GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Michigan’s spring high school sports are in full swing, and some of the state’s top athletes aren’t wasting any time in making a big impact. That was certainly the case around Grand Rapids, where a West Ottawa track athlete broke a school record, a Northview softball star collected 14 RBIs and a future Grand Valley State softball slugger hit a walk-off home run. With that in mind, we’re taking a look at the local athletes that spent last week excelling on the diamond, the pitch, the court and the track for our first installment of the Grand Rapids-area Athlete of the Week series. Readers have unlimited voting until 9 a.m. Friday, April 25, and we’ll publish the winner later that day. Voting has no bearing on postseason honors, such as the all-conference or all-state teams. The Athlete of the Week series will continue throughout the spring sports season, and to nominate a standout performer, you can email Patrick Nothaft at pnothaft@mlive.com with that athlete’s stats and recent accomplishments. If the poll does not appear at the bottom of the story, click here to view it. Aaliyah Bailey, East Kentwood girls track The freshman hurdler won seven of her 10 races last week, highlighted by a time of 46.09 seconds in the 300 hurdles, which currently ranks seventh in the state. Brandon Berry, West Ottawa boys track The senior high jumper set a school record by clearing 6 feet, 7.5 inches in last week’s meet against East Kentwood, and that personal best currently ranks third in the state behind Whitehall’s Ayden Mendoza (6’10”) and Stevensville Lakeshore’s Declin Doroh (6’9”). Reed Binney, Rockford baseball The junior pitcher threw a gem last week against Grand Haven, striking out six in six innings, while allowing one run on four hits and a walk in the 13-1 win. At the plate, he went 6 for 13 last week with a double, a triple, four RBIs and five runs scored to help the Rams improve to 8-2 on the year. Clay Blauwkamp, Hamilton baseball The senior lefty led Hamilton to a 4-1 week by going 5 for 11 at the plate with two doubles, five RBIs and four runs scored, while drawing four walks and striking out just once. Blauwkamp also stole three bases without getting caught. On the mound, he logged a quality start in a win over Zeeland West, striking out seven in 4 2/3 innings, while allowing one run on one hit and four walks. Luke Bykerk, Calvin Christian baseball The senior center fielder led Calvin Christian to a 3-2 week that included a series sweep over Belding by going 8 for 15 at the plate with a double, two triples, six RBIs and eight runs scored, while also stealing four bases without getting caught. Bykerk also logged 1 1/3 innings of relief on the mound in a loss to Covenant Christian, striking out two and allowing one unearned run on one hit and one walk. Greta Caprathe, Rockford girls track The multitalented senior has yet to finish anywhere but first this season, and that continued last week, when she won eight events, highlighted by a high jump of 5 feet, 6 inches that ranks No. 1 in the state and a long jump of 18 feet, 0.75 inches that is currently fourth in the state. Meredith Cook, Zeeland East girls track The junior middle-distance runner won five of her seven races last week, including personal-best times in the 400 dash (58.39 seconds) and 800 run (2:15.40), the latter of which is currently seventh in the state. Chloe Cox, Forest Hills Central girls tennis The junior No. 1 singles player improved her season record to 6-2 by going 4-0 last week, including a 6-1, 6-2 win over Devin Rusk, of No. 3 Birmingham Seaholm. Kenedie Curtis, Allendale softball The senior center fielder and leadoff hitter helped Allendale go 2-2 last week with a pair of losses to Wayland and a doubleheader sweep over Whitehall by going 7 for 11 at the plate with a triple, five RBIs and eight runs scored, while also drawing three walks and striking out just once. James Dempsey, Forest Hills Eastern baseball The senior catcher and Massachusetts Institute of Technology commit has played a big role in Eastern’s 10-1 start and was especially effective during last week’s 5-0 run, in which he went 6 for 14 at the plate with three doubles, four RBIs and one run scored. Defensively, he threw out one of three base runners. Jared DeVries, Unity Christian baseball The junior catcher and third baseman led Unity Christian to a 4-1 week by going 8 for 15 at the plate with six doubles, seven RBIs and five runs scored, while also getting on base four times by getting hit with pitches. Makenna Dusendang, Northview softball The senior catcher and Aquinas College commit led Northview to a 3-3 week by going 10 for 21 at the plate with five doubles, two home runs, 14 RBIs and six runs scored. Drew Duthler, Coopersville baseball The senior led Coopersville to a 3-0-1 week, including a three-game sweep over Sparta, by going 6 for 12 at the plate with two doubles, three RBIs and three runs scored, while also earning a win against the Spartans by striking out one and allowing one run on two hits and four walks in five innings. Cassidy Fisk, South Christian softball The sophomore pitcher and second baseman mashed the ball last week during South Christian’s 4-2 stretch, going 15 for 21 at the plate with five doubles, a triple and a