VOTE NOW for The Star Press IU Health Male Athlete of the Year

[ASFN Admin]

With the 2025-26 IHSAA sports season at an end, it's time for fans to make their voices heard with The Star Press East Central Indiana Athletes of the Year fan vote polls, brought to you by IU Health.

Following last week's Female Athlete of the Year fan vote, it's now time for the Male Athlete of the Year fan vote, featuring one nominee from each East Central Indiana school. Nominees are selected based on their athletic performances in IHSAA events during the 2025-26 seasons, as well as any accolades they may have earned in the process. Multi-sport athletes had their entire athletic résumés considered.

The fan vote poll is only one part of the selection process and does not guarantee winning The Star Press staff pick for Athletes of the Year. Both the Female and Male Athletes of the Year will be announced by The Star Press in the near future.

This week's poll will remain open until Friday, July 10, at noon. You may vote one time per hour, per device. Therefore, if you have a phone, tablet and laptop, you can vote three times every hour — once on each device. Please vote using the poll found by scrolling to the bottom of this story — votes submitted via email will not be counted.

Without further ado, here's a quick look at the 16 nominees for Male Athlete of the Year, ordered alphabetically by last name:

• Jabin Barnes, senior, Yorktown: Barnes was an IFCA Region 5 All-Star and made the North roster for the Murat Shrine North/South All-Star game as a defensive end for Yorktown football, which went 9-3 and won its first sectional championship at the Class 4A level. Barnes racked up 72 total tackles including 15 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and four forced fumbles with one recovery. He also played tight end and hauled in 16 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns. He also starred on the hardwood in the winter, averaging 10.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.3 blocks per game en route to all-HHC and all-county honors. Barnes was named the Delaware County Male Athlete of the Year at the Muncie Sports Commission's Delaware County Athletic Awards and will continue his football career at Indiana Wesleyan.
• Ta'Shaun Beatty, senior, Monroe Central: Beatty was The Star Press Boys Basketball Player of the Year after averaging 17.6 points, 14.8 rebounds (led the state), 1.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks per game for a Monroe Central basketball team that won sectional and regional championships for the second season in a row. He earned all-MEC, all-Randolph County, Star Press All-Area First Team and IBCA Senior All-State honorable mention honors and also played on the Golden Bears' baseball team that won its first sectional title since 2014.
• Camden Bell, senior, Wapahani: Bell was the Delaware County boys basketball scoring leader with 24.3 points per game to go along with 5.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. The Taylor signee was named all-MEC, all-county, IBCA Senior Small-School All-State, Star Press All-Area First Team and the Delaware County Boys Basketball Player of the Year at the Delaware County Athletic Awards.
• Jackson Bradley, senior, Cowan: Bradley capped off an elite Blackhawk wrestling career as the state runner-up in the 157-pound weight class, becoming the first in Cowan history to wrestle in an IHSAA state championship bout. He posted a record of 42-2 for his senior season and finished his Cowan career as a three-time sectional champion, four-time regional champion, three-time semi-state champion and four-time state finalist with a 148-10 career record. Bradley will continue his wrestling career at Purdue.
• Carter Campbell, senior, Winchester Community: Campbell shined on the football field in the fall, the basketball court in the winter and on the track in the spring for Winchester. In football season, he racked up 302 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground to go along with 29 catches for 319 receiving yards and four more touchdowns through the air while also leading the defense with 77 total tackles, including 10 tackles for loss and five sacks, as well as one interception and one fumble recovery. In basketball season, he averaged 12.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. On the track, Campbell was a regional qualifier in four events and won sectional and regional titles in the 300-meter hurdles before placing third in the event at the IHSAA state finals.
• Beau Edmonds, junior, Muncie Burris: Edmonds scored 23 goals and assisted on 15 more to finish sixth in Class A soccer with 61 total points. He led the Owls to a 9-8-2 record and a fourth consecutive sectional championship.
