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The October 14-19 PNJ Athlete of the Week poll is now open

The October 14-19 PNJ Athlete of the Week poll is now open

It’s time for another round of the Pensacola News Journal Athlete of the Week.

Vote early and vote often! Each week through the end of the 2024-25 track and field season, PNJ will release a list of regional athletes from each sport of the season, and that’s where you come in: Vote for who you think should win the award.

Polling stations are open until 11 a.m. every Saturday of the week. Each weekly winner will receive a unique PNJ Athlete of the Week shirt provided by BSN SPORTS. The survey takes place exclusively on PNJ.com.

Winners will be contacted early next week after the survey ends.

Nominations will be accepted by email or telephone but will be selected by staff unless a submission is received. The survey will be decided by the PNJ sports staff and will be completed on the Sunday before the survey begins.

Note: Is your team or sport missing from Athlete of the Week? Be sure to submit stats to the PNJ staff or keep your MaxPreps page updated.

Ben Grieco can be reached at X (@BenGriecoSports) or by email at [email protected].

Football (Attack), Keagan Gilbert (Navarre): Keagan Gilbert, who transferred from Texas to Navarre this fall, didn’t know about the Beach Bowl rivalry against Gulf Breeze before this season. Let’s just say he made a statement against the Dolphins. In a 48-20 win, Gilbert ran for 213 yards and two touchdowns on just 14 attempts. He scored a 44-yarder and a 38-yarder, breaking through Gulf Breeze’s defensive lines.

Football (defense), Ladarian Clardy (Escambia): In a narrow 23-20 win over Crestview, Escambia’s Ladarian Clardy made his presence felt on defense. Against the Bulldogs, he not only made a team-high nine tackles, three of which were for loss, but also recorded his second interception of the season, which he returned for 10 yards.

Volleyball, Sarah Frazee (Gulf Breeze): Gulf Breeze head coach Jasmine King said Sarah Frazee makes the libero/defensive specialist position look easy. Frazee certainly made it work with two wins that ultimately led to the Dolphins winning their sixth straight district title with a 3-1 win over Niceville. In the semifinal against Pace, Frazee had eight digs and six assists. But against the Eagles, Frazee was on another level with two aces, 28 digs and seven assists. In both games, Frazee was outstanding on defense with 35 serve receivers.

Boys Cross Country, Brody Bruce (Navarre): Another week, another win for the Raiders senior. Brody Bruce won the 5K race at Ashton Brosnaham Park by over eight seconds at last week’s Aggie Invitational (which was originally postponed due to possible impacts from Hurricane Helene). He finished the event with a time of 16 minutes and 14.05 seconds.

Girls in Cross Country, Addison Garrett (Pensacola Catholic): Competing against some of the best competitors in the Florida Panhandle and beyond, Pensacola Catholic’s Addison Garrett placed 38th (32nd) at the New World Fall Spectacular in Jacksonville. During the 5K race, she managed a flat time of 19 minutes.

Boys Swimming and Diving, Addison Lee (Gulf Breeze): At the Santa Rosa County Championships later in the week, Lee scored two individual firsts. In the individual medley over 200 yards, Lee achieved a time of 2 minutes and 4.51 seconds; He then took the county crown in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1 minute, 1.72 seconds. Lee was also part of the winning 200-yard individual medley (1:44.90) and 400-yard freestyle (3:29.78) relay teams.

Girls Swimming and Diving, Caroline Smith (Gulf Breeze): Smith, another one-two finisher for the Dolphins at the Santa Rosa County Championships, captured both the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1 minute, 7.63 seconds and the 100-yard butterfly. and the 100-yard breaststroke lasted 1 minute, 15.6 seconds. Smith, who helped the Dolphins to a first-team finish with 414.50 points, also won the 200-yard individual medley (2:06.47) and 200-yard freestyle (1:54.43) relays.

Boys Golf, Troyce Perkins (Pace): The Patriots placed first in one quad meet and finished a close second in another during the week. In the team’s win in a match at Cypress Lakes Golf Club, Perkins was the event’s medalist with a three-over-par 39, beating three golfers by one stroke. Pace finished second by just two shots against Pensacola Catholic at Stonebrook Golf Club, where Perkins tied for second with a one-over-par 37 on the round.

Girls Golf, Gabby Hultstrand (Pensacola): Another solid week for the Pensacola senior, Gabby Hultstrand was a two-time medalist for the Tigers this week. In a three-way match with Pace and Tate at Stonebrook Golf Club, Hultstrand shot an even-par 36 with two birdies. In a quad match at Cypress Lakes, Hultstrand won the individual championship by three shots and shot a three-over-par 38 on the day .