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 Feb. 12-17.
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.
Candidates for future Athlete of the Week polls can be nominated at highschools@bayareanewsgroup.com.
We accept nominations until 11 a.m. each Monday.
We also review stats submitted to MaxPreps by coaches/team statisticians.
On to the nominees:
Sophia Darer, Terra Nova wrestling: Darer, a sophomore, won the 110-pound CCS title, defeating her opponent 10-5. She has a 39-15 record with 21 pins in her wrestling career.
Kimberly Flores, Cristo Rey basketball: Flores, a senior, scored 25 points in Cristo Rey’s 53-35 victory over University Prep in the CCS playoffs. The sharpshooter made seven 3-pointers in the win.
Tamara Grace, Gilroy wrestling: Grace won the 130-poundCCS championship. She was a big reason the Mustangs won the team title with 220.5 points, with Alisal a distant second at 163.
Maggie Lam, Lynbrook basketball: Lam, a senior, scored a team-high 17 points in Lynbrook’s 44-21 victory over Aragon in the CCS playoffs. She connected on three 3-pointers in the Vikings rout.
Ava Mathieson, Las Lomas soccer: Mathieson, a senior, scored a goal and had an assist in the Knight’s 3-2 victory over Bishop O’Dowd in the NCS Division II quarterfinals. She ended the week with 13 goals on the season.
Lauren Ngyuen, Granada wrestling: Nguyen, a senior went back-to-back at the NCS championships. For the second straight year, she won the section title, this time in the 100-pound division by a score of 12-0.
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Ze’ni Patterson, Heritage basketball: Patterson, a freshman, scored 21 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in Heritage’s 55-43 win against James Logan in the NCS Division I playoffs. Patterson is averaging 17 points-per game this season.
Jaslene Valencia, Piedmont Hills soccer: Valencia, a sophomore, scored the winning goal in Piedmont HIlls’ 1-0 victory over Westmont. Valencia ended the week with five goals and six assists on the season.
Shayna Ward, Oakland Tech wrestling: Ward, a junior, defeated her opponent 2-0 to claim the 120-pound NCS title. Ward was the only Oakland-area wrestler to win at the NCS championships.
Mariam Yusuf, Woodside soccer: Yusuf, a junior, scored the winning goal in Woodside’s 1-0 playoff victory over Aragon. She ended the week with 13 goals and four assists on the season.