Athlete of the Week

Athlete of the Week Voting: September 23-29

by
LebCoSports Staff
October 1, 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 for their outstanding efforts during last week’s local high school sports action. While you may have a favorite school or athlete already, we still encourage you to read through the lists below and then click on the link to vote.

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 Wednesday at 10 pm.

Only one vote per email address, per day will be allowed.

While athletes can be nominated multiple weeks, the winners will be removed and updates will be provided as the season progresses.

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 this week’s 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.

Female Nominees

Kenadie Dunsworth (Cedar Crest / Sr.) – Volleyball: Last Thursday, the senior was instrumental in guiding the Falcons to a 3-0 victory over Penn Manor. Dunsworth had 22 digs to pace the winning effort.

Kenzie Eckhart (ELCO / Jr.) – Soccer: Last week, the Raiders defeated Pequea Valley and Octorara as they moved into the Section 3 lead with a 9-5 record. Eckhart played a large part in the offensive attack, as she provided key assists that helped them find victory.

Akaiya Hershey (New Covenant / Jr.) – Soccer: In three games last week, all New Covenant victories, the junior scored 10 goals, including two four-goal performances. During the week, the Flames outscored their opponents 23-4 as they improved to a 9-2 record.

Rylee Snyder (Northern Lebanon / Sr.) – Field Hockey: In a 5-1 victory over Solanco, Snyder tallied 2 goals and added an assist to lead the Vikings.

Lucy Stellmach (Annville-Cleona / Fr.) – Cross Country: At the Carlisle Invite, Stellmach placed 8th in a highly competitive field. Her time of 20:14.6 was the top time run by a freshman in the race. In winning a medal, she joined her sister, Mackenzie, who finished 2nd.

Read about last week’s LebCo Female Athlete of the Week: Kailen Hibshman

Male Nominees

Lucas Franchina (Palmyra / Sr.) – Soccer: Last week, the Cougars went 2-0-1 with wins against Bishop McDevitt & Donegal, and a tie against Lower Dauphin. Franchina scored 2 goals at Lower Dauphin and added the game-winner when the Cougars traveled to Donegal on Saturday.

Oliver Funck (Annville-Cleona / Jr.) – Cross Country: The junior clocked a 16:19.8 to finish 28th in the top division at the Carlisle Invite. Funck’s effort helped the Dutchmen to a 21st place finish among some of the best large schools in Pennsylvania. Earlier in the week, he was the individual race winner against ELCO.

Brady Keath (ELCO / Sr.) – Golf: The senior was ELCO’s #1 golfer this season, highlighted by a season-low 75. At the Lancaster-Lebanon League Championships, Keath again led the way by shooting a 91 on a rainy day at Meadia Heights.

Leland Kohr (Northern Lebanon / Sr.) – Golf: The senior was the top Viking golfer at the Lancaster Lebanon League Championship, carding an 89 on the rain-soaked course. Kohr was Northern Lebanon’s #1 golfer this season with an 83 average as the team finished 18-7, 2nd place in Section 3. His season low was a 75 against Tulpehocken.

Luke Oriel (Cedar Crest / Jr.) – Football: The cornerback had 3 interceptions to solidify the Falcon defense in their winning effort over Reading last Friday evening. Oriel also made 7 tackles.

Nelson Richardson (Lebanon / So.) – Football: The sophomore wide receiver made a spectacular play, tiptoeing down the sideline and breaking several tackles on his way to a 47-yard touchdown reception against Conestoga Valley last Friday night. On the defensive side of the ball, Richardson made 14 tackles.

Colten Shaffer (New Covenant / Sr.) – Soccer: At the homecoming game against Lititz Christian, the senior had 2 goals. The Flames won the game 2-1. Shaffer’s work on offense has helped New Covenant to a 9-1-1 record.

Xavier Smith (Palmyra / So.) – Football: In Friday night’s game against Mifflin County, the sophomore had a whopping 5 tackles for losses as he flew around the field. Smith is currently ranked among the Mid Penn leaders in TFLs this season.

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