Editor’s note: We prohibit the use of bots and any other artificial methods of voting. Suspicious activity could lead to the disqualification of candidates and a permanent suspension of the Athlete of the Week poll. No voting by email: Votes by email and after 5 p.m. Wednesday are not counted.
Welcome to the Bay Area News Group (Mercury News & East Bay Times) girls Athlete of the Week poll.
For the entire academic year, we will provide a list of candidates who stood out over the previous week and allow you, the reader, to vote for the winner.
This week, we consider performances from May 5-10.
Polls close at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Vote as many times as you’d like until then without using bots or any other artificial methods of voting.
Votes by email and after 5 p.m. Wednesday are not counted.
Scroll to the bottom for the poll.
Winners are announced each Friday online and in the print edition of the Mercury News and East Bay Times sports sections.
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Candidates for future Athlete of the Week polls can be nominated at [email protected].
We accept nominations until 11 a.m. each Monday.
We also review stats submitted to MaxPreps by coaches/team statisticians.
On to the nominees:
Stella Canoles, Campolindo swimming: The freshman won the 50-yard freestyle (22.9) and the 100 free (49.4) at the NCS championships. Also helped the Cougars take second in the 200 free relay.
Maya Ifo Desai, Archbishop Mitty track and field: Ifo Desai had a strong showing at the West Catholic Athletic League championships, winning the shot put (40-4.5) and discus (154-11).
Rylee Hutchinson, Amador Valley swimming: The sophomore won the 200 free in 1:50.90 at the NCS championships, beating out the top two qualifiers to win the title.
Lola Jones, Hillsdale softball: Jones pitched the final eight innings of Hillsdale’s nine-inning 2-1 win over Aragon, conceding only an automatic runner in the ninth and striking out seven. The sophomore also pitched a complete game in a 12-2 win over Woodside, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and striking out six.
Jazzy Maske, Mills softball: The sophomore had two doubles, two RBIs and scored two runs as Mills routed Sequoia 13-3. In a 14-3 win over Menlo-Atherton, Maske posted three hits, three RBIs, four runs scored, a triple and a home run.
Ellie McCuskey-Hay, St. Ignatius track and field: McCuskey-Hay won four events and set two meet records at the West Catholic Athletic League championships at St. Francis on Friday. She anchored the 4×100-meter relay to a school and meet record 47.17 and won the 100 in 11.75. She then won the long jump in a meet record 18-10.5. She finished the night with a first-place dash in the 200 in 24.61.
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Jaella Mercado, Bishop O’Dowd softball: Mercado stole three bases and drove in three runs as O’Dowd beat Encinal 8-2. The senior and UCLA commit added a pair of hits and an RBI, plus three more steals, in a loss to Castro Valley.
Katia Nesper, The King’s Academy softball: Nesper pitched a complete-game two-hitter as TKA shut out Hillsdale 1-0 in a close Peninsula Athletic League contest. She struck out nine. Against San Mateo, she spun a one-hitter with 14 strikeouts in a 6-0 victory.
Emmi Ng, Pinole Valley swimming: Ng led the Spartans to a fourth-place finish in the Tri-Country Athletic League championships, winning the 100 fly with a time of 1:06.91 and finishing third in the 50 free at 27.52. She swam fly in the 200 medley relay to help PV take fourth place and led off the 200 free relay to help secure a third-place finish.
Veronica Taira, Menlo School track and field: The senior won the West Bay Athletic League championship in the 3,200, topping the field with a time of 11:13.42. She also took second in the 1,600 (5:01.89) at the WBAL championships and qualified for CCS in both events.