Vote now for The News Tribune’s 2025-26 Girls Athlete of the Year
Vote now for The News Tribune’s 2025-26 Girls Athlete of the Year. Voting will remain open until noon Monday, June 22.
The poll is located below. You can read about all of the candidates and their accomplishments below.
Note: If you are not seeing the poll at the bottom of the story, try opening the story in a different browser, such as Chrome or Safari. Votes emailed will not be counted.
Ella Bach, Puyallup, sr. — TNT All-Area Soccer Player of the Year tallied 19 goals and a team-leading 14 assists, conquering constant fouls and double-teams. 4A SPSL MVP and Clemson commit guided Puyallup back to the state tournament.
Kawehi Borden, Sumner, jr. — Star guard powered Sumner’s second-straight 4A state championship game and runner-up finish, dropping a tournament-high 87 points in four games at the Tacoma Dome. 4A SPSL North MVP averaged 16.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and three assists per game.
Leijla Carlson, Gig Harbor, sr. — Boise State University bound distance runner accumulated three fourth-place state cross country finishes and one second-place finish (2022) and three team podium finishes in track and field. Led the cross country team to league titles in 2024 and 2025, district titles in 2024 and 2025, four straight track league titles and district track titles in 2025 and 2026.
Ava Close-Boyd, Charles Wright, sr. — A volleyball captain and first-team all-league selection in the 1A Nisqually, Close-Boyd was named the Tacoma Athletic Commission’s female inspirational athlete of the year.
Mae Cocke, Sumner, sr. — One of Sumner’s premier multi-sport athletes, Cocke excelled in soccer, basketball and track. Helped lead the Spartans to district and state tournament appearances and on the basketball court, was an important member of one of the state’s most successful programs, helping Sumner reach consecutive Class 4A state championship games. In track, earned multiple medals and helped her team repeat its state title in the 4x400 relay this spring. TNT 2024-25 Girls Athlete of the Year.
Addy Conner, North Thurston, sr. — TNT All-Area Volleyball Player of the Year was as clutch as she was consistent, powering No. 1 North Thurston to the Class 3A title in Yakima. Dominant outside hitter piled 534 kills, 190 digs, 28 blocks and 24 aces, named the 3A PSL Nisqually co-MVP and 3A state tournament MVP. Cal Poly beach volleyball commit.
Oliviyah Edwards, Lincoln, sr. — All-Area Basketball Player of the Year and South Carolina commit averaged 30 points, 22 rebounds and five blocks per game for the Abes this winter. Consensus five-star forward is the nation’s second-ranked recruit in the 2026 class.
Hi’ilei Gomes, Kentlake, jr. — Standout swimmer and softball player set school records in the 2026 softball season with a .745 batting average, 13 home runs, 56 RBI, a 2.653 OPS and a 1.804 slugging percentage, marks that made her the 3A NPSL player of the year. Also scored 42 runs, was walked 39 times and stole 25 bases. TNT All-Area selection is part of the Seattle Mariners Hometown Nine program.
Kendall Griffin, Lakes, jr. — Three-sport athlete has won in everything she’s been a part of. She was an all-league soccer selection in the 3A PSL, won the 3A 130-pound state title at Mat Classic XXXVII and was a state competitor in multiple events in track.
Jayda Guadron, Emerald Ridge, sr. — A star in both flag football and fastpitch, Guadron leaves the school as one of its most decorated student-athletes. Earned 4A SPSL MVP honors in flag football in 2025 and 2026 and leaves with the following school records: season receiving TDs (33), season interceptions (12), career receptions (214), career flag pulls (206) and career interceptions (23). In fastpitch, Guadron was a four-time varsity letter winner and four-time 4A SPSL first-team selection, as well as the 4A SPSL offensive player of the year in 2026. Three-time WIAA state tournament participant and Central Washington softball commit held a 3.81 grade point average.
Karin Heikkila, Gig Harbor, sr. — Lightning-quick forward and TNT All-Area soccer selection tallied 18 goals and 17 assists, lifting the Tides to the 3A District 3 title and a state quarterfinals appearance. This spring, Heikkila ran the second leg of Gig Harbor’s back-to-back state champion 3A Girls 4x100M Relay (47.40) at the WIAA track and field championships at Mount Tahoma High School. Samford (Birmingham, Alabama) soccer commit.
Savannah Hinton, Silas, jr. — Standout hurdler claimed two state titles at the WIAA track and field championships (Mount Tahoma High School) in May. Hinton set a state meet record in the 3A Girls 300M Hurdles (41.73) and took home gold in the 3A Girls 100M Hurdles (14.55).
