On October 23rd, we’ll celebrate outstanding fall sports with the Bay City Athlete of the Week

BAY CITY, MI – Each week during the 2024 fall high school sports season, we will spotlight athletes from volleyball, cross country, boys soccer, girls golf, boys tennis and girls swimming with our MLive Bay City Athlete of the Week project.

We recognize athletes for their good work and give readers the opportunity to decide on the weekly award. Cast your vote as many times as you like until the poll closes at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, October 29th.

JESSICA BOWERS, OWENGAGE

The Owendale-Gagetown volleyball team has a strong presence at the net in Bowers. The sophomore is in her second varsity season and is a standout defensive player in the middle block. “Jessica scores points with her serves, spikes and blocks,” said coach Barbara Hellebuyck. “She’s quick at the net and outworks her competitors.” Bowers excels at scoring at the top, with solid blocks and strong kills.

KATE FRIEDLE, BAY CITY WESTERN

In Friedle, the Western volleyball team has a player who can be both a calming presence and a spark plug when needed. The senior has emerged as an important cog for the Warriors at libero. “Kate has grown into her role as a leader in the back row this year,” said coach Melissa David. “I look to her when the team needs energy because she is always full of energy. She reads the field really well and can cover one end of the field to the other with smooth and graceful movements.” Friedle also always keeps her head in the game. She leads the Warriors in digs and service percentage.

ALYVIA JANKE, UNIONVILLE-SEBEWAING

When Janke began her high school career this fall, she hit the ground running with the USA Girls Cross Country program. “She showed a lot of potential as a middle school athlete,” coach Mike Peter said. “She made good use of the summer and trained a lot. She is an athlete who loves setting big goals and pushing her limits. When she starts, she’s totally into it. She loves to compete.” The freshman has placed in the top 10 in nearly every event, highlighted by a first-place finish at the Linden Classic. She owns a personal record of 20:32.

JEANA LENHARD, ESSEXVILLE GARBER

The Garber volleyball team had high expectations for Lenhard from the start, and she exceeded them all with a remarkable two seasons on the varsity level. She is just a sophomore and has already broken school records with 544 kills in a season and 1,057 in her career. “She’s had a volleyball in her hand since she was a little girl,” coach Kim Kokaly said. “I remember a travel basketball game where her dad was coaching her and she was setting up the basketball. She loves the sport and her time in the gym shows every time she steps on the court.”

NICK NAYLOR, JOHN GLENN

The John Glenn boys’ tennis team has found a hidden gem in Naylor. Naylor, a baseball and basketball player, didn’t join the tennis team until his senior season but was an instant success. “Nick learned the game of tennis quickly and was easy to coach,” said coach Kevin Miller. “I remember teaching him how to hit a slice serve by comparing it to throwing a curveball.” Naylor and No. 3 doubles teammate Will Gallagher went 16-6, reaching the regional title game and helped the Bobcats to the program’s first trip to the state finals.

ELIJAH RIEDLINGER, BAY CITY CENTRAL

Riedlinger is a runner on the rise for Central’s boys cross country team. The sophomore set the pace for the Wolves at the Saginaw Valley League Championship with a personal best time of 18:41.9. “Elijah’s times are trending down,” coach Russ Gorski said. “He has developed into a consistent 18-year-old runner and is a solid top-two runner for the boys.” Riedlinger has established a new PR for himself four times this season.

BRIAN ROUSSE, BAY CITY WESTERN

Rousse is a team player and a strong role model for the Western boys’ soccer team. As a starting defender, he has been an integral part of the team for the past three seasons. “He is physically strong and our best defender,” coach Kyle Jean said. “He’s a great leader for our young guys who were in the starting lineup. He gave everything he had for this team over the last four years.”

AMELIA RYZYK, CLARE

Ryzyk is just a sophomore and has proven to be a support machine for the Clare volleyball team. She has already recorded more than 1,200 assists in her college career. “She demonstrates exceptional judgment in selecting which hitter to field while also posing a significant offensive threat in her own right,” coach Shannon Taylor said. “Her laid-back, yet fiercely competitive attitude greatly benefits the team.” She also shines on the service line and is among the team leaders in service percentage and aces.

AERABELLA ZAVALA-DAVIS, BAY CITY CENTRAL

The senior continues to demonstrate her team spirit and adventurous spirit as she takes on the new challenge of diving in her fourth season with the Central girls swim team. “After being a pure swimmer for her first three-plus seasons, Bella showed her versatility about a month ago when she did a somersault off the diving board,” said coach Dave Staudacher. “She has since completed five more jumps, the minimum number of jumps needed to compete in a doubles competition.” She quickly became a force and earned the Wolves valuable points in the event.

MLive player surveys are non-scientific endeavors designed to promote fun, fandom, and discussion. Winners receive no prize and results have no bearing on postseason awards.

The use of any form of automated voting is contrary to intent and is not permitted.

Votes are not always tabulated immediately. If you receive the message “Thank you for voting,” your vote will be counted.

There will be no voting by email!

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