Athlete of the Week

Athlete of the Week Voting: Winter Wildcard

by
LebCoSports Staff
March 13, 2024

Presented in coordination with Froggy Valley 100.1/WiLBuR 99.7 & Lebanon Federal Credit Union, help us decide which male and female athlete should be honored as our final athletes of the 2023-2024 Winter season.

With limited action last week that included top performances from athletes who have already been honored, we decided to launch the Winter Wildcard edition of LebCo Athlete of the Week. Yes, we’ve profiled THIRTY-SEVEN athletes (full list) this Winter, but we’d love to get that number to an even four-zero! In order to do this, we chose one weekly performance from each school of an athlete who was not chosen as an Athlete of the Week during the Winter season.

The winners will be announced at the end of the week. Linked below are the articles about our most recent winners of the award.

Voting will remain open until Thursday at 7 pm. Only one vote per email address, per day will be allowed.

While this may be a vote and emotions can run high, this is intended to bring attention to some of the best performances from our local student-athletes.

Nominations, which are made working with the schools, are listed below in alphabetical order.

Please read about each nominee, celebrate their accomplishment, and then go vote who you feel is most deserving of the honor.

If you like this type of coverage, please let us know by Following us on social media:

Twitter/X – @lebcosports1 and Facebook.

For any questions, comments, or discrepancies, please reach out to dan@lebcosports.com.

See all 37 Winter LebCo Athletes of the Week

Female Nominees

Kaila Francis (Cedar Crest / So.) – Basketball: Week of January 22nd – In three games, the sophomore totaled 31 points. This included a fantastic performance against Lebanon when she led Crest with 15 points. In addition to her scoring, her aggressiveness put multiple Cedars into foul trouble as the Falcons charged back and nearly pulled off an upset.

Liliana Harrison (Lebanon / Jr.) – Basketball: Week of February 19th – In the District 3 Quarterfinal win over Ephrata, the junior scored 11 points. Harrison was also a big part of the defensive effort that held Ephrata scoreless in the 3rd quarter on the way to the Cedars, picking up the 47-19 victory.

Ava Hoover (Annville-Cleona / Jr.) – Basketball: Week of February 12th – As Annville finished up their season, the junior had two tremendous outings. On Monday, she scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Hoover followed it up on Wednesday with a 9 point, 14 rebound performance.

Sara Miller (ELCO / Sr.) – Basketball: Week of February 5th – The Raiders split their final two games of the season, but the senior point guard once again showed the value she brings to the floor. While averaging 3.5 points, her main contributions come through creating opportunities for her teammates. Miller averaged 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. On the season, she turned the ball over less than one time per game.

Saoirse Phillips (Northern Lebanon / So.) – Basketball: Against Lampeter-Strasburg, the sophomore scored 13 points, all of which came in the 2nd half, as the Vikings earned the victory.

Addi Salus (Palmyra / So.) – Basketball: Week of January 2nd – Palmyra went 2-0 last week, with Salus leading the way on the offensive end of the floor in two very different games. In a defensive slog versus Cedar Cliff, the sophomore scored 8 points. In the win over Lower Dauphin, with the offense clicking for Palmyra, Salus scored 19 points, including two three-pointers, and went 5-6 from the free throw line in the 4th quarter.

Sarah Ventura (Our Lady of the Cross / Jr.) – Basketball: Week of February 12th –The junior scored 11 points, including 6 in the 1st quarter in the win over Alliance Christian. Ventura followed it up with 8 points in the win over Lehigh Valley Charter, taking the pressure off while teammate Riley Hatzfeld put up a 50 point performance.

Vote Here

Female Athlete of the Week: Staisy Martinez Severino (Week Ending March 3, 2024)

Male Nominees

Jacob Burgess (Palmyra / Jr.) – Indoor Track & Field: Week of February 19th – Competing in the Long Jump at the PTFCA Indoor State Championships, Burgess had a top mark of 21’9.5” to bring home a 7th place medal.

Carter Cheslock (Northern Lebanon / Sr.) – Swimming: Week of February 26th – Competing at the District 3 Championships, the senior earned two medals. On Friday, Cheslock took 4th in the 100-yard Butterfly with a time of 54.60. He followed it up on Saturday with a 7th-place finish in the 100-yard Freestyle. His performance in the Butterfly qualified him for the PIAA State Championships, a meet where he will be joined by his brother Collin (Breaststroke).

Jomar Hidalgo (Lebanon / Fr.) – Swimming: Week of February 26th – At the District 3 Championships, the freshman won his first of two medals on Friday when he took 7th in the 200-yard Individual Medley. His time was 1:57.25. On Saturday, he returned to the pool and took 3rd in the 100-yard Backstroke in a time of 51.97. He qualified for the PIAA State Championships for both events.

Kyle Miller (ELCO / Jr.) – Wrestling: Week of January 2nd – The junior heavyweight went 5-0 for the week, including two pins. With a 22-6 record this season, Miller has been a large part of ELCO’s current 10-2 record in dual matches.

Anthony Pena (Annville-Cleona / Jr.) – Basketball: Week of January 2nd – Pena’s emergence as a scoring threat has aided Annville this season. In Friday’s loss to Lancaster Country Day, the junior recorded 17 points and 8 rebounds. Most of his points came from his outside shooting, as he nailed five three-pointers.

Tycen VanDerPloog (New Covenant / Sr.) – Basketball: Week of January 15th – The senior put together an impressive stat line of 19 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in New Covenant’s win over Covenant Christian. He then led the Flames with 14 points in Saturday’s loss to Williams Valley.

Toby Zombro (Cedar Crest / Sr.) – Bowling: Week of February 5th – At the Lancaster Lebanon League Championships, the senior medaled with a 6th place finish. Zombro’s high game on the day was a 257.

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