After a large voting turnout, Washington junior basketball player Mazzy O’Brien and Normal Community senior wrestler Caden Correll won CSM Winter Athletes of the Week.
Both athletes received over 50 percent of the votes in their respective polls and kept either their team’s or individual undefeated records intact.
Get to know more about our winners and get to know them in Q and A’s below:
Correll won CSM Boys Athlete of the Week after receiving 52 percent of the vote total in the boys poll. His recent claim to fame was winning the 113-pound title at the Al Dvorak Memorial Tournament at Machesney Park Harlem on Dec. 21 and 22. The Ironmen senior standout kept his pristine record at 19-0 through the tournament, which he started with 21-5 technical fall wins over Carter Williquette of Marshfield, Wisconsin and Anthony Sutton of Lockport. He advanced through the semifinals after winning via a medical forfeit but proved his strength in a 7-3 victory of Lombard Montini’s Allen Woo. Correll continued his impressive senior campaign by winning the Floyd Bee Memorial Holiday Tournament in Springfield on Dec. 28.
Get to know Correll in a Q and A here:
What’s been your favorite memory of the season/offseason so far?
“Beating Warren and Glenbard North, then going to Canes.”
If you had to be stranded on an island with a teammate, who would it be and why?
“Carter [Mayes], he is big and we would be able to forget we are on an island.”
Favorite music artist?
“Zach Bryan.”
Favorite food?
“Steak and pasta.”
Do you have any pregame routines/rituals?
“During the offseason, I rub my bald coach’s head before every match.”
Who’s your favorite college or professional athlete?
“Spencer Lee.”
Do you have any hidden talents?
“No.”
Who’s your role model and why?
“My mom because she always is able to see the bright side in people. She also always tries to be happy and make everyone around her happy.”
O’Brien won CSM Girls Athlete of the Week after receiving 67 percent of the total votes in the girls poll. The junior guard kept a standout season going for the undefeated Panthers with over 16 points per game in a 3-game span. O’Brien scored 11 in a 62-31 win over Normal Community on Dec. 16 before increasing it to a team-high 15 points and eight rebounds as Washington scored a 60-38 conference win over Limestone the next day. She was responsible for a large chunk of the Panther offense with 23 points in another conference win, a 69-39 victory over East Peoria on Dec. 21. O’Brien and the Panthers recently wrapped up the State Farm Holiday Classic where they won the large school girls title and advanced to 17-0 on the season.
Get to know O’Brien in a Q and A here:
What’s been your favorite memory of the season/offseason so far?
“My favorite memory of this season so far was our very first game against Chatham we all just had so much fun playing and the gym was filled with energy and excitement.”
If you had to be stranded on an island with a teammate, who would it be and why?
“I would be stranded on an island with Laney Dravis because we’re very good at coming up with random things to do so I would never get bored. She’s also smart so she would help us survive longer.”
Favorite music artist?
“Adele.”
Favorite food?
“Monical’s pizza.”
Do you have any pregame routines/rituals?
“I shoot with my dad the morning before the games and normally read messages my parents sent before the game giving me a pep talk.”
Who’s your favorite college or professional athlete?
“Caitlyn Clark because of the impact she made on women’s sports and then with us being in the TOC this year I think she was a big part in making that happen.”
Do you have any hidden talents?
“I’m very crafty, I like to paint and do little projects.”
Who’s your role model and why?
“My dad’s my role model in basketball because he was a great player in high school and everyone always tells me how hard he played and so I want to be remembered like how he is remembered.”
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