Matthew Prete of Lancaster XC has been voted The Herald’s Athlete of the Week
Matthew Prete of the Lancaster cross country team has been voted as The Herald’s Athlete of the Week.
The Bruin junior ran an 18:46 to finish in first at a home meet on Oct. 7. Prete was dominant in his run — winning by 1:03 in a field that included Andrew Jackson, Camden, Indian Land and Richard Winn Academy runners.
There were 23,711 votes cast in this week’s poll. Prete earned 41.1% of the vote; Rachel Graham of Indian Land earned 28.7% of the vote; and Anna Kate Halligan earned 13.6% of the vote.
View the nominees for this week’s award below.
Meet this week’s finalists
Taylor Atkinson, Nation Ford volleyball. The Falcon senior outside hitter had a season-high 30 kills to go with 13 digs and a block in a 3-2 victory at Boiling Springs on Oct. 5. She also had 18 kills, six digs and two blocks in a 3-0 win over Gaffney on Oct. 7. (Atkinson posted her 1,000th-career kill in the second set of Nation Ford’s contest with Gaffney.) The Falcons are 19-8 overall and 6-1 in region play — good enough for first place in Region 3-5A (as of Monday).
Janelle Blue, Clover volleyball. The Blue Eagle senior had 16 kills in a 3-2 win at Fort Mill on Oct. 5. Two days later, Blue had 10 kills in a 3-0 victory over region foe Boiling Springs. Blue has 84 kills in her last eight matches.
Emily Eaton, Nation Ford swimming. The Nation Ford junior had a state meet to remember this past weekend: She helped the 200 freestyle relay team (with teammates Belle Kolatis, Ava Padgett and Julia Pou) to a 5A state title at the S.C. championships at North Charleston Aquatic Center on Oct. 9. Eaton also finished third in the 100 freestyle, fifth in the 50 freestyle and second in the 200 medley relay (with teammates Sophia Bujoreanu, Pou and Mackenzie Riga). The Nation Ford girls’ swim team finished third overall at states.
Rachel Graham, Indian Land cross country. The Warrior freshman ran a 24:04.67 to win individually at Lancaster on Oct. 7. Graham’s efforts helped the Indian Land girls’ cross country team to a 45-point victory. She followed that up by running a 22:55.44 to finish 52nd in the Bob Jenkins’ Coaches Classic at Hillcrest High on Oct. 9.
Anna Kate Halligan, Fort Mill swimming. The Yellow Jacket junior helped the 400 freestyle relay to a second-place finish (with teammates Ava Corbi, Olivia Corbi and Jadyn Nelson) at the 5A state championships on Oct. 9. (The Fort Mill girls’ swimming team finished as state runners-up overall.) Halligan also finished third in the 200 individual medley.
Katie Lammers, Catawba Ridge volleyball. The Catawba Ridge senior right side hitter had nine kills to lead the Copperheads to a 3-0 win over Fort Mill on Oct. 7. Catawba Ridge is 21-8 overall, including a perfect 8-0 in Region 3-4A play.
Matthew Prete, Lancaster cross country.
Sam Rich, Catawba Ridge cross country. The Copperheads’ senior won the Bob Jenkins’ Coaches Classic at Hillcrest High — running an astonishing 15:25.19 — to win the race by 36 seconds on Oct. 9. Rich is a Notre Dame commit and has now won four big invitational races this season, including the Fort Mill Clash, the Great American Cross Country Festival (in North Carolina) and the Southern Showcase (in Alabama).
Lexi Roberson, Andrew Jackson volleyball. The Volunteers’ senior had 45 kills, 30 digs, five aces and five blocks as Andrew Jackson swept both Buford (Oct. 7) and Chesterfield (Oct. 5) this past week. Roberson has 259 kills, 135 digs, 45 blocks and 41 aces for Andrew Jackson this season.
Devon Sibley, Fort Mill cross country. The Yellow Jacket junior ran a 16:17.95 to finish in sixth in the Bob Jenkins’ Coaches Classic at Hillcrest High in Simpsonville on Oct. 9. Sibley’s run helped the Fort Mill boys’ cross country team to a second-place finish at Hillcrest.
See full results here
If you can’t view this poll on your mobile device, click here to refresh this page.
How to nominate
Athlete of the Week awards highlight high school players with outstanding performances. The goal is to recognize all athletes — both the accomplished and the underrated/underappreciated players. If you want to suggest someone to be included in the ballot in future weeks, 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. The Herald reserves the right to remove a name from the poll at its discretion.
This story was originally published October 11, 2021 at 3:35 PM.
.jpeg)