The Coloradoan is again proud to present our weekly Athlete of the Week series, partnering with Blue Federal Credit Union to honor the best Fort Collins-area high school athletes in the 2025-26 school year.
There are five nominees every week, and fans can vote every Monday through Wednesday at coloradoan.com/sports.
This is the eighth edition of the 2025-26 sports season, as the temperature drops but the fall sports season keeps heating up.
You can find the nominees and the ballot below. Voting is open this week until 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 15, with the winner announced Oct. 16.
Fans can nominate their favorite athletes (deadline: 11:59 p.m. every Sunday) and the Coloradoan sports staff will ultimately select the nominees each week.
If you have nominations for a future Athlete of the Week, please send them via email to ChrisAbshire@coloradoan.com for consideration.
Meet the Blue FCU Athlete of the Week nominees
The following Fort Collins-area athletes are nominated for their performances from Oct. 6-11:
Briella Myers, Fossil Ridge softball: It was a prolific week for Myers in three games that helped the SaberCats clinch a 5A regional spot. The junior infielder combined to go 10-for-11 with 2 home runs, 4 RBI, 3 doubles and 12 runs scored with a .933 on-base percentage in Fossil’s 2-1 week.
Sage Raymond, Timnath volleyball: The Cubs junior was instrumental in wins over local rival Wellington and previously-unbeaten Berthoud. Raymond compiled 23 kills, 16 digs and 9 aces, highlighted by an emphatic ace to end the victory over the top-5 Spartans.
Cadel Ruthven, Fort Collins boys XC: The Lambkins runner is having a great senior campaign and that continued at the league championships. Ruthven won the Northern Conference boys title in 15:29.90 at Spring Canyon Park and helped Fort Collins win a second straight team crown.
Izzy Schimmelpfennig, Timnath girls XC: It was a similar story for Schimmelpfennig, the Cubs junior who remains one of the state’s top girls runners. She won the Long Peaks League girls championship by 18 seconds (18:19.50) and led Timnath to a dominant team title.
Drake Solley, Rocky Mountain boys tennis: The Lobos senior is a regional champion and Class 5A state qualifier, winning the 5A Region 8 No. 2 singles title. Solley bounced back from a first-set loss to win the next two sets 6-2, 6-1 to beat ThunderRidge’s Carter Neill.
Vote here:
Chris Abshire covers high school and community sports for the Coloradoan.