State champions. Record breakers. History makers.
The 2025-26 high school sports year produced no shortage of standout performances in Section V girls athletics. Now it’s time to decide which athlete was the best of the best.
That brings us to you. We need you to pick who should be the overall player of the year in Section V. Our poll, which is at the bottom of this story, will remain open until 8 p.m. Aug. 19. The winner will be announced on the DandCSports Instagram page.
Now, let’s look at the candidates.
Hailey Barber, bowler of the year
Why Hailey Barber is the All-Greater Rochester Girls Bowler of the Year: There was only one Section V bowler—boys or girls—to win a state championship, and that was Barber, a member of the 2024-25 AGR girls team.
Rush-Henrietta’s graduating senior knocked down 1,340 pins over six games at AMF Syracuse Lanes, finishing 57 pins ahead of the runner-up and 73 ahead of the third-place finisher. Her average of 223.33 was 9.5 pins better than second place—a dominant margin at the state level, where a strike or spare can decide standings.
Jasmine Brucato, wrestler of the year
Why Jasmine Brucato is the AGR Girls Wrestler of the Year: Brucato, a member of the Alexander merged team, is the only girl among wrestlers in Section V who won a state title. The rising senior is the 100-pound state champion.
Bailey Cooper, lacrosse player of the year
Why Bailey Cooper is Player of the Year: Cooper completed her five-year varsity career in historic fashion, becoming the first Section V girls lacrosse player to reach 400 career goals.
This season, Cooper had section-highs in both goals scored (98) and draw controls (273), the first player to lead the area in both categories in at least a decade. In the process, Cooper helped Penn Yan (20-2) capture its fourth consecutive Section V title and reach the New York state title game for the first time in 20 years.
In addition to her Player of the Year nod, the graduating senior was the Class D section tournament’s most valuable player, and one of five local players named USA Lacrosse All-Americans.
Jessie Crye, softball player of the year
Why Jessie Crye is Player of the Year: Crye capped her standout high school career with a dominant senior season. She led Avon to a Section V title as the fifth seed in Class B2, including a championship victory over five-time defending champion Wellsville which saw Crye strike out 16 batters. She then struck out 14 in the Class B regional qualifier against Waterloo before her Riverhawks fell in the state playoffs. A right-handed pitcher known for power, Crye struck out 1,206 hitters in her career, including 283 Ks this season. She posted a 0.56 earned run average across 136.1 innings pitched and walked just 11 batters. She also batted .525 with six doubles, three triples, one home run and 15 RBIs. Crye graduates with a 0.73 career ERA and .121 opponent batting average in 567.1 innings pitched.
Alexis Gerig, indoor track and field athlete of the year
Why Alexis Gerig is the AGR Girls Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year: Gerig won the girls pole vault state championship after she jumped a personal-record height of 12 feet-3 inches. No other girl in Section V vaulted a height of 12 feet this season. But Hilton’s graduating senior cleared that height three times, including at states.
Hannah Governor, outdoor track and field runner of the year
Why Hannah Governor is the Runner of the Year: Section V’s top girls distance runner won two Class C state championships while also placing second and fourth in the 3,000- and 1,500-meter races at the Federation Championships. The Federation meet included runners from schools of all sizes as well as athletes from outside the New York State Public High School Athletic Association.
Governor’s performance in the 3,000 meters was record-breaking. The graduating Williamson senior set the Section V outdoor record at 9 minutes, 32.71 seconds, breaking the previous mark of 9:35.73 that had stood since 2017.
Mia Gray, soccer player of the year
Why Mia Gray is Player of the Year: Few players in Section V girls soccer history have been as productive as Gray, who’ll continue her playing career at the Division I level next year.
Her efforts lifted Byron-Bergen to unprecedented heights. In 2024, her overtime goal clinched the Class C state title, the first championship in Bees history. And for an encore, the graduating senior pushed Byron-Bergen to another section title and state semifinal appearance last fall, finishing the season with a section-leading 46 goals and 26 assists. Gray’s 118 points were 30 more than the next-closest player in Section V.
