Girls Athlete of the Year: The finalists

Kristi Bartz | Archbishop Murphy

Bartz was a team captain and first-team all-conference selection in both track and soccer, and holds the school record in the 800-meter run. She had a 3.97 grade-point average and was involved in Knowledge Bowl, DECA and the National Honor Society. She planned to run track at the University of British Columbia. Bartz died May 9 in a train accident.

Emily Gonzalez | Cascade

Gonzalez played tennis and soccer for the Bruins. She was a co-captain for the soccer team and was the No. 1 singles player in the spring. She also was active in select soccer. She maintains a 3.93 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society.

Jocelyn Matheny | Glacier Peak

Matheny participated in soccer and softball for the Grizzlies. She was a first-team all-conference second baseman as a junior and a second-team selection as a senior. She’s a member of Girl Scouts and participates in numerous church and community activities.

Brooke Kingma | Jackson

Kingma, the Herald prep writers pick, capped an impressive athletic career with a fourth-place finish in the 3,200 at this year’s Class 4A state track meet. Kingma added a seventh-place finish at the 4A state cross country meet in the fall, the highest finish in school history. She was a captain for both teams and finished her senior year with a 3.92 GPA and will continue her athletic career at Lipscomb University in Tennessee.

Grace Hamill | Kamiak

Hamill overcame multiple knee injuries to play basketball for Kamiak. While she was out with an injury, she remained a visible part of the team and supported her teammates until she was able to return to the court. Hamill carries a 3.927 GPA and was named Homecoming Queen.

Savanna Hanson | King’s

Hanson has an NCAA Division-I scholarship to play basketball at Santa Clara. She was the Most Valuable Player for the Cascade Conference and the state tournament, and helped lead the Knights to the Class 1A state basketball championship. Hanson also was a first-team all-conference volleyball player and helped the team finish second at the state tournament.

The process

Candidates for The Herald’s Girl Athlete of the Year were nominated by their school athletic directors based on athletics, academics and community involvement. An online poll chose five finalists, with Herald prep writers Aaron Lommers and David Krueger selecting a sixth semifinalist. The winner was picked by Krueger, Lommers and Sound Live Sports announcer Steve Willits, with the readers poll serving as the deciding vote in the event of a tie.

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