Vote for The Charlotte Observer Girls Athlete of the Year
Here are the nominees for The Charlotte Observer’s girls athlete of the year.
This year, for the first time, the newspaper is honoring the top athletes of the entire school year.
These Observer Athletes Of The Year awards will honor the top athletes in Mecklenburg County. The athletes or teams had to be nominated by their schools; no others were included.
Schools were asked to send nominees in eight categories: boys and girls athlete, boys and girls scholar-athlete, boys and girls coach, team and courage.
The Observer will release its selections later this month, but we are also going to have a Reader’s Choice award in each category. So there will be two rounds of winners.
▪ Below, you can read about the nominees for the girls athlete of the year.
▪ Click here to see the boys athlete of the year nominees and vote in that poll.
▪ You can click here to vote in the other categories (coach of the year, team of the year, student-athletes of the year and the courage award).
Girls Athlete of the year Nominees
Jada Brigman, Olympic: UNC Asheville signee was a two-time all-conference basketball pick. In track, she was shot put state and regional runner-up. She was SoMECK league champ in that event.
Katie Cruise, Providence: four-year volleyball star was voted team captain the past two seasons. She helped the Panthers to a 91-16 record in her career. She finished with 2,605 assists, 623 digs, 263 kills and 179 aces. She was all-conference in the SoMECK from 2018-20, when she named league player of the year. In the fall, the was Southwestern 4A player of the year and was a third team Under Armour All-American. She’ll play at Appalachian State this fall.
Maggie Gehrig, Charlotte Catholic: tennis star was a two-time Individual State Champion (3A and 4A) who has signed with Villanova University.
Wynne Gore, Charlotte Christian: helped lead the Knights’ softball team to a second straight state championship. Gore is a two-time school defensive player of the year signed to N.C. State. She’s ranked No. 62 nationally by Extra Inning Softball. She had 20 wins, 153 strikeouts in 106 innings and a 1.11 ERA. She had two no-hitters and 11 shutouts. Gore also hit .516 with 27 RBIs and three home runs.
Addy Holgorsen, Providence Day: Clemson soccer recruit starred for a two-time state champion and was a member of the school’s basketball team.
Keera Moua, North Mecklenburg: two-time all-conference and two-time all-region girls soccer star led N.C. 4A players in goals, assists and total points this season.
Grace Rainey, Hough: broke her own N.C. 4A record to win the 100-yard breaststroke at the N.C. 4A swimming state championships in February. Rainey, now a two-time state champ, is a Florida recruit.
Mary Schleusner, Charlotte Latin: A four-year all-conference and all-state cross-country runner, Schleusner was also two-time all-conference in basketball, where she was also named all-state. She was one of the leading scorers for Latin’s girls soccer team which reached the state final. This year, Schleusner was also among the state’s top 400-meter private school runners. Away from sports, she maintains a job and has leadership roles in the Spirit Club and SALT.
Alexis Shelton, Ardrey Kell: four-year varsity lettermen and three-time all-conference pick was also named all-region three times and all-state twice. Last season, she helped lead Ardrey Kell volleyball to a conference and regional championship and a state runner-up finish. Her 1,000 plus kills ranks second in school history. Shelton has signed with Oklahoma.
Milla Syska, Hickory Grove: soccer star has 52 goals, or 3.47 per game, and 11 assists this season. She’s a four-time all-conference and two-time all-state pick.
Janey Thompson, Myers Park: four-year varsity softball and basketball player who lettered each year.
HOW TO VOTE: After reading about the nominees in each category, there is a authentication box where you will type YES into to prove you are a human. After clicking submit, the poll will appear and you can vote. To vote more than once, repeat the process.
Vote in the girls athlete of the year poll
▪ NOTE: Poll winners will be announced later this week.
This story was originally published June 13, 2022 at 3:37 PM.