Amyah Johnson, Decatur, sr. — Five-time state participant and three-time state placer at Decatur. Took 12th at the 2025 3A girls dive championship and 12th (team eighth) at the 2026 state gymnastics meet. Also placed 14th at the state dive meet in 2024 and participated in the state gymnastics competitions. Has a 3.95 cumulative grade point average.
Jaycee Kemp, Puyallup, fr. — Freshman pitcher rose to instant stardom, pacing the South Sound in earned run average (0.64) on Puyallup’s 4A state-tournament softball team. Kemp, the 4A SPSL North MVP Pitcher, tallied 18 wins and 272 strikeouts.
Averee McClelland, River Ridge, sr. — Led the Hawks to a postseason appearance in flag football as an honorable mention running back. She is 12th all-time in the school record books for high jump, in which she was a district qualifier this year. On the soccer field, led the team to the postseason for the first time since fall of 2016.
Natalie Medalia, Silas, sr. — The area’s softball “Triple Crown” winner (regular season and post.) paced the South Sound with a .768 batting average, 18 home runs, and 76 RBI. Medalia, a senior, led the state in AVG, SLG (1.928), and RBI, per MaxPreps, adding eight doubles and nine triples.
Kyler Menza, Washington, sr. — Two-time state wrestling champion stunned Toppenish senior and three-time champion Sophia Torrez (2A 105) at Mat Classic XXXVII inside the Tacoma Dome.
Brooklyn Pettit, Graham-Kapowsin, soph. — The TNT’s All-Area Softball Player of the Year guided the Eagles to the 4A state championship game and runner-up finish, leading the South Sound in wins (24) and strikeouts (317). Gatorade Washington Softball Player of the Year slashed .545/.602/1.148 with 14 home runs and 45 RBI.
Maggie Schmitz, White River, jr. — Two-time basketball league MVP and two-time TNT All-Area selection averaged 20 points per game in her junior season and is sitting at 1,400 career points with one more season to go. Led White River to the Class 3A state tournament at the Tacoma Dome in the winter.
Kinley Smith, Timberline, jr. — All-around volleyball force earned 3A PSL Nisqually Defensive Player of the Year honors and paced the South Sound in kills (577) last fall. Smith posted 10+ kills in 34 of Timberline’s 38 matches, powering the Blazers’ state-tournament run with 359 digs (3.3/set), 81 aces and 50 blocks.
Brandi Stanford, River Ridge, sr. — Basketball standout scored 477 points (fourth all-time in school history) last winter and had 1,824 career points. Averaged 19.1 points per game. Broke an 11-year single-game points record last winter with 35 points against Meadowdale in a postseason game. Will continue her basketball career at Alaska-Fairbanks University.
Lindy Strowbridge, Rogers, sr. — A four-year wrestling standout, Strowbridge compiled a 145-29 record and became the first female wrestler in school history to surpass 100 career wins. A four-time state qualifier and a finalist in 2024-25, she elevated her performance during the 2025-26 season with titles and honors including Rose City champion, GutCheck finalist, Kelso finalist, SPSL champion, and SPSL Wrestler of the Year. She concluded her athletic wrestling career with a state championship in the 130-pound weight class. Also participated in soccer, track, unified basketball and unified soccer at Rogers.
Teuaililo Time, Lincoln, sr. — Star quarterback guided the Abes to the inaugural Class 3A girls flag football state title, tossing three touchdowns in the championship game at Federal Way High School in February. Time threw 98 touchdown passes this winter, calculated by head coach Shalls Jacome as second nationwide.
Jenica Walling, Cascade Christian, sr. — Excelled in both volleyball and basketball for the Cougars. Walling led the basketball team to the 1A state tournament in Yakima for the first time since 2015, earning first-team 1A Nisqually honors in the winter. She finished in the top two on the team in rebounds, deflections and steals. In volleyball, led the team to the 1A Nisqually championship, a district tournament championship and a state tournament appearance, earning league MVP honors with 482 kills, 313 digs, 52 aces and 16 double-doubles. In volleyball, she was a four-time team captain, four-time all-league member, three-time league champion, three-time district champion and a four-time state tournament participant. Cal State Bakersfield beach volleyball signee.
Latham West, Bonney Lake, sr. — Distance specialist captured state titles in the 4A Girls 1600M Run (4:48.99) and 4A Girls 3200M Run (10:18.99) at the WIAA track and field championships (Mount Tahoma High School) in May. Was also a 4A SPSL and West Central III District champion in cross country, taking third place in the 4A state tournament last fall. In the 105-pound weight class as a wrestler, took second in the district and second place at the Mat Classic state tournament in the winter.
This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 12:43 PM.
