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Vote for the SouthCoast Girls Indoor Track Athlete of the Year
TL;DR
The SouthCoast is recognizing outstanding indoor track athletes as the winter season concludes. Readers are invited to vote for the Girls Indoor Track Athlete of the Year from a shortlist of top performers.
Another winter season is in the books with some local teams and athletes reaching high levels of success in their conference and beyond.
The SouthCoast saw New Bedford’s Nialonis Smith place in the top three at the MIAA Meet of Champions for the second straight winner.
Now it’s time to shine a spotlight on the athletes that made this winter a season to remember.
But, before we announce our super teams, we need more help from our readers to help choose our Player of the Year in each sport. Like our polls from this past fall, the list has been narrowed down to the most elite athletes in the area.
Vote for the SouthCoast High School Girls Track Athlete of the Year below. Reader votes will make up 25% of the tally, with Sports Editor Laurie Los Lee making up the rest of the vote.
Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by school.
Voting will conclude at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22.
THE POLL
THE CANDIDATES
Shelbie Ruffley, GNB Voc-Tech
Ruffley had a strong finish to the winter season as she placed first in the 55 hurdles at the Rising Stars Championship Invitational with a personal-best 9.67. She qualified for the MSTCA Pentathlon.
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Nialonis Smith, New Bedford
The senior capped off her career with a strong showing at the state level. She placed second in the weight throw at the Meet of Champions with a distance of 50-00.25. She also came in 19th in the shot put (32-05). At the Div. 1 meet, Smith took third in the shot put (35-01.50).
Phoebe Cowles, Old Rochester
Cowles enjoyed an impressive sophomore campaign in which she won the South Coast Conference championship in the 600 and placed second in the event at the Div. 5 state meet. She broke the school record in the event five times during the season with her best being a 1:38.43. She was consistently ranked in the top 20 among 600 runners in the state. She also competed in the 300, running a time of 44.09.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Vote for the 2026 SouthCoast Girls Indoor Track Athlete of the Year
Q&A
Who are the nominees for the SouthCoast Girls Indoor Track Athlete of the Year?
The nominees include the most elite athletes in the SouthCoast area, although specific names have not been listed in the provided text.
What achievements did Nialonis Smith accomplish this winter season?
Nialonis Smith from New Bedford placed in the top three at the MIAA Meet of Champions for the second consecutive winter season.
How can readers participate in voting for the Player of the Year?
Readers can vote for the Player of the Year by participating in the polls set up for each sport, similar to previous polls conducted in the fall.