• Jarrett Helman, senior, Shenandoah: Helman was a three-sport star for the Raiders once again, shining on the football field, basketball court and baseball diamond as a senior. In the fall, Helman was the starting quarterback and strong safety for Shenandoah. On offense, he completed 71.5% of his passes for 1,673 yards and 21 touchdowns with just three interceptions and added 710 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. On defense, he led the team with 99 tackles and had four interceptions (one of which he returned for a touchdown), two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. In the winter, Helman averaged 11.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game for Shenandoah basketball. In the spring, he hit .279 with a .866 OPS and had 20 RBIs for Shenandoah baseball. None of the three teams Helman appeared on had a losing record.
• Jhonny Howe, senior, Blue River Valley: Howe averaged 11 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.8 rebounds per game for the Vikings during basketball season, then led the Vikings with a .451 batting average, 26 RBIs, eight doubles and a home run during baseball season while earning all-MEC honors in both sports.
• Maddox Huffman, senior, Delta: Huffman excelled on the soccer field in the fall and the baseball diamond in the spring for the Eagles, helping them win sectional titles in both with clutch performances in each championship. He scored 20 goals during soccer season — including the game winner in overtime of the sectional championship — and finished his career as the program's all-time leading goal scorer with 58 career goals. In the spring, Huffman hit .358 with 16 RBIs while leading the Eagles in innings pitched and closed out Delta's county championship and sectional championship victories on the mound en route to Star Press Pitcher of the Year honors. He will continue his baseball career at IU-Kokomo.
• Landan Johnson, senior, Muncie Central: Johnson was an IFCA Region 5 All-Star for Muncie Central football after rushing for 948 yards and 11 touchdowns on 127 carries (7.5 yards per rush) while adding 12 receptions for 141 yards and another touchdown. In addition to his 1,089 scrimmage yards on offense, Johnson racked up 55 tackles with 5.5 tackles for loss on defense and recovered two fumbles, one of which he returned for a touchdown. He helped the Bearcats to a 6-5 record for their first winning season since 2016 and will continue his career at Bluffton University in Ohio. In the spring, Johnson helped Central win a track and field sectional championship as part of the Bearcats' first-place 4x100 relay team.
• Mari Leggett, sophomore, Blackford: Leggett's 26.3 points per game for Blackford basketball was the highest scoring average in East Central Indiana and third-highest statewide. He also averaged 4.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game for a Bruins team that went 20-7 and won its first sectional championship since 2021. Leggett earned all-CIC, Star Press All-Area First Team and IBCA Underclass Small School All-State honors.
• Luke Powers, senior, Wes-Del: Powers helped Wes-Del football to a 5-4 record — the Warriors' first winning season since 2016 — and was an IFCA Region 5 All-Star at defensive tackle after racking up 46 tackles with 10.5 tackles for loss and 5 sacks. In the winter, Powers completed his Wes-Del wrestling career with a 112-21 career record, including three-straight sectional titles and back-to-back regional titles in the 215-pound weight class.
• Bryson Sigler, senior, Daleville: Sigler averaged 7.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals and a team-leading 4.1 assists per game for Daleville basketball in the winter. In the spring, he posted a .600 batting average 18 RBIs, seven doubles, three triples and a home run for the Broncos baseball team while earning all-MEC honors and all-county honorable mention.
• Lamar Schwartz, junior, Union (Modoc): Schwartz was one of the top scorers in East Central Indiana during basketball season, averaging 19.7 points per game for the Rockets to go along with 5.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. He received all-MEC honors.
• Gradin Swoveland, senior, Jay County: Gradin Swoveland averaged 15.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game for Jay County boys basketball as the Patriots went 20-4 and won the Allen County Athletic Conference. He was an all-ACAC and Star Press All-Area Second Team selection as well as an IBCA Senior All-State honorable mention and an IBCA Academic All-State honoree.
• Tylin Thrine, senior, New Castle: During football season, Thrine was an all-HHC player for New Castle after rushing for 310 yards and seven touchdowns while hauling in 42 catches for 448 yards and two touchdowns and leading the Trojans with 116 total tackles to go along with two fumble recoveries and an interception. However, Thrine's best sport was wrestling, where he established himself as the greatest wrestler in school history over the last four years. He posted a record of 40-3 in his senior year and was the state runner-up in the 138-pound weight class, finishing his career as a four-time sectional, regional and semi-state champion with a career record of 158-7. Thrine will continue his wrestling career at Purdue.

Who should be The Star Press IU Health Male Athlete of the Year for 2025-26?

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Contact Cade Hampton via email at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: VOTE NOW for The Star Press IU Health Male Athlete of the Year

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