Vote for The Observer’s high school athlete of the week (May 8, 2026)
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Observer opens athlete-of-week voting; readers may vote freely until noon Friday.
- Eight nominees span swimming, indoor track and wrestling, with wins and records.
- Results and statistics compiled through Dec. 13; several athletes listed college commits.
Here are the nominees for The Charlotte Observer’s high school athlete of the week.
The poll closes at noon Friday. You may vote as often as you like.
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This week’s nominees
Asia Artis, Garinger girls’ track: Artis won the Greater Charlotte conference meet high jump and long jump last week and was named the field event’s MVP.
Tripp Burns, Lake Norman Charter golf: Burns, a junior, earned all-conference honors after shooting a 1-under-par 70 to earn medalist honors at the Catawba Shores conference championship.
For the season, Burns is the top-ranked 4A Central region golfer and has led his team to a regional championship berth at Asheboro Country Club Tuesday.
Rosslyn Durst, Arborbrook Christian girls’ soccer: Due to injuries to some of the high school age players, Durst, a seventh grader, has been moved up to the high school team. She scored five goals in two games last week: two in a shutout win over Socrates Academy — and three goals, a hat trick, in a win over Tabernacle Christian.
Bryce Mancz, Ardrey Kell baseball: Mancz had a strong performance in the Southwestern 7A/8A conference tournament last week. The senior centerfielder was 3 for 5 batting with a walk, two doubles, a home run and three RBIs.
Caroline Mercuri, Lake Norman Charter girls’ soccer: Mercuri, a senior midfielder, had four goals against Corvian Community Charter last week and three goals and one assist against Bradford Prep. Mercuri is a Converse University commit.
Jayden Nolley, Stuart Cramer track: Nolley, a sophomore, won the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes and anchored the 1,600-meter relay team’s win at the Southern Piedmont conference championship. Nolley set a school-record time in the 400 and was named male conference track athlete of the year.
Kate Ann O’Brien, Cuthbertson girls’ lacrosse: O’Brien, a senior, had 10 goals and six assists in three games last week.
Against Porter Ridge on April 27, O’Brien totaled three goals, five assists, plus 11 draw controls. Against Marvin Ridge on April 28, she had four goals, one assist, plus eight ground balls and five draw controls. Against Charlotte Catholic on April 30, she finished with three goals, three ground balls and five draw controls.
Last week, O’Brien set career school records for goals (275), points (349), ground balls (266), draw controls (391) and caused turnovers (109).
Katie Pilon, Charlotte Country Day girls’ lacrosse: In a 21-9 win over Charlotte Latin last week, Pilon had five goals and two assists. For the season, Pilon has 23 goals and 16 assists as a defensive midfielder for a Bucs’ team that finished 17-3 in the regular-season.
Alex Riley, Hough baseball: In a 10-2 upset win over Myers Park in the Greater Charlotte tournament championship game, Riley pitched 5.1 innings, scattered five hits and allowed two runs. Riley is coming back from arm surgery in the offseason, according to Hough coach Pete Jenkins.
Sophie Strugar, Providence softball: Strugar, a sophomore, had four hits, a home run and five RBIs in an 11-2 win over Ardrey Kell in the Southwestern 7A/8A championship game last week. She got the win as a pitcher, allowing three hits in seven innings, while striking out 12 batters. For the season, Strugar is hitting .493 with nine home runs and 36 RBIs. She’s 10-0 as a pitcher with a 1.10 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 57.1 innings.
Sophie Tan, Charlotte Catholic girls’ lacrosse: Tan, a senior midfielder, had big games last week in a 12-5 win over Charlotte Country Day and a 10-7 win over Cuthbertson.
Against Country Day, Tan had seven goals, nine draw controls, two ground balls and a takeaway. Against Cuthbertson, on Senior Day, she had three goals, a ground ball, five draw controls and a takeaway. For the season, Tan has 33 goals, eight assists, 16 ground balls, 50 draw controls and 10 caused turnovers.
This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 8:00 PM with the headline "Vote for The Observer’s high school athlete of the week (May 8, 2026)."
