Voting is now open for the Journal & Courier Athlete of the Week for Sept. 14-20, brought to you by Ivy Tech. Fans can cast their votes in the poll until 5 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 25, and there's no limit on how many times you can vote — just refresh the page to make sure each one counts.
This week's group of nine nominees, listed in alphabetical order, leans heavily on standout volleyball performances from around the Lafayette area. A separate football-only poll is also available for anyone wanting to recognize gridiron performances.
The Nominees
- Madison Minniear, Benton Central volleyball — Recorded six aces, 24 digs, and 64 assists across a three-game span over the week for the Bison.
- Paige Perez, Central Catholic volleyball — Reached 1,000 career assists with a 17-assist performance against Guerin Catholic, adding 24 assists against Crawfordsville and 29 against Hamilton Heights.
- Darius Livingston, Faith Christian boys soccer — Scored two goals in a 3-0 win over Northwestern and added two goals and an assist in a 6-0 win over Twin Lakes.
- Elih Gomez, Harrison boys soccer — Scored a goal in each of the Raiders' county games last week, helping them beat McCutcheon 2-1 and West Lafayette 4-0.
- Lucas Jackson, McCutcheon cross country — Finished second at the Flashrock Meet, clocking 16 minutes, 50 seconds in the 5K.
- Marlee Reed, North Montgomery girls golf — Placed second individually at the Attica sectional on Saturday with a round of 81, advancing to the regional.
- Blaire Wellman, Rossville volleyball — Piled up 12 aces and 12 kills against Taylor, breaking the Rossville school record for aces in a single game, previously set at 10.
- Jaylynn Burrell, Rossville volleyball — Also finished with 12 aces against Taylor for the Hornets, matching her teammate's new school record.
- Jada Cripe, South Newton volleyball — Reached her 1,000th career assist last week, with her top outing being 19 kills, 7 aces, 5 digs, 2 blocks, and 1 assist in a 3-2 win over Watseka.
