Categories
Who should be Faber Builders Girls Athlete of the Spring?
Who should be Faber Builders Girls Athlete of the Spring?
With the high school season in our rear-view mirror, it's time to figure out who should be the Girls Athlete of the Spring presented by Faber Builders Inc.
These were the trends this spring:
Five lacrosse, four flag football and two softball players won Athlete of the Week this spring.
No track stars won the award during this season. Usually, one or two win the award.
Aquinas and Pittford Sutherland dominated the awards, with both schools having two Athlete of the Week winners each.
The poll is now open to decide who will be the Faber Builders Girls Athlete of the Spring. Check out each player’s credentials above the poll, which runs until 11:59 p.m. Sunday, July 5. The winner will be announced Monday, July 6, on the DandCSports Instagram page.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHere's another look at the winners.
Savanna Biehler, center, got off to a fast start in 2026 when the senior ran what was then the fastest 55-meter dash among girls in Section V during the indoor track season. Biehler was voted Athlete of the Week after the following week.
(Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)Readers selected Olivia Botoni as Athlete of the Week back in September after the Webster Thomas senior scored two soccer goals and an assist to help the Titans pick up an early-season win.
(Submitted by Olivia Bottoni)Harley Allendale Columbia's Cadence Brecker won Athlete of the Week in December 2025 after the senior became the fifth player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. She finished her high school career with 1,451 points.
(Provided by Cadence Brecker)Evelyn Buttaccio won the Faber Builders Girls Athlete of the Week during the after the Rush-Henrietta senior was the all-around winner at gymnastics meet inside the Henrietta Recreation Center.
(Provided by Evelyn Buttaccio)Readers voted Alivia Cartwright Athlete of the Week in late December. The Keshequa senior finished her high school wrestling career with three Section V titles, a third place finish at the NYS Championships and 137 wins over her five--year career.
(Submitted by Alivia Cartwright)Webster Schroeder's Kylie Clement, left, won Athlete of the Week in March after the senior posted 18 points and 13 rebounds as the Warriors beat Penfield for the Section V Class AA-1 girls basketball title.
(Justin Ritzel/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)Readers selected Julia Gaffney, center, of Churchville-Chili as the Faber Builders Athlete of the Week this winter. The senior scored 29 points, including five 3s, as the Saints beat Eastridge in early February.
(Provided by Julia Gaffney)Penfield’s Olivia Lanning won Athlete of the Week during spring state playoffs after the senior scored three goals and had an assist as the Patriots defeated Lancaster in state regional play.
(Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)Penfield's Sidney Moore won Athlete of the Week in early October after the volleyball player put down 17 kills during an October win.
(Justin Ritzel/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)Pittsford's Lily Orlando took home Athlete of the Week after she won the 500- and 200-yard freestyle races at the Section V Class A Swimming and Diving Championships last fall. Orlando was named swimmer of the meet after also swimming with the first-place 400 free and runner-up 200 free relays.
(Justin Ritzel/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)Aquinas' Ajaya Orr won Athlete of the Week after the senior quarterback finished with three touchdown passes, two touchdown runs, an interception for a touchdown and a punt return for a touchdown during two April wins.
(Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)Readers voted Penfield quarterback Sophia Puccia as Athlete of the Week in May after the senior threw six touchdown passes and ran for four touchdowns during wins in the Section V Class A tournament final and semifinal.
(Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)Webster Schroeder quarterback Emma Rascoe was recognized as Athlete of the Week after the senior lit up the scoreboard with 11 touchdown passes, while completing 81 of 114 pass attempts for 708 yards, ran for four touchdowns and pulled 15 flags in three wins.
(Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)Readers handed Mercy's Ella Rogala, left, Athlete of the Week after the senior hit a game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds to send the Monarchs to the state semifinals.
(Justin Ritzel/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)Livonia-Avon-Geneseo’s Lily Rowe, left, won Athlete of the Week in June after the Livonia senior posted five goals and four assists to push the Lakers past Geneva to her team’s first Section V championship game.
(Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)Penfield's Reegan Sercu won Athlete of the Week in early February after she scored 17 points, including seven in overtime, as the Patriots rallied to beat Fairport.
(Justin Ritzel/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)We salute the 2026 seniors from Section V
We salute the 2026 seniors from Section V
We salute the 2026 seniors from Section V
Readers picked Bryant as Athlete of the Week after the Pittsford lacrosse player converted the winning goal with six seconds to go as the Panthers tripped up defending state champion Victor in May. Bryant finished the game with three goals.
The Oakfield-Alabama sophomore surrendered one run across two state playoff softball games, leading the Hornets to the NYSPHSAA Class D championship. She went 2-for-3 with three RBIs at the plate against Cincinnatus in semifinals and scattered five hits in the pitcher's circle against Windham-Ashland-Jewett in the Class D final.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Penfield lacrosse star took home Athlete of the Week honors after the senior was credited with three goals and one assist as the Patriots defeated Lancaster in state regional play.
The Aquinas junior won Athlete of the Week at the end of April after she helped the school's flag football team win three games with three touchdowns. Muhammad returned an interception 22 yards for a score, caught a pass for another and reached the end zone on a 45-yard punt return. She also finished with eight receptions for 141 yards and 30 flag pulls, including three behind the line of scrimmage. One of those pulls for a loss of yardage was a sack.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Pittsford Sutherland softball player won Athlete of the Week in early May after she went 8-for-12 with five home runs, including two walk-offs, and 13 RBIs across three games.
Readers selected Orr after the Aquinas senior finished with three touchdown passes, two touchdown runs, an interception for a touchdown and a punt return for a touchdown during two wins in April for the school's flag football team.
The Penfield flag football quarterback threw six touchdown passes and ran for four touchdowns during wins in the Section V Class A tournament final and semifinal.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Webster Schroeder flag football quarterback took home Athlete of the Week after she lit up the scoreboard with 11 touchdown passes, while completing 81 of 114 pass attempts for 708 yards, ran for four touchdowns and pulled 15 flags, three for sacks, in three wins.
The Livonia senior posted five goals and four assists to push the Livonia-Avon-Geneseo Lakers past Geneva to the team’s first Section V championship game.
The Wayne lacrosse senior won Athlete of the Week in mid-April after she tallied five goals, four assists and six draw controls in a win against Section III’s Jordan-Elbridge.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementReaders picked Whipple in early April after the Irondequoit lacrosse sophomore scored her third goal of the game with a minute remaining as the Eagles beat Fairport.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Who should be Faber Builders Girls Athlete of the Spring?
Story byDemocrat and Chronicle