Rock Hill tennis player Gracie Wilson is The Herald’s Fall Sports Athlete of the Week
It’s official: Rock Hill tennis player Gracie Wilson has been voted as The Herald’s Fall Sports Athlete of the Week.
Wilson, a junior, won all three of her singles matches last week, beating her opponents from Catawba Ridge, Clover and Northwestern. Wilson also has a nice shooting touch on the court — she’s a key player on the Rock Hill girls’ basketball team.
There were 16,699 votes cast in the two days this poll has been open. Wilson earned 30.9% of the vote. Nathan Powell of Indian Land swimming came in second, earning 22.9% of the vote, and Anna Kate Halligan of Fort Mill swimming finished third with 19.6% of the vote.
Here are the finalists.
Athlete of the week finalists
Taylor Atkinson, Nation Ford volleyball: The 6-foot-4 Nation Ford junior had 54 kills, 10 aces, 10 blocks and 39 digs to lead the Falcons to a 3-1 record this week. Atkinson, an outside hitter and middle blocker, had her biggest performance of the week with 24 kills, 13 digs, three aces and a block in a 3-0 win at Gaffney on Thursday, Oct. 1. She has notched 163 kills and 32 blocks this season, and she’s being recruited by several high-profile Division I schools, including Auburn, Duke and Georgia, head coach Carrie Christian said.
Marie Durflinger, York swimming: The Cougars’ junior captain had a big week in the pool, winning 100 and 200 freestyle in a tri-meet with Northwestern and Rock Hill at the Rock Hill Aquatics Center on Sept. 29. Her time in the 100 freestyle dropped by five seconds, and her 200 freestyle time was two seconds better, according to York swimming coach Wayne Lowery. Durflinger has been on York’s varsity swim team since the seventh grade.
Marissa Fakes, Catawba Ridge volleyball: The Copperheads’ junior had 27 kills in two matches to help lead Catawba Ridge to victories at Lancaster and York this week. Fakes had her best effort of the week with 18 kills in a 3-0 win at York on Sept. 29, and two days later, Fakes had nine kills in a 3-0 sweep at Lancaster. Fakes has had 135 kills for Catawba Ridge (9-4) this season.
Anna Kate Halligan, Fort Mill swimming: The Yellow Jackets’ sophomore won Region 3-5A titles in the 200 individual medley, 500 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay at the Leroy Springs Complex on Saturday, Oct. 3. Halligan also helped her Fort Mill girls’ team to their 12th straight region title. The junior will be in seeded in the top-10 in the state in both her individual events, while the Fort Mill 400 freestyle relay will be ranked in the top four seeds in the South Carolina 5A state championships at North Charleston Aquatic Center this upcoming weekend.
Vivian Harris, Nation Ford golf: The Falcons’ freshman earned medalist honors at both of Nation Ford’s matches this week to help her team finish the regular season 7-5-1. Harris shot a match-best 47 at River Hills Country Club in Lake Wylie to help Nation Ford tie Clover on Sept. 29. She also earned medalist honors with a 46 at Springfield Country Club in Fort Mill as the Falcons beat both Northwestern and York on Thursday, Oct. 1. Harris, who was also nominated for athlete of the week last week, has earned medalist honors in 10 of the 13 matches she has played in this season.
Benjamin McCall, Clover cross country: The Blue Eagles’ junior ran an 18:05.60 to win the race at York by 30 seconds on Sept. 30. McCall’s efforts also helped his Clover team beat host and longtime rival, York, by three points.
Nathan Powell, Indian Land swimming: The Warriors’ senior had a big week in the pool starting with four first-place finishes while leading Indian Land to victory over South Pointe and York at the Rock Hill Aquatics Center on Oct. 1. Powell won the 50 freestyle, 100 breaststroke and was a part of both the 200 freestyle and 200 medley relays team that also won their respective events in same meet. Two days later, Powell won Region 3-4A titles in both the 100 breaststroke and 200 individual medley, while also leading the Indian Land boys’ swim team to a region title at the Rock Hill Aquatic Center. This is Indian Land’s first season with a swim team.
Buggy Reinke, Legion Collegiate golf: The Lancers’ senior shot an even par, 72, which saw five birdies in her round to finish fifth and earn all-tournament teams honors at the Lady Rebel Invitational at River Falls’ Plantation in Duncan on Oct. 1. Reinke’s effort also helped the Legion Collegiate girls’ golf team take fifth-place in a 20-squad field. Reinke is averaging 35.8 per nine holes, and a 73.0 per 18 holes this season.
Matthew Wade, Chester cross country: The Chester senior improved his personal-best 5K time by more than two minutes at a Chester home meet on Sept. 30, running a 27:34 to finish 37th overall. This is Wade’s first year competing for the Chester cross country team.
Gracie Wilson, Rock Hill tennis.
Full results
If you can’t view the results on mobile, click here.
How to nominate a player
Want to nominate an athlete? Athlete of the week awards highlight high school players with outstanding performances. The goal is to recognize all athletes — both the most accomplished and the underrated or underappreciated players. If you want to suggest someone to be included in the “Football Players of the Week” voting, send an email to Jay Edwards at edwardswork23@gmail.com. Please include the athlete’s name, school, class and applicable game performance statistics. Coaches must be willing to verify information.
This story was originally published October 5, 2020 at 2:20 PM.
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