AJ’s Emma Estridge is The Herald’s latest Fall Sports Athlete of the Week (Oct. 12)
Emma Estridge is The Herald’s latest Fall Sports Athlete of the Week.
Estridge of the Andrew Jackson cross country team ran a 23:10 to win a race on her home course last week, beating the field by over a minute. She’s only a sophomore.
There were 29,424 votes cast in this week’s poll — the most so far this season — and Estridge earned 35.41% of the vote. Nation Ford volleyball’s Hannah Neff finished in second with 31.9% of the vote, and Devon Shibley of Fort Mill cross country finished third with 11.8% of the vote.
Player of the week finalists
Rachel Arwood, Rock Hill cross country: The Bearcats’ senior has won four of her last five races this season. Arwood finished as runner-up at Blythewood on Oct. 7, running a 20:44.85 to help Rock Hill finish second as a team in that race. She also ran a 21:43.20 to win a race at Northwestern on Oct. 10, where her team had a third place finish.
Emma Estridge, Andrew Jackson cross country.
Claire Hivner, Catawba Ridge tennis: The Copperheads’ sophomore won both her singles matches and had a key doubles victory to help Catawba Ridge clinch the Region 3-4A title this week. Hivner won her singles match (6-1, 6-0) against Indian Land on Oct. 6. The next day, she won at Nation Ford 9-7 in singles before teaming with Sarah Taylor to help win a tiebreaker (8-6) — the match-clinching win for her team to defeat the Falcons. Catawba Ridge is 11-1 overall, and 8-0 in region play this season.
Amina Jacic, Clover swimming: The Blue Eagles’ senior had a meet to remember at the South Carolina 5A state championships at North Charleston Aquatic Center on Oct. 10. Jacic dropped her 200 individual medley time by five seconds, swimming a 2:16.62. She also cut her 100 butterfly time by 1.5 seconds (1:01.24) to finish 14th overall in that event. Jacic also helped the 400 freestyle relay finish fourth in the state — breaking a school time record in the process, her coach said.
Makenzy Mills, Lancaster swimming: The Bruins’ senior won South Carolina 4A state championships in the 100 butterfly (55.17) and 100 backstroke (55.92) at the North Charleston Aquatic Center on Oct. 10. Mills also helped the 200 medley relay to a third-place finish with teammates Isabella Ihm, Taylor Teague and Tamra Tipton. The Lancaster girls’ swim team finished seventh overall at the state meet.
Olivia Morales, Indian Land cross country: The Indian Land freshman ran a 22:57 to win the 5,000-meter run (5K) at Lancaster on Oct. 6. Morales led the Warriors’ team to victory in the same meet.
Hannah Neff, Nation Ford volleyball: The Nation Ford senior outside hitter had another big week with 28 kills and 19 digs in wins over Catawba Ridge and Clover. Neff had 12 kills and nine digs in a 3-0 win over Catawba Ridge on Oct. 7. The next day, she had 16 kills, 10 digs and two aces in a 3-0 victory at Clover. Nation Ford volleyball coach, Carrie Christian, called Neff her team’s “energizer bunny.” Neff has 179 kills, 135 digs and 26 aces for Nation Ford (14-2) this season.
Devon Shibley, Fort Mill swimming: The Fort Mill sophomore ran a personal-best 16:15.38 to finish third individually at the George Moss Cross Country Classic at J.L. Mann High in Greenville on Oct. 10. Shibley’s personal best run also helped his undefeated Fort Mill boys’ cross country team to victory in the same meet.
Ashton Unsworth, Legion Collegiate cross country: The Lancers’ senior ran a 18:45 to finish third overall at Central Pageland on Oct. 6. Unsworth ran a personal-best 18:24 earlier this season at Chesterfield.
Baylee Vought, Indian Land volleyball: The Warriors’ senior led Indian Land to victories over Catawba Ridge and Lancaster this week. Vought had 11 kills, two blocks, three digs and nine assists in a 3-0 win at Catawba Ridge on Oct. 6. Vought celebrated her senior night with 11 kills, 11 assists, five digs and an ace in a 3-0 win over Lancaster on Oct. 8. Indian Land is 13-2 this season, and 8-0 in Region III 4A play.
Full results here
To view the poll on a mobile device, click here.
How to nominate a player
Want to nominate an athlete? Football player 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 “Fall Sports Athlete 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 12, 2020 at 5:32 PM.
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