Vote now for the Daily Advertiser Athlete of the Week (March 17-23)

[ASFN Admin]

Spring sports are in full swing in Lafayette Parish and its surrounding area as teams are a couple of games and meets into district play.

Diamond sports and track meets galore in the 337 have given the Daily Advertiser a handful of choices to choose from for this week’s Athlete of the Week poll. From securing first place in track meets to shut-out performances on the diamond, these six athletes have put it all out there for their respective teams.

This week's poll includes athletes from the following winter and spring sports: softball, baseball and track and field. The poll can be found at the bottom of the story and closes on Friday.

Here are the candidates for Athlete of the Week for March 17-23 (athletes listed in alphabetical order):

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Candidates​

Ashton Celestine, baseball, Lafayette Christian Academy​

The Knights' senior day on March 21 ended with a win over Midland and Celestine played a key role. The senior right-hand pitcher finished the game with a W on the mound and offensively with two hits. LCA went on to beat the Rebels 15-0.

Kaitlyn Charles, track and field, Opelousas​

The fastest female runner at the Pat Arceneaux Relays in Breaux Bridge was Charles. The junior sprinter took home first place in the girls 100-meter and 200-meter races. She ran the 100-meter race in just 12.77 seconds.

Jace Garber, baseball, Teurlings Catholic​

There was no stopping Garber on the mound when the Rebels took on Rayne on March 20. The senior slinger recorded a perfect game keeping Wolves batters off balance all game long. Teurlings went on to win the game 11-0.

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Mia Smith, softball, Teurlings Catholic​

One of the Rebels' hottest bats so far this season belongs to Smith. The senior shortstop finished last week’s games with six singles, two doubles, a triple and a home run. Defensively she was just as effective with eight assists and seven putouts.

Conner Stewart, track and field, New Iberia​

At the Cecilia Bulldogs Relay meet, Stewart was a star in the hurdles event. In the boys' 110-meter hurdles, the junior finished with a time of 15.20 seconds earning in first place in the meet.

Anna Ware, track and field, Westminster Christian Academy-Opelousas​

At the Davis Memorial Relays 2025 on March 14, Ware was a standout long-distance runner for the Crusaders. In the girls 400-meter race, the senior set a personal record running the race in a minute and 8.75 seconds. She came away with first place in that race.


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 and Iberia parishes are eligible to be placed on the ballot. Nominations must be received by Monday 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 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 Daily Advertiser Athlete of the Week (March 17-23)

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