Nominees for the Class of 2016 Kristi Bartz Memorial Girls Athlete of the Year

Eds. note: This year, The Herald decided to name its Girls Athlete of the Year award in honor of the late Kristi Bartz. Bartz, an Archbishop Murphy student who won the award in 2015 after passing away in May of last year, represented the kind of student-athlete the award was created to honor.

Vote below the biographies to help select the finalists for the Class of 2016 Kristi Bartz Memorial Girls Athlete of the Year award. Only senior athletes are considered for Athlete of the Year nominations, which are provided by school athletic directors, coaches and Herald Writers. Voting ends Monday, June 13 at 2 p.m. In addition to athletic accomplishments, academics, community involvement and character are asked to be considered when nominating and taken into account when the final winner is selected.

For the boys nominees, click here. (Five of the six finalists for each gender will be decided by a fan vote with the sixth being decided by Herald staffers. The Athlete of the Year winners will be chosen from the six finalists by The Herald’s writers and editors.)

Alyson Matriotti | Archbishop Murphy

Matriotti, who will continue her softball career at Seattle University, was a four-year starter at catcher and selected as the Cascade Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2016. She was also a three-year starter for the basketball team and was named second-team all-league the last two seasons. Matriotti has completed over 100 hours of community service and is a leader in the classroom and on campus. She carries a 3.67 GPA.

Emma Janousek | Arlington

Janousek earned 12 varsity letters in cross country, basketball and track. She was a three-year state participant in cross country and was a team captain. She was a two-year captain in basketball, named second-team all-league as a junior and senior and helped the team advance to the state tournament four times — including two second-place finishes. She was also a captain and a two-year state participant in track.

Cassidy McGhehey | Cascade

McGhehey is a two-time letterman in volleyball and three-time letterman in tennis. She was named Most Inspirational in volleyball as both a junior and senior and also earned the Coaches’ Award as a senior. She also was a team captain in tennis as a senior. She graduates with a 3.993 GPA with numerous academic achievements to her name.

Hailey Carlson | Cedar Park Christian-Mountlake Terrace

Carlson was a first-team all-league player in both volleyball and basketball and was named team MVP in both sports. She averaged 19 points and five steals per game for the basketball team as a senior.

Maggie Richey | Cedarcrest

Richey was a second-team all-conference goalkeeper for the Red Wolves and is committed to play at the next level for Utah State. She carries a 3.936 GPA.

Melanie Benson | Darrington

Benson played volleyball and softball all four years of high school and participated in basketball in her junior and senior seasons. She was on the softball team that advanced to state as a sophomore and the volleyball team that placed eighth at state in her junior season. Benson is the Salutatorian for her class with a 3.939 GPA and is also senior class president and involved in a variety of community service projects.

Ashleigh Fonsen | Edmonds-Woodway

Fonsen helped the Warriors win the 3A girls soccer state championship as a junior and finish third in the state as a senior. She will continue her soccer career next year at Oregon State University and graduates with a 3.4 GPA.

Erin Gordon | Everett

Gordon is a four-time letterman in softball and a two-time letterman in basketball. She helped the Seagulls’ softball team to a second-place finish at the 3A state tournament as a junior and a third-place finish as a senior. Gordon is the senior class vice president and has earned scholar awards in math, business, language and history. She holds a 3.87 GPA.

Natalie Rasmussen | Glacier Peak

Rasmussen was a two-year captain in both basketball and volleyball. She was voted the basketball team’s Most Inspirational Player as both a junior and a senior, when she played through a hip injury. Academically, she maintains a 3.7 GPA and has been a class officer for all four years of high school.

Kelsey Bechtoldt | Granite Falls

Bechtoldt competed in softball and soccer for the Tigers and was all-league in both sports. She will attend Central Washington University where she plans to continue her soccer career. Academically, Bechtoldt holds a 3.9 GPA. She also is involved in student leadership and participates in various community service projects.

Chloe Brown | Highland Christian

Brown was a standout volleyball and basketball player for the Knights.

Sophie Frost | Jackson

Frost was the No. 1 pitcher for the softball team all four years of her high school career. She helped her team win district championships in both her junior and senior seasons and place fourth at this year’s state tournament. At the plate, she hit over .400 for her high school career. She carries a 3.68 GPA.

Tylor Adcock | Kamiak

Adcock is the first person in school history to earn 12 varsity letters, competing in soccer, basketball and track. She was a first-team All-Wesco 4A as a defender in soccer. She has also been involved in numerous leadership and community service projects throughout her four years in high school.

Anna Parker | King’s

Parker was a four-year starter for the soccer team and a three-year starter for the basketball team. During her time at King’s, she was a member of two soccer teams that placed second at the 1A state tournament, one state championship basketball team and two others that placed second. She is attending St. Mary’s, where she will play soccer, in the fall and carries a 3.9 GPA.

Morgan Shimkus | Lakewood

Shimkus, who is the Class of 2016 Salutatorian, is an active member in National Honor Society and volunteers for the Free the Children foundation. She excels at volleyball and track and field and holds the school record in the pole vault, beating the previous record by one foot. She also holds the school record for digs in volleyball.