Gray scored four goals and two assists in the Class C-2 section tournament, and earned her fourth all-tournament selection. At the state level, Gray concluded her varsity career with two Class C Player of the Year nods and five all-state selections. She was also named an All-American by the United Soccer Coaches association.
Mallory Howe, cross-country runner of the year
Why Mallory Howe is the AGR Runner of the Year: Howe had a consistently excellent regular season that peaked with being the fastest area runner at the state championships. She is the first girl from Pittsford Sutherland to win the honor.
The rising senior won two regular-season meets, was fastest of all area runners at the McQuaid Invitational, won the Monroe County Invitational, was second at sectionals and led all Section V girls at states with a third-place finish in Class B. She finished her season with a top-20 finish at the state Federation/Nike Cross Regionals race in Poughkeepsie.
Destiny Jodoin, golfer of the year
Why Destiny Jodoin is the Golfer of the Year: Jodoin was the top golfer on the top team in Section V for the second year in a row. Victor’s three-time AGR team member was medalist or winner at the Section V Championships after shooting scores of 76 and 81 at Deerfield Country Club. The graduating senior’s nine-hole average over par for the season was 1.8, the best in all of Section V.
Jenna Lawrence, Nordic skier of the year
Why Jenna Lawrence is the Skier of the Year: The graduating senior led a stacked Honeoye Falls-Lima team to its first Section V girls team title since 2015 and a second-place finish at the New York state championship meet.
At the Section V meet, the Cougars swept the top three spots led by Lawrence’s time of 24:26.8. Lawrence also had the best split during the relay championships (10:09.2) to garner the Ruth Hayes Award for top individual performance. HF-L’s team time in relays was almost four minutes faster than the runner-up.
Weeks later, Lawrence made her third consecutive trip to the NYSPHSAA championships and placed 11th overall (25:14.2) in the individual 7.5K race.
Lexi Lombard, swimmer of the year
Why Lexi Lombard is Swimmer of the Year: Lombard specialized in freestyle events, and none were better in Section V this fall. The rising senior claimed event titles in the 100 freestyle (52.31) and 400 freestyle relay (3:34.27), to help Pittsford with its 24th consecutive section championship.
Lombard reached the podium four times at the NYSPHSAA championships, after competing in the 50 freestyle (eighth), 100 freestyle (seventh), 200 freestyle relay (second) and 400 freestyle relay (first). Pittsford’s win in the 400 free relay, which Lombard was the first leg, helped win the first state title for Section V in several years.
Kirsten Matzky, Alpine skier of the year
Why Kirsten Matzky is Skier of the Year: Pittsford Sutherland’s graduating senior was in a class of her own this winter. At the state championship meet in February, Matzky became the first girls skier from Section V in nine years to claim the combined individual championship.
Competing at Bristol Mountain, Matzky won the giant slalom race outright with a time of 2:06.31, beating the runner-up by a split-second. Matzky also nearly won the slalom, with a combined time of only 0.08 seconds behind the winner. Her performance helped Pittsford win its second girls team title at states.
Calla McCombs, Small Schools Volleyball Player of the Year
Why Calla McCombs is Small Schools Volleyball Player of the Year: McCombs has been a powerhouse at the net for Bloomfield over the last several years. The graduating senior is a three-time Finger Lakes Player of the Year (West in 2023, East in 2024 and 2025).
The Bombers cruised to Section V’s Class C-2 title, winning their first 22 matches of the season, and pulled off three straight sweeps in sectionals. In those three matches, McCombs averaged 12 kills and over 11 digs per game to earn tournament MVP honors for the second straight year.
In her senior season, McCombs led the Bombers in kills, digs, hitting percentage and kill percentage.
