Vote now: Who should be SBLive's Illinois High School Athlete of the Week (May 22-28)?

Here are the candidates for SBLive's Illinois High School Athlete of the Week as nominated by fans, readers and SBLive’s staff.

Read through the nominees and cast your vote at the bottom of the page. Voting will conclude on Sunday at 11:59 p.m. and the winner will be announced the following week. If you would like to nominate an athlete in the future, please email athleteoftheweek@scorebooklive.com.

THIS WEEK’S SBLIVE ILLINOIS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK NOMINEES:

Editor’s Note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes that receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.

Bailey Abbott, Benet Academy girls soccer

A junior, Abbot played a key role in Benet’s Class 2A Nazareth Academy sectional championship game against Lemont on Friday. Abbot scored her first goal of the season and it would prove to be her first career game-winning goal as the top-seeded Redwings rolled to a 4-0 victory.

Ryan Boe, Batavia baseball

Boe led the Batavia football team to the Class 7A state championship as a quarterback in the fall and came through in the clutch for the Bulldogs on Saturday. With Batavia tied with St. Charles North in the final inning, Boe drove in the winning run with a sac-fly to send Batavia to the South Elgin sectional semifinals.

Ethan Dorchies, Cary-Grove baseball

Dorchies tossed a gem in the Class 3A Cary-Grove regional championship against Prairie Ridge on Saturday. The University of Illinois-Chicago commit tossed a complete-game shutout with 12 strikeouts to lead the Trojans to a 1-0 win to bring home the regional title.

Jimmy Janicki, Downers Grove North baseball

Janicki stepped up in a clutch moment for Downers Grove North during the Class 4A regional championship against Hinsdale Central. Trailing 4-3 and down to their last two outs, Janicki, a Troy University commit, launched a two-run walk-off home run to bring home the regional crown.

Hailey Lucas, Fremd softball

Lucas delivered in the clutch during Fremd’s Class 4A regional championship game against Conant on Friday. With the game tied at 2 in the final inning, the sophomore cleanup hitter stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and walked it off with a line drive single to left field to secure the 22nd regional title in school history.

Tyler Michelini, Neuqua Valley boys track and field

A Grand Valley State football recruit, Michelini had an impressive showing at the state meet at Eastern Illinois on Saturday. He took home the first place metal in the shot put event with a throw of 18.70 meters in his final attempt. His strong finish helped the Wildcats to a second-place team finish.

Nathan Montalto, Reavis baseball

Montalto was the key bat in the Reavis lineup during their 5-2 regional championship win over Kenwood on Saturday. The Saint Xavier commit was 2-for-3 with two doubles and four RBIs to pace the offense and lead Reavis to its first regional title since 2017.

Randall Nauden, Brother Rice baseball

A junior catcher, Nauden had a big day at the plate and on defense during the Crusaders' Class 4A Whitney Young regional championship matchup with conference rival Mount Carmel on Saturday. Nauden hit a pair of home runs to pace the offense and also picked off a runner to end a Caravan rally in the third inning. Brother Rice went on to win 6-5.

Maverick Ohle, Naperville Central boys track and field

After a second-place finish in the discus at last year's state meet, Ohle looked to bring home the first-place medal at the Class 3A meet at Eastern Illinois on Saturday. The junior accomplished that feat with a toss of 55.82 meters to win the Class 3A title.

Danica Peshia, Newark softball

Peshia had multiple key at-bats during Newark's Class 1A sectional semifinal game against Streator Woodland on Tuesday. The junior hit a two-run home run to tie the game in the seventh and force extra innings and then drove in the winning run with a two-out single in the ninth.

Ellie Rebmann, Libertyville girls soccer

A senior committed to play soccer at UW-Milwaukee, Rebmann provided Libertyville with all of their offense in the Class 3A Glenbrook North sectional championship game on Friday. She scored a pair of breakaway goals as Libertyville defeated top-seeded Fremd 2-0.

Andrew Ressler, Huntley baseball

An Southern Illinois-Edwardsville commit, Ressler had a dominant performance on the mound in the Class 4A Hampshire regional. The senior tossed a complete game in just 75 pitches and allowed only one base runner on a hit by pitch en route to a 3-0 victory for Huntley’s seventh straight regional championship.

Kate Ryan, Buffalo Grove softball

A senior pitcher and Coastal Carolina softball commit, Ryan was tough to hit in the Class 4A Glenbrook South regional championship game on Saturday. The left-hander retired the first 10 Stevenson batters she faced and ended up going six shutout innings and striking out six before moving to first base in the last inning. The Bison rolled to their third straight regional championship 9-0.

