Girls
Julianna Spear, Mankato East volleyball
Some players emerge from the darkness like a caped crusader in an alley. Some players emerge out of the chutes.
Mankato East Julianna Spear emerged on Oct. 8 in a four-set win over St. Peter. The Cougars gave her countless opportunities. She capitalized on nearly all of them, racking up 26 kills as the Saints were sent marching home with a loss.
Boys
Eli Baty, Mankato East cross country
Last week we gave the nod to East’s Nathan Essler. This week the Athlete of the Week nod goes to another East runner in sophomore Eli Baty.
Entering last week’s Mankato East Invitational Baty cruised to five top 10 finishes, four top 5 finishes and claiming third place three times. But if there was ever a time to win your first first varsity meet, well, doing it at a home meet isn’t a bad option.
Baty won the event for his first individual varsity victory. His time of 15:15.5 was a new personal record, beating his previous best by 14.5 seconds.