Emily Miller, tennis player of the year
Why Emily Miller is the Tennis Player of the Year: Emily Miller hasn’t dropped a set, nevertheless a match, to a regular season opponent since she started playing varsity tennis as a freshman. The rising senior was Section V’s top singles performer at the NYSPHSAA tournament in Queens this year, and won her first round match.
Miller also guided Victor to their Section V team championship this year, defeating Fairport for the Class A1 title.
Ajaya (AJ) Orr, basketball player of the year
Why AJ Orr is the Player of the Year: Orr might be the most explosive player in Section V. Just ask Aquinas coach Mark Loria, who has frequently called the graduating senior the most athletic player, male or female, that he’s ever coached.
The guard capped off a stellar varsity career in 2025-26 by leading Aquinas to its third consecutive section title and second straight New York state final. She is a two-time section tournament most valuable player, earning the nod after Aquinas’ Class AA win in 2025, then again this season in Class AAA.
Emma Rascoe, flag football player of the year
Why Rascoe is the Player of the Year: Rascoe was a runaway choice in the voting by Section V coaches. The Webster Schroeder graduating senior accounted for 4,729 all-purpose yards, including 3,776 passing yards, and 78 touchdowns as the Warriors (14-2) won the Section V Class B championship.
“Everyone sees the statistics, and they’re incredible,” Schroeder coach Ian Insley said about Rascoe, who had 63 touchdown passes this season. “But if you ask me, it has very little to do with the numbers.
“She’s the heartbeat of our team, the first to celebrate a teammate’s success, the first one to accept responsibility when things don’t go our way and the player everyone looks to when the game is on the line. She leads with confidence, humility and an unmatched work ethic that raises the standard for everyone around her.”
Ava Rice, field hockey player of the year
Why Ava Rice is the Field Hockey Player of the Year: The Monroe County Division 2 Player of the Year is “by far the best player in Section V,” according to Pittsford Mendon coach Kara Carpenter. “Ava has the best individual stick skills in Section V. It was very hard for defenders to stop her when she was dribbling down the field. She was the leading goal scorer in Section V (35), but she also generated and carried our whole offense, not just in goals scored but leading assists. She set up many of our offensive plays and has one of the best finishes in front of the goal.”
The graduating senior also became the all-time leader at Mendon in goals scored (92), notable because the Vikings are one of the section’s top teams year-in, year-out. “She is always looking to improve. While she might always be in the spotlight for her stats, she is the humblest player and always thinks of her teammates first,” Carpenter said.
Maddie Siphakongviseth, Large Schools Volleyball Player of the year
Why Maddie Siphakongviseth is Large Schools Volleyball Player of the Year: None are a greater example that “defense wins championship” than Webster Schroeder’s star libero.
Siphakongviseth racked up 1,561 career digs, including 526 this fall, and led the Warriors to two New York state titles during her varsity career, including a four-set win over Garden City in this season’s Class AA final.
The graduating senior’s list of accolades is vast: Monroe County’s Player and Libero of the Year, Class AA section and state tournament MVPs, and first team all-state.
Through her club program, Siphakongviseth organized the “Volley 4 Hearts” fundraiser and raised $1,900 for the American Heart Association.
Scott Majka, Schroeder’s varsity coach for the last two seasons and JV coach before that, calls Siphakongviseth “the best player I’ve ever coached.”
“She worked as hard on Day 1 of the season as she did the last day. She didn’t take plays off or complain. She was fiery but never negative,” Majka said. “She leads with her actions, with her volleyball IQ on the court, and with the way she spoke to her teammates in the tense and calm moments. (Robert Morris) got one of the best and previously overlooked Liberos in the country.”
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Who should be the 2025-26 AGR girls player of the year? Vote now
Reporting by James Johnson, Justin Ritzel, Jeff Uveino and Bill Wolcott, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By James Johnson, Justin Ritzel, Jeff Uveino and Bill Wolcott, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | USA TODAY Network
