An all-star lineup of basketball players and wrestlers hit their stride near the end of the regular season and are nominees for the latest CSM Winter Athletes of the Week award.
This week’s nominees include standouts from the Heart of Illinois Conference basketball tournaments, Mid-Illini hoops studs and a pair of wrestlers that took home first-place honors on the mats.
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UPDATE: Farmington/North Fulton's Bradlee Ellis and Canton's Katelyn Marvel won CSM Winter Athletes of the Week. Polls closed at 12 PM on Thursday.
Boys Athlete of the Week nominees
Micah Meiss, El Paso-Gridley boys basketball
Meiss was massive for El Paso-Gridley all week, leading the Titans to a Heart of Illinois Conference Tournament title, averaging nearly 22 points per contest. He started with a 24-point, 14-rebound double-double in a 63-60 win over Dee-Mack on Jan. 21 before going for 21 points and 11 boards in a 58-56 win over Fieldcrest on Jan. 24. In the championship game against Tri-Valley, he led the Titans with 20 points in a 71-69 win in overtime.
Kobe Walker, Normal Community boys basketball
Walker helped the Ironmen surge with a trio of notable wins over Downers Grove North, Manual and Mt. Zion. The Normal Community big man posted 11 points in a 48-40 win over DGN on Jan. 20 before erupting for 29 points and 15 rebounds in a 63-61 win over Manual on Jan. 23. The Central Michigan commit led the way with 16 points in a 63-51 triumph over Mt. Zion at Metamora’s Redbird Roundball Classic.
Mack Sutter, Dunlap boys basketball
Sutter balled out for the Eagles last week, scoring 24 including 16 in a spirited second-half comeback attempt in a 63-59 loss to Decatur Macarthur on Jan. 24. The next day, he dominated with 23 points and 17 rebounds in a 62-55 Mid-Illini Conference win over Pekin.
Bradlee Ellis, Farmington/North Fulton boys wrestling
Ellis continued a big season by taking first out of 22 wrestlers in the 144-pound bracket at Orion’s Bob Mitton Invite on Jan. 25. Ellis, who reached 100 wins earlier in the season and stands at 34-3 on the year, pinned opponents from Byron and Sherrard before pinning Walther Christian’s Caleb Peterson in 3:19 in the semifinals. He beat Rockridge’s Thomas Sowards in a 6-0 decision in the title match.
Matthew Zobrist, Metamora boys basketball
Zobrist had a special week, leading with scoring his 1,000th career point in a 58-51 win over Springfield Sacred Heart Griffin on Jan. 20. The Bradley commit finished with a team-high 18 in that game and added 19 points in a 60-38 win over Washington on Jan. 24. His 3-pointer with less than three seconds left in the game was the difference-maker in a 61-58 victory over Evanston and gave him a team-high 18 points.
Girls Athlete of the Week nominees
Keyaira Haywood, Dunlap girls basketball
Haywood put together three big games to help put the Eagles on a three-game win streak. The freshman led Dunlap with 23 points in a key 61-58 win over Normal Community at the Mid-Illini/Big 12 Shootout on Jan. 20 before tallying 14 in a 52-42 victory against Limestone on Jan. 24. Haywood rounded out her week with a solid 24 points as the Eagles beat Richwoods 77-60 on Jan. 25.
TeriLynn Timmerman, Fieldcrest girls basketball
Timmerman had a breakout week for Fieldcrest, leading the Knights to a consolation championship at the Heart of Illinois Conference Tournament. She led the Knights with 19 points in a 50-43 comeback victory over El Paso-Gridley on Jan. 22 and one-upped that performance with 28 points in a 78-33 romp over Fisher in the consolation title game.
Katelyn Marvel, Canton girls wrestling
Marvel was one of seven Canton wrestlers to win individual titles at the Mid-Illini Conference Tournament as the Little Giants won the team title as well. In the 155-pound bracket, she pinned Pekin’s Alyssa Artman in 1:16 before pinning East Peoria’s Ava Jatkowski in 1:52 in the title match.
Savannah Jost, Tremont girls basketball
Jost was one of many girls basketball players in the HOIC to have a big week, but stood out by averaging 23 points per game over three contests as Tremont finished fifth at the conference tournament. The Turks’ forward led her team with 15 points against Eureka but more than doubled that with 32 points in a 63-39 win over Heyworth. She finished her week with 22 points in a big 62-28 win over LeRoy on Jan. 25.
Hannah West, Limestone girls basketball
West continued a string of huge performances this season to help Limestone pick up a pair of wins last week. She took over the game with 31 points in a 65-27 victory over Danville at the Mid-Illini/Big 12 Shootout on Jan. 20 and scored a team-high 14 in a 52-42 loss to Dunlap. She then posted a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds to help the Rockets defeat a strong Bloomington squad 60-41 on Jan. 25.
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