High School

Vote: Who should be SBLive's 2021-22 Texas Large School Female Athlete of the Year?

From Montgomery Lake Creek's Ava Brown to Cedar Park's Gisella Maul, here are SBLive's finalists for the 2021-22 Texas Large School Female Athlete of the Year.

Andrew McCulloch

Vote: Who should be SBLive's 2021-22 Texas Large School Female Athlete of the Year?
Vote: Who should be SBLive's 2021-22 Texas Large School Female Athlete of the Year? /

From record-setting performances on the court to dominance on the diamond and football field, the past year in the Texas high school sports scene was defined by incredible individual achievements, as well as several of the country’s top teams.

Now it’s time to review the best athletes and teams across the state and reflect upon the 2021-22 Texas high school sports year.

SBLive Texas will recognize the top performers from the 2021-22 school year with five end-of-year awards:

Finalists for the 2021-22 SBLive Texas Large School Male and Female Athlete of the Year awards have been selected from Class 5A and 6A UIL schools.

Small School Male and Female Athlete of the Year award finalists have been selected from a pool of TAPPS, SPC and Class 1A-4A UIL schools.

We also want to hear from you: who should be selected as SBLive’s Texas Large School Female Athlete of the Year based on their performance during the past school year in the fall, winter and spring sports seasons?

Read through our finalists and cast your vote below. Voting will conclude on Thursday, July 14 at 11:59 p.m.

TEXAS LARGE SCHOOL FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

Players listed in alphabetical order.

Ava Brown, Junior, Montgomery Lake Creek

Ava Brown
Photo by Paul Brick
  • Florida softball commit
  • Softball = 30-0 record, 0.46 ERA, 335 Ks, 68 hits allowed, .109 opponents’ batting average, 12 complete-game shutouts, Two no-hitters, Three perfect games, 183.1 IP, 1.000 fielding percentage; .405 AVG, 49 hits, 43 RBI, 24 extra-base hits, 15 runs scored, 1.585 OPS, 10 HRs in 41 GP
  • Led Montgomery Lake Creek to UIL state championship in Class 5A softball playoffs (41-0 overall record)

Natalie Cook, Senior, Flower Mound

Natalie Cook, Flower Mound
Photo by Tommy Hays
  • Oklahoma State cross country and track signee
  • Cross Country = Won individual state title (16 minutes, 39.9 seconds) at the 2021 Class 6A UIL Cross Country State championships, Won national title (17:15.0) at the 2021 Eastbay National Cross Country Championships
  • Track = Won gold medal in 1,600-meter run (4 minutes, 40.29 seconds), gold medal in 3,200-meter run (9:48.25) at the 2022 Class 6A UIL Track & Field State Championships
  • Set UIL state meet records in both the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs at the 2022 UIL Class 6A UIL Track & Field State Championships
  • Led Flower Mound to team state titles in both cross country (68-point margin of victory) and track & field (28-point margin of victory)

Kennedy Fuller, Freshman, Southlake Carroll

  • Soccer = 26 goals, 14 assists in 27 GP
  • Scored a hat trick against Rockwall in Class 6A state title game
  • Led Southlake Carroll to UIL state championship in Class 6A soccer playoffs (22-1-4 overall record)

Jalyn Gibson, Senior, San Antonio Brandeis

  • TCU volleyball signee
  • Volleyball = 737 digs, 641 kills, 64 blocks, 44 aces, 17 assists in 49 GP
  • Led SA Brandeis to UIL state championship in Class 6A volleyball playoffs (47-2 overall record)

Kaylah Hernandez, Senior, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo

Kaylah Hernandez, PSJA North
Photo courtesy of PSJA Lady Bear Softball
  • Volleyball = First Team All-District selection
  • Basketball = 20.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 3.5 steals, 1.4 blocks per game, 45% FG in 37 GP
  • Softball = .535 AVG, 46 hits, 34 RBI, 26 runs scored, 17 extra-base hits, 1.469 OPS, Six SBs, Six triples, Four HRs, .989 fielding percentage in 30 GP
  • Track = Won bronze medal in shot put (35 feet, 3 inches) at District 31-6A track meet; Won bronze medal in discus (132’3”) at Region IV-6A track meet
  • Led PSJA High to area round berth in Class 6A volleyball playoffs (25-13 overall record)
  • Led PSJA High to bi-district playoff appearance in Class 6A basketball playoffs (27-11 overall record)
  • Led PSJA High to bi-district playoff appearance in Class 6A softball playoffs (22-15 overall record)

Gisella Maul, Junior, Cedar Park

gisella maul cedar park
Photo by Blake Purcell
  • Texas basketball commit
  • Basketball = 25.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.9 steals per game, 50% FG in 37 GP
  • Tallied a 27-point, 19-rebound double double in 5A state title game
  • Led Cedar Park to second straight UIL state championship in Class 5A basketball playoffs (37-0 overall record)

CAST YOUR VOTE:

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Andrew McCulloch
ANDREW MCCULLOCH

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