Online readers have spoken and their pick for the first Times Telegram/Observer-Dispatch Athlete of the Week of the 2025-26 wither scholastic athletic season is Rome Free Academy senior Haylee Bostwick.
Bostwick was one of five players to score in double figures and recorded a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds in a season-opening 82-26 victory over Proctor.
Almost 21,000 votes were cast for 28 nominees, and Bostwick won the voting with 7,252 – 34.7%.
Hockey players Matt McCraith (5,336 votes) of New Hartford and Marco Benedetto (3,234) of Whitesboro finished second and third in the voting with each receiving more than 10% of the votes. Little Falls wrestler Colin LoGalbo finished fourth and Whitesboro volleyball player Amira Sheehan edged Herkimer wrestler Braysen Richard by 31 votes – .15% – for fifth place. The full results appear below.
Snow is on the ground and the Observer-Dispatch and Times Telegram are back with online reader voting for a Mohawk Valley Athlete of the Week for the start of the winter athletic season.
With the first full week of competition in the books for basketball, wrestling, ice hockey and winter volleyball, a list of nominees has been compiled for the start of the season through December 7, including limited play during Thanksgiving week.
Twenty-eight Mohawk Valley basketball, hockey and volleyball players and wrestlers are nominated on a ballot for the first week of winter scholastic athletic competition, and the poll will remain open until Sunday afternoon.
A weekly list of nominees are compiled by the sports department with information provided to the Times Telegram and the Observer-Dispatch by coaches and athletic directors through emails and other contacts.
If a top performer’s name doesn’t appear on the list, encourage their coach or athletic director to email submissions to sports@timestelegram.com or sports@uticaod.com.
A winner is scheduled to be announced Sunday evening on the TimesTelegram.com and UticaOD.com websites.
The nominees for the week ending December 7 are:
CHRIS BELMONTE, New Hartford wrestling: Returning state finalist started his senior season with a 285-pound title at Adirondack’s Captain Tony Bailey Memorial Tournament. Belmonte pinned four of his five opponents in less than one minute, and won by technical fall in his other match. He had previously won a title at the same tournament two years ago.
MARCO BENEDETTO, Whitesboro hockey: Junior scored four goals against New Hartford in team’s first victory of the season.
HAYLEE BOSTWICK, Rome Free Academy basketball: Senior led five Black Knights in double figures with 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a season-opening win over Proctor.
JEROME BOWEN, Frankfort-Schuyler basketball: Senior led the Maroon Knights in scoring in both games as they started the season with two wins and put up 174 points as a team. Bowen and Marquis Grimes each scored 21 points against New York Mills in the opener, and Bowen scored 19 against Remsen three days later; he also had 10 assists, seven steals and nine rebounds in the two wins.
ARLO BROUILLETTE, Vernon-Verona-Sherrill wrestling: Freshman won the 118-pound title at Cicero-North Syracuse’s Bill Anderson Memorial Tournament with two pins and two one-point decisions, including a 4-3 win in the championship round.
ZAINUALABEDEN CHALLAB, New Hartford wrestling: Junior earned his first varsity tournament championship by pinning five opponents at 110 pounds at Adirondack’s Captain Tony Bailey Memorial Tournament.
JACKSON CRISMAN, Cooperstown basketball: Senior scored 19 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and blocked four shots in a season-opening victory over the Utica Academy of Science.
GENE EDWARDS, Central Valley Academy wrestling: Senior pinned each of his five opponents in the first period and won the 157-pound title at Newark Valley’s Larry Goodrich Invitational. The championship was his fifth at the annual early-season tournament, each at a different weight.
LUKEN GAISER, Canastota wrestling: Senior recorded his 100th varsity victory at the Clyde Cole Invitational in Oxford where he finished second at 190 pounds.
MARYNA HARROD, Frankfort-Schuyler basketball: Sophomore had game-highs with 19 points and 11 rebounds Saturday and scored the go-ahead basket off an offensive rebound in a two-point win over Little Falls.
JACOB HURD, New Hartford wrestling: Junior won his third Captain Tony Bailey Memorial Tournament title with three pins, a major decision and a championship round technical fall at 126 pounds. Hurd had won at 108 pounds in 2023 and 2024.
