It's time to vote for The Desert Sun's Athlete of the Week

It's Athlete of the Week time and that's where you participate. You get to vote for The Desert Sun Athlete of the Week. It's simple. Just read the accomplishments of five local athletes and vote for the one you find most impressive in the poll attached to this article at desertsun.com. But before we

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What is the story about?

It's Athlete of the Week time and that's where you participate. You get to vote for The Desert Sun Athlete of the Week.

It's simple. Just read the accomplishments of five local athletes and vote for the one you find most impressive in the poll attached to this article at desertsun.com.

But before we look at this week's honorees, let's see who you voted for last week. The votes were tallied and you chose Palm Desert cross country standout Marina Avila. Avila was the top desert runner at the Cool Breeze Invitational, finishing 19th in an elite field of more than 100 racers.

Palm Desert's Marina Avila runs in second place midway through her race at Xavier College Preparatory High School in Palm Desert, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025.

This week's winner is up to you. Cast your vote and whoever has the most votes by noon on Saturday will be declared the weekly winner. Also parents and coaches feel free to nominate

a player for the weekly award. We love that. Simply send us an e-mail to sports@desertsun.com and we'll put them up for consideration.

Here are this week's candidates listed in alphabetical. Happy voting.

Julia Alvarez-Ladd, La Quinta volleyball

What she did: The La Quinta senior helped the Blackhawks to a key 3-2 win over Rancho Mirage with a team-best 12 kills, five aces and six digs during the win.

Gracie Frederick, Xavier Prep volleyball

What she did: Frederick led the team with 13 kills, eight aces and 32 digs as the Saints increased their league winning streak to 48 games with a four-set win over Palm Desert last week.

Chloe Gervin, Rancho Mirage volleyball

What she did: Gervin was named the tournament MVP at the Kurt Benjamin Memorial Tournament in Beaumont as her 32 kills and 12 aces over eight total sets helped the Rattlers earn the title. She had 12 kills in the championship game.

Gwyneth Kitagawa, Palm Desert flag football

What she did: Kitagawa had two interceptions and a touchdown catch in the Aztecs' 24-6 win over Valley View. She followed it up with another touchdown catch in a 12-0 win over Citrus Valley.

Vanessa Monaco, Shadow Hills flag football

What she did: Monaco, now a junior, has continued to be the top quarterback in the desert and she showed out in a recent win over Desert Hot Springs, throwing for four touchdowns and running for another.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: It's time to vote for The Desert Sun's Athlete of the Week