It's Athlete of the Week time, and there are several top candidates in the running. I used that turn-of-phrase, because this week's five nominees are heavy with cross country runners after last week's first Desert Athletic Conference meet.
You know the drill. Read the accomplishments of the five athletes and then vote for your favorite in the poll at the bottom of this article at desertsun.com. Whoever has the most votes by noon on Saturday will be the weekly winner.
Before we move on to this week's honorees. Let's look back at who you voted for last week. You voted and you chose Palm Desert flag football quarterback Grace Thompson. Thompson had a three-touchdown game in a win over Desert Hot Springs.
This is our weekly reminder that we love to
get nominations from parents and coaches. If you know a fall athlete that has been performing at a high level. Please e-mail us the pertinent details to sports@desertsun.com.
This week's winner, as always, is up to you. Here are this week's candidates listed in alphabetical order.
Marina Avila, Palm Desert cross country
What she did: Avila was the champion of the first ever Desert Athletic Conference meet that included all 14 desert teams at the same time. She was 20 seconds faster than her nearest competitor with a time of 19:20.7.
Brynn Campbell, Xavier Prep volleyball
What she did: Campbell, a senior who has been a consistent force at the net all season, had 12 kills in a win over Indio and followed it up with 14 kills in the Saints final league game, a 3-1 win over Palm Springs. The Saints finished the league season 12-0 making it 55 straight league wins.
Nevaeh Cardoza, Cathedral City cross country
What she did: Cardoza won the first Desert Valley League cross country race of the season, finishing in 20 minutes, 20.8 seconds. She finished sixth overall in the Desert Athletic Conference combined race.
Michael Hernandez Cruz, Rancho Mirage cross country
What he did: Hernandez Cruz captured the Desert Valley League title with a time of 16:39.5 in the combined Desert Athletic Conference race. He finished 16th overall in the event.
Kaden Rivera, La Quinta
What he did: Rivera proved himself to be the fastest runner in the desert, at least on Oct. 7 at the first Desert Athletic Conference. Rivera finished first with a time of 15:05.9, winning the race that included all 14 desert high schools.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: It's Athlete of the Week poll time, cast a vote for your favorite
