Voters on West Valley Preps have clicked. And Deer Valley's Lauren Haeger is the 2010-11 girls athlete of the year.
Haeger led with 12 votes. Recent Cactus graduate Linsdey Abrahmson, a star for the Cobras' state semifinalists in volleyball and basketball, finished second with five votes and Sunrise Mountain softball ace Dani Bonnet placed third with four votes.
Haeger led into her senior season playing for the USA Softball Junior Women’s National Team at the III Pan American Championship (18-Under) in Bogota, Colombia. The U.S. took home the gold medal with a 3-1 win against Canada. Haeger combined with fellow Glendale resident Dallas Escobedo (Arizona State University's ace) to pitch a no-hitter against Colombia during the first round of qualification.
In the fall. she was the starting outside hitter for the Skyhawks' volleyball squad. Haeger lead Deer Valley in kills and made the all-region first team.
But in softball, Haeger was the state's dominant player. She set the all-time state single-season home run record with 21, breaking Cactus grad Stacie Chambers' record with the blast that secured the 5A-II title for the Skyhawks.
She also tied Chambers, a 2006 graduate, with 48 career homers.
Yet her dominance in the circle was the foundation of Deer Valley's third state title team. She finished the season 26-5 with an 0.44 ERA and 413 strikeouts in 208 innings.
Haeger will compete for another title next year at Florida. The Gators made the finals this year only to fall to Escobedo and ASU.
The finalists for boys athlete of the year are posted on the West Valley Preps poll. Voting will be available through July 4.
