The high school sports season has begun, and we will be honoring the accomplishments of area athletes throughout the school year. Each week, the Herald-Tribune staff will select nominees for the Herald-Tribune Girls Athlete of the Week poll. Nominees come from scores and stats emailed by Sarasota and Manatee County coaches during the week to htincoming@gmail.com. Readers can then vote in the online poll to determine the Girls Athlete of the Week.
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A poll will be posted at heraldtribune.com each Monday, and voting will end at 10 a.m. Friday each week.
You can vote in the poll below or CLICK HERE.
The nominees for the week of Aug. 17-22, 2026 are:
Volleyball
Alex Beasley, Out-of-Door Academy: Beasley had
eight kills and four aces in ODA's 3-0 sweep of Classical Academy.
Liza Collier, Sarasota: The Sailors swept Braden River and Sarasota Christian to begin the regular season. Collier had 20 kills across both games.
Grace Hullinger, Bradenton Christian: Hullinger had over 15 kills in Bradenton Christian's 3-1 win over Cardinal Mooney on the road.
Adalynn Lund, Lakewood Ranch: Lund had 11 kills, one ace, eight blocks, 10 digs and 12 assists in Lakewood Ranch's 3-0 sweep over Lemon Bay.
Zoey Mullen, Sarasota: Mullen had 19 total kills across Sarasota's two opening season matches, where the Sailors swept Braden River and Sarasota Christian.
Addelyn VanDuinen, Bradenton Christian: VanDuinen, a junior setter/outside hitter, had over 15 kills and at least three aces in Bradenton Christian's 3-1 win over Cardinal Mooney on the road.
Golf
Brooklyn Cullen, Out-of-Door Academy: To open the season, Cullen shot four under against Wellen Park, winning an individual medal for having the lowest score in the field and helping the Thunder to a win. Cullen also shot 140 in a 36-hole Bishop Verot Invitational, finishing tied for first at 4-under.
Ariana Zawrotny, Riverview: In a preseason match, Rams captain Ariana Zawrotny medaled after shooting a field-low 41. Against North Port, she also tied for the lowest score, shooting a 44.
Cross Country
Kayla Hawk, Lakewood Ranch: Hawk helped the Mustangs' cross country team place first in the Lemon Bay Invitational, finishing first with a 5K time of 6:26.8.
Megan Taylor, North Port: Taylor finished fourth in the Lemon Bay Invitational, finishing with a 6:40.5.
Editor's Note: We reserve the right to disqualify a candidate or declare a vote "no contest" if tampering such as bots or offering to pay for voting is evident. Please respect the integrity of the vote the way these athletes respect the integrity of the game.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: VOTE for the Herald-Tribune Girls Athlete of the Week for Aug. 17-22
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