Emilie Conley
Elyria>>Girls wrestling
Sophomore>>135 pounds
On the mat: Went 5-0 with four pins and won the individual championship at the Freddie Invitational in Fredericktown.
Off the mat: Nicknamed ‘Em.’ Conley’s favorite sports memories often involve spending free time with her teammates before and after tournaments. Her favorite hobby is drawing and favorite school subject is chemistry. Conley’s favorite song is “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
Austin Dye
Midview>>Boys wrestling
Senior>>285 pounds
On the mat: The two-time state qualifier and one-time state placer took home the individual title at the Maumee Bay Classic, recording his 100th career win in the process.
Off the mat: Dye is undecided on what college he wants to go to, but he plans to wrestle if he attends. One of his favorite sports memories was at last year’s state wrestling tournament when he won his match to place after losing to the same wrestler by a point in the district championship semifinals. A few hobbies of his are swimming, playing basketball with friends, and working on old cars.
Evan Alexy
Bay>>Boys basketball
Senior>>Center
On the court: Against Elyria Catholic on Jan. 9, Alexy posted a double-double with 23 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and a block.
Off the court: Nicknamed “King,” Alexy’s top choices for college are Dayton and Miami University, and he’s undecided about playing basketball in college. In his own words, “I’ve lived in Bay Village my whole life. My favorite hobbies have to be going fishing or golfing. And finally, my favorite basketball memory is getting an alley-oop dunk in our first playoff game last year, and then winning that game.”
Emma Molenaar
Avon>>Girls swimming
Freshman
In the pool: Molenaar did not lose over the previous week, going 7-for-7 in winning events at dual meets. She also qualified for all four of her events’ finals at the 87-team classic, among other feats.
Out of the pool: In Molenaar’s own words, “I have been swimming competitively since the age of 7 and my favorite memory throughout the course of my athletic career would have to be the time I broke a minute in my 100 free for the first time. My hobbies include writing, journaling and reading! Biology is my favorite school subject, my favorite food is sushi, and my favorite sports team is the Arizona Diamondbacks.”
Ian Rottari
North Ridgeville>>Boys wrestling
Junior>>106 pounds
On the mat: Rottari went 6-0 last week with five pins and a decision, going on to win the 106-pound championship at the John Matteucci Memorial Classic. In his finals match, Rottari was down 10-0 and came back with a pin to win the championship
Off the mat: In Rottari’s own words, “My favorite sports memory was qualifying for districts my freshman year. My hobbies are playing video games and training jiu-jitsu with my dad and my brother. Some things I like are my dogs, watching UFC and going out to eat. My favorite food is shrimp, and my favorite show is “Attack on Titan.”
Isabelle Niederst
Elyria Catholic>>Girls basketball
Senior>>Point guard
On the court: Going up against Rocky River on Jan. 13, Niederst stuffed the stats sheet with 29 points, seven rebounds, three assists and five steals.
Off the court: Nicknamed “Iz,” the Avon native will be attending Tiffin University, where she will play basketball. Her favorite sport is basketball and she also loves volleyball and softball. Niederst’s favorite school subject is math and her favorite food is steak. She likes watching college basketball and football. For music genres, she likes country and rap.
Ben Montgomery
Brookside>>Boys basketball
Senior>>Guard
On the court: Montgomery had 21 points on 8-for-9 shooting – going 5-for-6 from the free-throw line, with seven rebounds, four assists and three steals in the Cardinal’s 95-76 win over Black River on Jan. 9. He had only scored 23 points on the season going into that game.
Off the court: Nicknamed “Showtime,” Montgomery is undecided on college. His favorite sports memories are being named a two-time All-Ohio selection in football and “Going to B-Dubs with the team.” His favorite school subject is Advanced Video Production; Movie: “Wolf of Wall Street;” TV Show: “Jujutsu Kaisen;” Musician: J Cole and sports team: Cavaliers.
Edgardo Cordero
North Olmsted>>Boys basketball
Senior>> Shooting guard
On the court: In two huge wins over Westlake and Bay, Cordero has averaged 19 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Against Bay, the game was tied 58-58 with 10 seconds left and Cordero drove to the rim and got an and-one free-throw to go through to win the game.
Off the court: Nicknamed “Eggie,” Cordero said that he plans on going to college and play basketball, but is undecided. In his own words, “My favorite memory playing basketball at North Olmsted was my junior year when we would go out with the team to eat. Those were always the best. I miss my teammates from last year. My hobbies are helping my mom around the house and spending time with family, which I think is very important. I have hitchhiker’s thumb. I was told it is very rare and a secret talent I have is playing the guitar. I love all Cleveland sports but my Browns take the cake. I love watching them play on Sundays, whether I’m at the game or watching on the TV.” His family is spread from the Dominican Republic to California, New York and Florida.