home run, while driving in 10 runs and scoring eight more. She also was strong in the circle, striking out nine in 17 innings, while posting a 0.41 ERA and 0.765 WHIP. Kellen Ford, Hopkins baseball The junior shortstop led Hopkins to a 4-3 week by going 11 for 18 at the plate with two doubles, two triples and a home run, while driving in 10 runs and scoring seven more. He also threw a three-inning no-hitter against Kelloggsville that included seven strikeouts and one walk. Adrian Elliott, Allendale baseball The senior made a big impact on the mound and at the plate last week to emerge as a bright spot during a tough stretch for the Falcons. Elliott pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings of relief, in which he struck out one and allowed just one hit, while going 7 for 13 at the dish with five RBIs and three runs scored, as Allendale dropped two of three to Greenville and lost a single game to Kenowa Hills. Charley Hassenrik, GR Christian girls soccer The sophomore standout led Christian to a pair of wins last week over Ottawa Hills and Jenison by combining for two goals and two assists in the two games. Tessa Heffelbower, Hudsonville softball The junior shortstop and Michigan State commit helped Hudsonville extend its winning streak to 46 games last week by going 8 for 15 at the plate with a double, two home runs, 10 runs scored and eight RBIs. Keaton Hendricks, Zeeland West boys track The senior won six of his eight events last week, including personal-bests of 21 feet, 10.75 inches in the long jump and 38.65 seconds on the 300-meter hurdles, the latter of which is currently the state’s fourth-best time in the event. Hendricks’ first-place time of 14.84 seconds in the 110 hurdles at Saturday’s Ram Classic is also the state’s ninth-best finish in that event. Cami Hibma, Hopkins softball Hopkins faced a grueling stretch of opponents last week, including a pair of games against perennial power Vicksburg, and though the Vikings went 2-4, Hibma was a bright spot, as the senior shortstop went 13 for 17 at the plate with five doubles, a home run, 12 RBIs and 11 runs scored. She also stole three bases without getting caught. Kylee Hoebeke, Thornapple Kellogg softball The senior and future Grand Valley State shortstop led Thornapple Kellogg to a 4-0 week by going 8 for 13 at the plate with two doubles, a triple and a home run, while driving in eight runs and scoring seven more. Her biggest hit was a three-run walk-off homer in the seventh inning of Saturday’s 5-3 win over Lake Odessa Lakewood, and she also pitched a solid outing in a 6-4 win over Plainwell, striking out four and allowing three hits in three scoreless innings. Addison Howard, GR Catholic Central softball The sophomore has played a key role in Catholic Central’s 6-0 start, and that continued in last week’s doubleheader sweeps over Forest Hills Northern and Ottawa Hills, when she went 8 for 12 at the plate with three doubles, a home run, 13 RBIs and six runs scored, while drawing four walks and striking out just once. Sam Hungerford, Grandville baseball The senior led Grandville to a 4-1 week by going 8 for 17 at the plate with two doubles, a triple and a home run, while driving in six runs and scoring four more. He also earned a win on the mound against East Kentwood by striking out seven in five shutout innings that saw him allow three hits and two walks. Alexa Hyler, Greenville softball The sophomore center fielder has played a big role in Greenville’s 8-2 start, and that continued last week, when she went 6 for 9 at the plate with a double, a home run, seven RBIs and three runs scored in just three games. Isaac Johnson, Wyoming baseball The junior pitcher played a big role in Wyoming’s sweep of GR Union last week, picking up a win on the mound by striking out six and allowing one run on five hits and two walks. At the plate, he went 5 for 10 with a double, five RBIs and a run scored to help the Wolves improve to 5-1. Daelyn Jones, GR Christian girls track The sophomore sprinter won all six of her races last week, highlighted by personal bests in the 100-meter dash (12.24 seconds) and the 200 dash (26.04). Jones’ top time in the 100 currently ranks eighth in the state. Johnny Karsten, Hudsonville baseball The senior corner infielder led Hudsonville to a 6-1 week by going 12 for 23 at the plate with two doubles, 11 RBIs and six runs scored, while drawing three walks without striking out. His best performance was a four-hit, three-RBI effort in a win over West Ottawa. Davis Kemper, South Christian baseball South Christian went 3-2 last week, and the 6-foot-7 senior lefty was a big reason why, as Kemper went 12 for 19 at the plate with four doubles and a home run, while driving in six runs and scoring seven more. On the mound, he threw 3 2/3 innings, earning a save and logging a 1.91 ERA with seven strikeouts and three hits allowed. Jake Koetje, GR Christian baseball After opening the season with four consecutive losses, Christian found its groove last week, and Koetje played a big role, as the senior outfielder went 12 for 16 at the plate with three doubles, a triple, 11 RBIs and 11 runs scored, while also stealing five bases without getting caught for the 4-5 Eagles. Caden Livermore, Grandville boys track The sophomore distance runner won all three of his races