LUKE LANGEL, Hamilton basketball: Sophomore hit nine three-point shots, shot 10-for-11 from the foul line and scored a career-high 45 points in a season-opening victory over Madison.
COLIN LoGALBO, Little Falls wrestling: Sophomore won 126-pound title at Cicero-North Syracuse’s Bill Anderson Memorial Tournament with two pins, a major decision and a 17-1 technical fall in the championship bout.
MATT McCRAITH, New Hartford hockey: Sophomore had a six-goal game in Spartans’ first victory of the season.
MILES NELEN, Cooperstown basketball: Senior scored 33 points in a season-opening victory, the fourth time he has topped 30 in his last six games dating back to last season’s sectional and regional playoffs.
CARL PACE, Herkimer basketball: Junior scored 39 combined points with six steals in each game to earn most valuable player honors as the Magicians won a tip-off tournament at West Canada Valley.
JENNA PRESKI, Rome Free Academy volleyball: Senior had 33 combined kills and a team-leading 26 digs as Section III’s reigning Class A winter champions started the season with two victories. Preski recorded 17 kills in a 3-0 sweep of Holland Patent, and had 16 kills, 19 digs and two aces against East Syracuse-Minoa.
BROOKE REDDINGTON, West Canada Valley basketball: Sophomore scored 61 points and grabbed 45 rebounds in three victories to start the season for the Nighthawks and was named the most valuable player at West Canada Valley’s tip-off tournament.
LAYLA RICE, Mt. Markham volleyball: Senior put down 27 kills with 18 digs and a pair of aces as the Mustangs opened the season with a 3-2 win over Tully in a meeting of two of Section III’s perennial top Class C winter programs.
BRAYSEN RICHARD, Herkimer wrestling: Junior pined all four of his opponents at Cicero-North Syracuse and won the Bill Anderson Memorial Tournament’s 190-pound title.
KAMRYN RICHARDS, New Hartford basketball: Sophomore hit a career-high seven three-point shots and matched another career-high with 25 points in a season-opening victory over Whitesboro.
VINCENZO RUBINO, Dolgeville wrestling: Sophomore won the 144-pound title at his first varsity tournament, Adirondack’s Captain Tony Bailey Memorial Tournament. He scored a 2-0 decision in the finals against Marcellus Mustang Jack Burton who had pinned another Dolgeville entry earlier in the tournament.
AMIRA SHEEHAN, Whitesboro volleyball: Junior recorded a team-high 38 kills in three wins to start the season with a high of 18 in Whitesboro’s home opener against Proctor. She also served 10 aces in the three matches.
DONTE SPARACE, Rome Free Academy hockey: Junior goaltender stopped 43 of 45 shots in two wins at the Davidson Auto Tournament, including a 23-save shutout against Whitesboro.
SETH STRAIN, Adirondack wrestling: Junior repeated as an individual champion at the Wildcats’ Captain Tony Bailey Memorial Tournament and earned his 100th varsity victory in front of a home crowd Saturday. Strain, the tournament’s 116-pound champion last winter, won at 118 this year with four pins and a technical fall in the finals.
JONAH STURTEVANT, Adirondack wrestling: Sophomore pinned each of his opponents in the first period and won 150-pound title at Wildcats’ Captain. Tony Bailey Memorial Tournament.
ELLA TRINKAUS, Notre Dame basketball: Senior recorded a triple-double – 32 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists with five blocked shots – in a season-opening win over Liverpool, Section III’s three-time reigning Class AAA champion, and followed up with 24 points, 19 rebounds, six steals and five assists in the Jugglers’ Tri-Valley League opener.
COLTON WHEET, Little Falls wrestling: Senior won the 165-pound title at the Bill Anderson Memorial Tournament at Cicero-North Syracuse, winning all three of his matches by decisions, one a major decision.
This article originally appeared on Times Telegram: Readers have spoken: RFA senior selected as top opening week performer
Reporting by Jon Rathbun, Herkimer Times Telegram / Times Telegram
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