ava Kariam.
Kariam’s accomplishments this season: Kariam scored 15 points against state-ranked Chenango Forks to claim the STAC championship title this season, claiming a spot on BCANY’s all-state first team and the STAC’s Central/East all-conference team as a freshman. Kariam averaged 17.5 points per game and 7.3 assists per game this season.
Words from Head Coach Chad Freije
“Ava had an outstanding freshman season. She is the type of athlete who thrives in big moments. She has a great kid who has a tremendous work ethic. I am excited for the next three seasons.”
Girls Indoor Track & Field
This season’s nominees: Eva DiNunzio-Welch (Binghamton), Cella McLaughlin (Corning), Grace Walley (Walton), Tsadia Bercuvitz (Ithaca)
More: High school sports results for the 2025-26 school year
The fan-picked 2026 “Athlete of the Season” in Section 4 girls’ indoor track and field is Binghamton’s Eva DiNunzio-Welch.
DiNunzio-Welch’s accomplishments this season: DiNunzio-Welch ranked among the top 10 female track athletes in Section 4. The senior took first place in the 800-meter event (2:23.39) at the Puma New York International Showcase, first in the 600-meter event (1:40.07) at the Section 4 Class Championships, and captured 24th place in the 1000-meter event with a time of 3:03.64.
Words from Head Coach Quentin Ochs
“Eva has been a cornerstone of the program not only this season, but for the last 4 years. This season, she highlighted her versatility, running the 300m, 600m, 1000m and 1500m as well as legs on the 4x200m Relay, 4x400m Relay and 4x800m Relay. Any event she has been entered in she has a chance of winning.”
Girls Bowling
This season’s nominees: Haley Peters (Binghamton), Madison Smith (Elmira), Aubriana Tyler (Windsor), Kylie Downing (Corning)
The fan-picked 2026 “Athlete of the Season” in Section 4 girls’ bowling is Windsor’s Aubriana Tyler.
Tyler’s accomplishments this season: Tyler’s 1,236-pin finish captured the lead for Windsor in the Section 4 Division 2 team championships, resulting in the Black Knights’ second-place team score. A first-place finish from Tyler in the high series (596), high games (257), and overall finish (1,586) fortified Windsor’s number one overall score (6688) in Division 2 at the Section 4 state qualifier tournament. At states, Tyler led all bowlers with games of 244,257 and a total pinfall of 1077, giving her a 215 average over 6 games, leading all girls in the tournament.
Words from Head Coach Chadd Harrington
“Aubs has been a leader of our team since I started coaching her in 10th grade. She is respected by all in our sport for her dedication to the game. She has lifted up every teammate she has bowled with and against throughout her high school bowling career. She goes above and beyond for all her teammates while being one of the top girls in her sport. All the while still excelling in school.
She has all these attributes: positive influence on teammates, perseverance, is hard-working, shows leadership, and displays good sportsmanship.
I am proud to be called her Coach.”
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Here are the 2025-26 Athletes of the Season for girls’ winter sports
Reporting by Aniya Sumner, Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin / Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