last week, highlighted by a personal-best time of 4:20.10 in the 1,600 run, which is currently the state’s ninth-best time in the event. Madi Ludema, Wayland softball Wayland opened its season last week, and its junior pitcher and Grand Valley State commit was dialed in from the first pitch, as Ludema led the Wildcats to a 5-2 record by going 15 for 24 at the plate with six doubles, a home run, 10 RBIs and 15 runs scored. In the circle, Ludema posted a 3.67 ERA and 1.667 WHIP with 29 strikeouts in 21 innings, including a victory over Division 1 No. 7 Jenison. Priya Mahabir, Forest Hills Central softball The infielder put together a strong opening week for the 3-3 Rangers, going 7 for 15 at the plate with three doubles, nine RBIs and seven runs scored in six games. Josh McCune, East Grand Rapids baseball The junior first baseman’s big bat played a big role in EGR going 4-1 last week, including a sweep over Forest Hills Central, as McCune went 12 for 19 at the plate with five doubles, three RBIs and six runs scored, while also stealing four bases without getting caught. Claire Merritt, Jenison softball The senior has been a solid contributor at the plate and in the circle for a 4-4 Jenison team that has faced a grueling early season schedule. Offensively, Merritt went 7 for 13 last week with a double, four RBIs and three runs scored, and she won her lone start against Wayland by striking out eight and scattering seven hits and a walk across seven innings in an 8-2 win over Wayland. Malachi Mosley, East Kentwood boys track The senior sprinter kicked off his track career with a state title in the 400-meter dash, and while the last two seasons haven’t quite resulted in a championship, he’s off to a promising start. Mosley won all six of his races last week, including a personal-best time of 10.8 seconds in the 100 dash and a time of 47.8 seconds in the 400, which is currently the state’s top time in that event. Emilee Nowicki, Forest Hills Eastern softball The senior catcher led Eastern to a 2-2 week that included a doubleheader sweep over West Ottawa by going 6 for 10 at the plate with two doubles, a home run, four RBIs and seven runs scored, while also drawing three walks and striking out just once. Katelyn Paganelli, Grandville softball The senior center fielder swung a hot bat during a busy and challenging week for the Bulldogs, who went 2-3-1 against some tough competition. Paganelli wrapped up that stretch going 13 for 21 at the plate with three doubles, a home run, six RBIs and six runs scored, including a four-RBI game in a win over Caledonia. Kellen Payne, Byron Center baseball The University of Nevada commit helped Byron Center win two of three against GR Catholic Central by going 3 for 7 at the plate with a double, a home run, three RBIs and one run scored, while also tossing five dominant innings, in which he struck out eight and allowed one run on one hit and one walk. Kierea Smits, Holland Christian softball The senior slugger and Palm Beach Atlantic commit led Holland Christian to a 4-2 week by going 14 for 19 at the plate with five doubles, 12 RBIs and eight runs scored, while also posting a 2-1 record and 3.98 ERA from the circle with 30 strikeouts against 22 hits and six walks in 19 1/3 innings. Leigha Stoepker, Jenison girls track The senior thrower is currently ranked in the top five in the state for shot put and discus and is coming off a strong week that saw her win all four of her events, including a personal-best discus toss of 140 feet, 5 inches at Saturday’s Byron Center Bulldog Games Invite. Bella Thomas, Coopersville softball The center fielder and leadoff hitter led Coopersville to a 5-1 week, including a doubleheader sweep over Calvin Christian, by going 8 for 14 at the plate with two doubles and two home runs, while scoring nine runs and driving in four more. Thomas also drew five walks and struck out just once. Linus Vandenberg, Holland Christian boys golf The sophomore shined last week, starting with a round of 75, which led Holland Christian to a team title at Tuesday’s Wooden Shoe Invite. Two days later, he shot a 4-over 39 in the Maroons’ win at the OK Black jamboree, then rounded out his week with a 1-over 73 at the Hamilton Invitational, which contributed to Holland Christian’s first-place team score of 306, which head coach Caleb Nykamp called the program’s lowest 18-hole score in years. Molly Versluis, Unity Christian softball Third-ranked Unity Christian played just twice last week, but Versluis made sure the Crusaders stayed undefeated by going 6 for 7 at the plate with a double, a triple, five RBIs and six runs scored. Madison Wyckoff, Zeeland West softball The senior pitcher was lights-out in the circle and at the plate during Zeeland West’s 3-1 week that included a sweep over Hamilton and a split with Rockford. Offensively, Wyckoff went 10 for 18 at the plate with two doubles, six RBIs, and five runs scored, while also earning a pair of wins as a pitcher and tallying 20 strikeouts in 12 innings to go along with a 0.58 ERA and 1.083 WHIP. Anna Zoet, Calvin Christian softball The senior third baseman continued to crush the ball last week, going 16 for 21 at the plate with three doubles, a triple and three home runs, while driving in seven runs and scoring 15 more during the Squires’ 3-3 stretch.