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The 2025-26 school year has been filled with athletes leaving it all out on the field or court here in Lafayette Parish and its surrounding areas.
It was a sour end to the spring season over in diamond sports as no area baseball team made the trip to Sulphur this week for the 2026 LHSAA Baseball State Tournament. Over in track and field, Teurlings Catholic girls came away with some hardware, winning the Class 4A team state championship.
With the school year coming to an end across the 337, the Daily Advertiser curated one more list of athletes to chose from to be the final Athlete of the Week for the school year.
Here are the nominations for the final athlete of the week for May 11- 17, which includes athletes from baseball, softball, tennis and track and field. Voting will close at 9 a.m. on Friday.
(Athletes listed in alphabetical order)
Brayden Allen, track and field, Lafayette Christian Academy: 2026 LHSAA Outdoor Track & Field State, Allen served as the Knights’ anchor in their 4x100-meter and 4x200-meter relay teams. He helped his team snag first place in the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 42.55 seconds. LCA took home second place in the 4x200-meter relay.
Cohen Evans, baseball, Catholic-N.I.: The Panthers did all they could to keep their season alive against University Lab in the Select Division III semifinals. Evans was a key contributor all season long for his team ending the year as the All-District MVP. Catholic-N.I. would go on to lose the series 2-1.
Bailey Puhekker, tennis, St. Thomas More: Alongside her younger sister, Ali Puhekker, Bailey helped the Cougars bring home some hardware. She and her sister also finished as doubles champions, a fitting end for their final season playing together and Bailey’s final season as a Cougar. The duo won all of their doubles matches to help STM win the state title.
REQUIRED READING: Louisiana baseball vs No. 20 Coastal Carolina: Final score, game highlights from Game 2
REQUIRED READING: LCA football's Caiden Bellard embracing the spotlight after breakout season
Aaryam Saleh, track and field, Teurlings Catholic: There was no stopping Saleh in the state meet. The sophomore finished in the top three of every event she participated in helping the Rebels snag the state championship. She took home first place in the 400-meter race and the 4x400, 4x800-meter relays and second place in the 800-meter race.
Kevin Small, track and field, Kaplan: The only male track star to come away with gold from Kaplan was Small. In the fall, the senior is the Pirates go-to defensive lineman but in the spring discus is his field event of choice. He took home first place in discus for Class 3A.
Mary Ellen Trahan, track and field, Notre Dame: It was nothing but gold for Trahan at the state meet as she ended as the Pios’ lone state champion. She took home first place in the Class 2A 100 and 300-meter hurdles. Trahan finished the 100-meter hurdles race with a time of 14.52 seconds.
Editor's note: Anyone can nominate an athlete of the week for every sport. Nominate next week's ballot through email. Readers can email nominations to sports reporter Shannon Belt at [email protected]. Please include a player's statistics and a photo if possible.
All high school varsity players from Lafayette, Acadiana, St. Landry, St. Martin, Vermilion and Iberia parishes are eligible to be placed on the ballot. Nominations must be received by Saturday morning following that week's games for consideration.
Shannon Belt covers high school sports and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow her high school and Cajuns coverage on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ShannonBelt3. Got questions regarding HS/UL athletics? Send them to Shannon Belt at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Vote now for the final Daily Advertiser Athlete of the Week (May 11-17)
Continue reading...
It was a sour end to the spring season over in diamond sports as no area baseball team made the trip to Sulphur this week for the 2026 LHSAA Baseball State Tournament. Over in track and field, Teurlings Catholic girls came away with some hardware, winning the Class 4A team state championship.
With the school year coming to an end across the 337, the Daily Advertiser curated one more list of athletes to chose from to be the final Athlete of the Week for the school year.
Here are the nominations for the final athlete of the week for May 11- 17, which includes athletes from baseball, softball, tennis and track and field. Voting will close at 9 a.m. on Friday.
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(Athletes listed in alphabetical order)
Brayden Allen, track and field, Lafayette Christian Academy: 2026 LHSAA Outdoor Track & Field State, Allen served as the Knights’ anchor in their 4x100-meter and 4x200-meter relay teams. He helped his team snag first place in the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 42.55 seconds. LCA took home second place in the 4x200-meter relay.
Cohen Evans, baseball, Catholic-N.I.: The Panthers did all they could to keep their season alive against University Lab in the Select Division III semifinals. Evans was a key contributor all season long for his team ending the year as the All-District MVP. Catholic-N.I. would go on to lose the series 2-1.
Bailey Puhekker, tennis, St. Thomas More: Alongside her younger sister, Ali Puhekker, Bailey helped the Cougars bring home some hardware. She and her sister also finished as doubles champions, a fitting end for their final season playing together and Bailey’s final season as a Cougar. The duo won all of their doubles matches to help STM win the state title.
REQUIRED READING: Louisiana baseball vs No. 20 Coastal Carolina: Final score, game highlights from Game 2
REQUIRED READING: LCA football's Caiden Bellard embracing the spotlight after breakout season
Aaryam Saleh, track and field, Teurlings Catholic: There was no stopping Saleh in the state meet. The sophomore finished in the top three of every event she participated in helping the Rebels snag the state championship. She took home first place in the 400-meter race and the 4x400, 4x800-meter relays and second place in the 800-meter race.
Kevin Small, track and field, Kaplan: The only male track star to come away with gold from Kaplan was Small. In the fall, the senior is the Pirates go-to defensive lineman but in the spring discus is his field event of choice. He took home first place in discus for Class 3A.
Mary Ellen Trahan, track and field, Notre Dame: It was nothing but gold for Trahan at the state meet as she ended as the Pios’ lone state champion. She took home first place in the Class 2A 100 and 300-meter hurdles. Trahan finished the 100-meter hurdles race with a time of 14.52 seconds.
Editor's note: Anyone can nominate an athlete of the week for every sport. Nominate next week's ballot through email. Readers can email nominations to sports reporter Shannon Belt at [email protected]. Please include a player's statistics and a photo if possible.
All high school varsity players from Lafayette, Acadiana, St. Landry, St. Martin, Vermilion and Iberia parishes are eligible to be placed on the ballot. Nominations must be received by Saturday morning following that week's games for consideration.
Shannon Belt covers high school sports and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow her high school and Cajuns coverage on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ShannonBelt3. Got questions regarding HS/UL athletics? Send them to Shannon Belt at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Vote now for the final Daily Advertiser Athlete of the Week (May 11-17)
Continue reading...