Ashley Perry | Lake Stevens

Perry was a multi-year letter winner in both soccer and track and was an honorable mention All-Wesco defender as a senior. She is the Lake Stevens’ Cliff Gillies award recipient and senior class president. She also carries a 3.86 GPA.

Mikayla Pivec | Lynnwood

Pivec won the Gatorade Washington State Girls Basketball Player of the Year for a second consecutive season as a senior. She led the Royals to their first state championship in girls basketball as a junior and a third-place finish as a senior. She has placed eighth at the 3A state cross country meet in each of the past two seasons. Pivec won her first individual state championship in the javelin this season, winning on her final throw of the competition. She and her teammates went on to win the team championship for the second time in school history and the first time since 1990. She maintains a 4.0 GPA and will attend Oregon State University on a basketball scholarship.

Brianna Lucien | Mariner

Lucien participated in swimming and track for the Marauders. She won the state championship in the 500 freestyle as a junior and holds multiple school records. She will attend the University of Idaho on a swimming scholarship.

Kyla VanHorn | Marysville Getchell

VanHorn participated in swimming, basketball and golf for the Chargers. She was a captain for the Marysville Getchell swim and golf teams and has spent countless hours volunteering, including a recent trip to Uganda.

Bianca Acuario | Marysville Pilchuck

Acuario is a four-year letterman in soccer and track and a two-year letterman in basketball. In soccer, she was a team captain and named first-team All-Wesco 3A North as a senior. She holds the school record in the long jump, an event she placed fourth in at this year’s 3A state meet. Acuario carries a 3.06 GPA.

Kaitlyn Webster | Meadowdale

Webster was a four-year participant in volleyball and softball and selected as a softball captain in her senior year. She helped the softball team win its first state championship in school history this season. She plans to study biology or physical therapy at the University of Puget Sound, where she also plans on playing softball. She was a first-team All-Wesco selection as an outfielder in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Kaitlin Piland | Monroe

Piland played basketball, volleyball and golf for the Bearcats. She helped the basketball team reach the state regional round of the playoffs as a junior and was a member of the district championship volleyball team as a senior. She is active in several different school clubs and is a member of the National Honor Society.

Paityn Cyr | Mount Vernon

Cyr was the No. 1 starting pitcher for the softball team and will continue her career at Western Washington University. She carries a 3.7 GPA.

Chinne Okoronkwo | Mountlake Terrace

Okoronkwo is one of the most decorated track and field athletes in the history of Snohomish County. She won the triple jump as a freshman at the 3A state meet and went on to win the event all four years of her high school career. She is also a three-time winner in the long jump and a two-time winner in the pole vault. She placed first at the New Balance Indoor Nationals earlier this year in the triple jump. Okoronkwo hopes to one day compete in the Olympics and will continue her track career at the University of Wisconsin.

AnnaBelle Whitefoot | Oak Harbor

Whitefoot competed in girls basketball and tennis for four years and volleyball for three. She was a first-team All-Wesco tennis player in both her junior and senior seasons. She carries a 3.75 GPA.

Wurrie Njadoe | Shorecrest

Njadoe is a seven-time individual state champion in track and field. She won state titles in the high jump, long jump, 100-meters and 200-meters as a junior and the long jump, 100 and 200 as a senior. She helped the Scots win the 2A team championship in both of those seasons. Njadoe also excels at basketball. She led the Scots in steals this season and was second on the team in scoring and rebounding, helping them to their first girls basketball state championship in school history. She has a scholarship to Kansas State University where she will continue her track career.

Delaney Hopen | Shorewood

Hopen was a three-time first-team All-Wesco 3A South outside hitter in volleyball. She was voted team captain and team MVP in each of the last two seasons. She will attend the University of Idaho on a volleyball scholarship and carries a 3.7 GPA.

Morgan Davis | South Whidbey

Davis played volleyball and basketball for four years, softball her freshman year and competed in track for her final three years of high school. She was a team captain and all-conference honorable mention for the basketball team as a senior and a district qualifier in both the javelin and the discus this year as well. She carries a 3.94 GPA.

Madeline Smith | Snohomish

Smith was a standout volleyball and basketball player for the Panthers. She helped lead the basketball team to a second-place finish at this year’s 4A state basketball tournament. In volleyball, she led the league in blocking in each of the last two seasons and has over 200 blocks and 150 kills for her career.

Madison Yerigan | Stanwood

Yerigan is a three-time state champion in track. She won the 3A high jump title in 2015 and repeated this year as a senior. She also won the 300-meter hurdles championship this season, despite competing in hurdles for the first time this year. She holds three school records in track and will continue her career next year at the University of Nebraska. She is a member of the National Honor Society, takes multiple AP and CP courses and is one of eight Valedictorians with a 4.0 GPA.

Shelby Jeffries | Sultan

Jeffries is one of the best softball players to ever play at Sultan High School. She was named the Cascade Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior and has over 900 strikeouts in her pitching career. She holds a career batting average of .462 with 34 home runs. She is also a member of the National Honor Society and Link Crew.

Adiya Jones | Tulalip Heritage

Jones played basketball and volleyball for the Hawks. She was named a second-team all-league player in volleyball and a first-team all-league basketball player. She was a standout on a Tulalip Heritage team that advanced to the state tournament this year after winning just two games the previous season.

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