As the 2023-24 high school season builds to a climactic finish, several standouts are in the running for the Iola Register Male and Female Athletes of the Month.
On the boys side, Iola High senior golfer Xander Sellman, Marmaton Valley senior baseball player Daniel Fewins and Humboldt High junior Logan Page are the nominees.
For the girls, Iola’s Reese Curry has been nominated for her work on the softball diamond, as has Yates Center senior Lauren McConaghie. Crest sophomore Peyton Schmidt has been nominated for her accomplishments in track.
Sellman is a centerpiece of Iola’s back-to-back Pioneer League championship teams. He finished third individually at the league meet, third at Iola’s Buck Quincy Invitational and took 10th at a meet in Coffeyville, featuring an assortment of the best golfers in southeast Kansas.
Fewins has led a resurgence of epic proportions at Marmaton Valley. The Wildcats, who started the season at 0-7, ended the regular season on an 11-game winning streak. Fewins have been a large reason why. Since April 1, he has hit at a .552 clip, with a home run, 40 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.
Page, who helped lead the Cubs to the state baseball tournament in 2023, is locked and loaded for a repeat trip this spring. The left-hander has a sterling 1.30 earned-run average and is limiting opposing batters to a .154 average.
CURRY’S return from a concussion early in the year tied in nicely to Iola’s best softball stretch in ages. The Mustangs won eight in a row at one point, while Curry is batting. 458 with four doubles, three triples and 26 RBIs.
Speaking of strong finishes, McConaghie is a centerpiece of Yates Center’s late-season surge with several key hits in the Wildcats’ five-game winning streak.
Schmidt is one of several standouts on the track this season, and shines at middle and long distances, particularly the 800- and 3200-meter runs.
VOTING will remain open through Friday, either by visiting www.iolaregister.com , by sending an email to [email protected], by calling (620) 365-2111 or by clipping out the attached graphic and dropping it by the office at 302 S. Washington in Iola.
