Vote: Who should be Texas high school Athlete of the Week? (11/05/2024)

We narrowed down the top fall sports performers of last week. Now, we want to hear from you

Which Texas high school athlete had the best week?

Each week, SBLive scoured the Lone Star State for the top fall sports performers, from cross country to volleyball - all sports except football, which is highlighted separately. The cross country season ended for UIL and TAPPS this week, so there are plenty of state champions on this list.

Nov. 1 was also the start of basketball in the Lone Star State, so there's some nominees from there as well.

Congratulations to Aiden Fitzgerald of Friendswood boys cross country, who ran away with last week's Texas Athlete of the Week vote.

Scroll down, read up on the nominees and cast your vote for your winner. Voting closes Sunday, Nov. 10 at 11:59 p.m. Central time.

If you would like to make a nomination in a future weeks, email andy@scorebooklive.com.

Editor’s Note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll are intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes who receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.

TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK NOMINEES

Reese Alston, Houston Second Baptist boys basketball 

In a 69-53 win over San Antonio Holy Cross on Nov. 1, the point guard had a game-high 26 points. He hit 7 of 8 free throws while grabbing 8 rebounds and dishing out 7 assists.

Kenli Atwood, Holliday girls cross country

With five in the top 25, the Lady Eagles repeated as the Class 3A champions with ease by nearly 70 points and the junior was the runner-up, running 11:04.30.

Sophia Bendet, Universal City Randolph girls cross country 

The senior won the 3,200-meter race in 10:40.50 — a new course record in 3A. It was also a repeat state champion for Bendet, who didn’t lose any of her nine races this fall. 

Adeline Bennett, Flower Mound girls cross country 

The Jaguars won the team title with 47 points, easily ahead of Cypress Bridgeland, to win state championship No. 5 in a row. Flower Mound went 4-5-6, led by the sophomore Bennett.

Lilly Benson, Roby girls cross country

In the 3,200-meter race, the senior took home the state title for the Lady Lions in the Class 1A race. Her 11:56 was a personal best and her time breaking 12 minutes in that distance. A four-time qualifier, she’s been 7th, 16th and 50th, respectively. 

Addyson Bristow, Canyon girls cross country 

Bristow finished the year undefeated winning all 8 races and her 10:43.30 in the 3,200-meter race set a new Class 4A record by 24 seconds. She won the title last year in 11:31.90. She also helped the Lady Eagles win the team title.

Harper Counts, Austin Brentwood Christian Academy girls cross country

In the 2-mile Class 5A TAPPS championship on Monday, she ran 11:57.11 to take first place and finish the year undefeated in 2-mile races. 

Marco Cunningham, Waco Meyer boys cross country 

After being a runner-up last year, Cunningham took home the 2A state title on Friday by running 16:12.70.  He was a four-time state qualifier for the Ravens. 

Bryce Denton, Anna boys cross country

For the fifth time this year, Denton won a race and his third straight win resulted in a Class 5A title. He ran 15:16.90 — a winning margin of 15 seconds. The previous two years he was 3rd and 14th, respectively for the Coyotes.

Violeta Flores, Fabens volleyball

In a 3-2 win over San Elizario on Tuesday, the senior had a triple-double with 22 kills, 16 assists and 13 digs.

Aniya’ Foy, Katy Cinco Ranch girls basketball

In the first two games of the year, she’s put up big numbers. She had 30 points and 7 rebounds in a win against Willis on Friday and then 28 points — on 11 of 13 shooting - and 7 rebounds against Houston Memorial on Saturday.

Wrigley Green, Argyle girls basketball 

the sophomore combo guard had a game-high 28 points to help the Lady Eagles open the season with a 62-41 win over Coppell on Friday.

Sawyer Hamilton, Plains boys cross country 

The Cowboys finished with 52 points to win a third straight state championship and were led by third-place finisher Hamilton. 

Elizabeth Leachman, Boerne Champion girls cross country 

On Saturday the junior ran 17:14.80 in the 5A race, clinching a repeat championship by more than 52 seconds. Leachman took 20th and ran 19:06.70 in 2022 and won the title last year running 16:25.50. 

Caden Leonard, Southlake Carroll boys cross country 

For the second year in a row, the Dragons standout was the 6A champion. After winning in 15:00.10 in 2023, the junior won the title in 14:50.10 this year — the only runner to break 15 minutes in the race. 

Lathan Lewter, Canyon boys cross country 

Canyon represented West Texas well with the 1st-place finisher and a team title in the 4A race. After taking fourth last year, the senior won by running 15:25 this year’s race.

Presley Long, Hamilton girls cross country 

The Bulldogs won their third straight championship with 37 points - 40 points better than runner-up Farwell. Hamilton had five in the top 20, led by Long, who was fourth.

Kamryn Mullican, Carrollton Hebron girls volleyball 

The Lady Hawks wrapped up an undefeated district slate with a 3-2 win over Flower Mound on Oct. 29. The sophomore had 49 assists and four attackers had 10 or more kills in the win. 

Wells Peterson, TMI Episcopal boys cross country 

After being all-state the first two years of high school, the junior broke through with a state title on Monday. He ran 16:06.25 to win the Class 6A TAPPS finals in Waco. 

Kamora Pruitt, Dallas Legion Prep Academy girls basketball

The DeSoto transfer had 29 points and 6 rebounds to help Legion Prep beat Alvin Shadow Creek, 85-39, on Friday in Lancaster.

Adrian Rule, San Antonio Christian boys cross country

The junior won his fifth race of the season and this one was the biggest — the TAPPS Class 5A finals on Monday in Waco. He was the runner-up last year. 

Cara Sims, Waskom Elysian Fields girls cross country 

The Jackets got a personal record 11:34.60 from Sims in the 3,200-meter race, winning the 2A title by more than 16 seconds. The junior won eight of her nine races in 2024. 

Brady Solansky, Comal Smithson Valley girls cross country 

The Lady Rangers claimed the state championship with 54 points and kept Lovejoy from winning its fourth straight. Freshman took third to lead her team.

Noah Strohman, Holliday boys cross country 

He won his third straight championship by nearly 30 seconds and his 15:24.80 is a new 3A course record. The junior won the last four races this year and the 15:24 is the slowest time in those four wins. 

Sebastian Talamantez, Comstock boys cross country 

The junior repeated as the champion by running 16:10.30, securing the title with a 25-second margin. He shaved about 15 seconds off his winning time from last year. He also helped his team win the team title. 

Micaela Villareal, San Antonio Antonian Prep girls cross country

The senior capped off her career by winning the TAPPS 6A 2-mile finals on Monday in Waco, running 11:35.70. It was her third straight championship.

MaKenzie White, Lancaster girls basketball 

in the OTR Exposure Tournament, the junior scored a game-high 22 points in a 58-54 win over San Antonio Brennan on Saturday. 

Macy Wingard, Denton Braswell girls cross country

The junior ran 17:07.90 to win the state title for the second year in a row. She won seven of her eight races this fall and is now a three-time all-state runner. Wingard is also the first to repeat since Houston Lamar’s Julia Heymach in 2016.

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-- Cody Thorn | @sblivetx