Griffin Sleyko, Oswego East baseball

Sleyko, a senior, was able to shut down the Waubonsie Valley offense and help Oswego East win their first regional championship in school history. The right-hander tossed a complete game allowing five hits and striking out seven as Oswego East won 5-1.

Jake Swanson, Grant baseball

Swanson was lights out on the mound for Grant in the Class 4A Larkin regional championship against Streamwood on Saturday. Grant won 4-0 behind a complete-game shutout by Swanson in which he gave up just two hits. He struck out the final batter of the game with the bases loaded.

Sarah Viar, Lockport softball

A junior shortstop, Viar had an impressive day at the plate in Lockport's Class 4A regional championship game against Andrew on Friday. She tied the game in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI triple – her second triple of the game – as Lockport went on to win 4-1.

Dominic Voegele, Columbia baseball

A senior committed to the University of Kansas, Voegele had another strong start for Columbia on Saturday. The hard-throwing right-hander went 6 ⅔ innings, allowing three runs and striking out 12, to lead Columbia to a 6-3 Sectional Championship victory over Father McGivney.

Jack Watson, Batavia baseball

A 1-0 first inning lead was all Watson needed on the mound during Batavia’s Class 4A regional semifinal victory over Geneva on Thursday. The senior fired a complete game shutout while scattering six hits and striking out nine as the Bulldogs won 2-0.

Blake Wolters, Mahomet-Seymour baseball

A University of Arizona baseball signee, Wolters had another dominant effort in Mahomet-Seymour's 4-1 regional championship victory over Lincoln on Saturday. The right-hander struck out 16 in a complete game effort while allowing just one run. He also reached an astounding 99 miles per hour with his fastball as the Bulldogs won 4-1.

Brynn Woods, Kaneland softball

Woods had a dominant pitching performance in the Class 3A Burlington Central regional championship against Harvard on Saturday. She fired a complete game shutout allowing just one hit and striking out 15. She also contributed a hit in the bottom of the seventh to advance the eventual winning run to third base as Kaneland won 1-0.

Buffalo Grove's Hannah Hull voted SBLive's Illinois High School Athlete of the Week (May 15-21)

Previous winners: Antioch's Jacey Schuler (May 8-14), Lemont's Sage Mardjetko (May 1-7), Nashville's Trey Reinburg (April 24-30), St. Rita's Louie Sisto (April 17-23), Benet's Nina Pesare (April 10-16), Lemont's Cannon Madej (April 3-9), Lincoln-Way East's Amanda Martineck (March 27-April 2), St. Charles North's Leigh Vande Hei (March 20-26), Mascoutah's Austin Musso (March 13-19), Benet Academy's Brayden Fagbemi (March 6-11), Benet Academy's Samantha Trimberger (Feb. 27-March 4), Loyola Academy's Harlee Hiller (Feb. 20-25), Aurora Central Catholic's Riley Cwinski (Feb. 13-18), Geneva's Leah Palmer (Feb. 6-11), Kennedy's Brett Gomez (Jan. 30-Feb. 4), Oswego East's Bryce Shoto (Jan. 23-28), Benet Academy's Brady Kunka (Jan. 16-21), Lincoln-Way East's Lilly Dockemeyer (Jan. 9-14), St. Francis' Tea Rubino (Jan. 2-7), Libertyville's Will Buchert (Dec. 26-31), Rich Township's Diondre Henry (Dec. 19-24), Montini Catholic's Shannon Blacher (Dec. 12-17), East St. Louis' Macaleab Rich (Dec. 5-10), Butler's Xamiya Walton (Nov. 21-26), East St. Louis' TaRyan Martin (Nov. 14-20), Lake Zurich's Tyler Erkman (No. 7-12), St. Rita's DJ Stewart (Oct. 31-Nov. 5), Stevenson's Matt Projansky (Oct. 17-22), Prospect's Brad Vierneisel (Oct. 10-15), Brother Rice's Owen Lyons (Oct. 3-8), Bolingbrook's Jonas Williams (Sept. 19-24), Benet Academy's Aniya Warren (Sept. 12-17), Bolingbrook's I'Marion Stewart (Sept. 4-10), Lemont's Nate Wrublik (Aug. 29-Sept. 3) and Highland's Travis Porter (Aug. 22-28).

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