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 Sept. 30-Oct. 5.
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:
Megan Bence, Carlmont tennis: Bence, a junior, won 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2 singles, sweeping her opponent from Half Moon Bay as Carlmont remained undefeated as a team this season.
Elsa Chin, Alameda flag football: Chin, a senior, filled up the stat sheet for the Hornets over the past week. She scored two rushing touchdowns and had two interceptions in a win over Arroyo and added three interceptions and two touchdowns in a win over Castro Valley.
Sofia Flierl, Menlo School water polo: Flierl, a senior, scored five goals and dished two assists as Menlo took down St. Francis 13-8 in West Catholic Athletic League action.
Lillie King, Carondelet volleyball: King compiled nine kills and hit .533 in a sweep of Granada, then was a perfect 5 for 5 from the field, hitting 1.000 in a sweep of Livermore.
Audrina Kang, Miramonte water polo: Kang, a senior, scored three goals on three shots in Miramonte’s 8-5 win over Sacred Heart Prep.
Kayla Lichaa, San Mateo flag football: Lichaa, a sophomore, completed 18 of 21 passes for 161 yards and four touchdowns as the Bearcats narrowly lost to Capuchino at home. She also rushed for 68 yards on six carries.
Sarah Lim, Saratoga golf: Lim posted two excellent performances, carding a 2-under 35 at Coyote Creek in a win over Los Gatos and a 4-under 30 in a win over Milpitas at Saratoga Country Club. Lim, a senior, is committed to play golf at Princeton next year.
Lauren Lynam, Monte Vista water polo: The freshman had two goals, three assists and six steals against Clovis North, a goal and an assist against Arroyo Grande, two goals and a steal against Leland, a goal and two steals against Stevenson-Pebble Beach and two goals and a steal in a big 14-12 win over St. Francis.
Sammy Ruiz, Menlo-Atherton flag football: Ruiz, a junior, intercepted a pass with five seconds remaining to seal Menlo-Atherton’s 14-13 win over Aragon, the Bears’ second in conference play this season.
Kathryn Snow, Fremont-Sunnyvale field hockey: Snow, a senior, scored both of Fremont’s goals in a 2-1 win over Santa Clara last Monday.