ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
To nominate a Boys or Girls Athlete of the Week or an Academic All-Star, go to nominations.azcentral.com.
The azcentral Sports Awards are given out each spring.
Keep checking azcentral.com for updated information.
Boys: Brandon Martz, Cross Country, Catalina Foothills
As a junior, Martz was a good but unspectacular runner. He finished seventh at the AIA Division II championships and won two of his seven meets on the year.
This year, he was a machine. He won all but one race and capped his season off with an incredible performance at the Division II state championship meet. Not only was his time of 15:39.4 good enough to win the race, but it was the fastest of the meet for any division.
Martz and teammate Max Irey, who came in third, helped Catalina Foothills to a third place team finish despite not having any other runners in the top 25. ““I knew who was going to be in the top pack,” Martz said. “Just running against them many times. Towards the end of the race, I wanted to kick away at the half mile. That was my plan.” Girls: Teraya Sigler, Volleyball, Horizon
To describe Sigler as dominant force during Saturday’s 5A state championship game would still be underselling her accomplishments. In Horizon’s 3-1 win over Millennium, she recorded an absurd 27 kills — a season-high when it mattered most. At one point in the critical third set, Horizon faced set point before Sigler knocked down three kills in four points, turning the tide of the entire match.
For Sigler, it was a culmination of the move she made in the off-season when she transferred to Horizon from Phoenix Country Day — where she won the 2A title last year. Now, she and Horizon are both back-to-back state champions.
“Teraya has an amazing overall ability of every aspect of her game,” Horizon coach Valorie McKenzie said. “Digging, passing, blocking, hitting. She has a great court awareness and game awareness. She's a very intelligent player.”
Academic: Ella Lomigora, Volleyball, Corona del Sol
Lomigora has accomplished almost all there is to accomplish in her high school career. A year ago, she was named to the All-Arizona volleyball team as one of the state’s best middle blockers. Her performances have also earned her a scholarship to play collegiately at Long Beach State.
As of Saturday, she’s also a state champion. In Corona del Sol’s thrilling, five-set 6A championship game win over Hamilton, Lomigora knocked down 11 kills to go along with five blocks and seven digs.
But that’s not all. Lomigora is also a standout in the classroom at Corona del Sol, where she has a remarkable 4.36 weighted GPA.
“Ella is a tremendous leader both on the court and off, displaying an incredible work ethic,” Corona del Sol coach Ben Maxfield said. “She brings the best out of everyone and elevates everyone to do better in all aspects of their lives.”