King’s Way Christian’s Kiera Crate is The Columbian 2022-23 Week 26 prep athlete of the weekFree

King’s Way Christian softball player Kiera Crate is the The Columbian 2022-23 Week 26 high school athlete of the week, presented by Heavy Metal Pizza in Vancouver.

Crate received 291 of the 893 votes cast this week to win the honor.

Crate went 13 for 21 with 11 runs, five doubles and 10 RBI and pitched 12.2 innings with 16 strikeouts in five games for the Knights.

Winners of the athlete-of-the-week may not be nominated again during the regular season, and no athlete may be nominated in consecutive weeks.

Nominees are posted and voting begins each Monday and runs through Wednesday.

FINAL VOTE TOTALS

1. Kiera Crate, King’s Way Christian, 291
2. Chase McGee, Camas, 287
3. Josie Settle, Kelso, 201
4. Brady Trombello, Prairie, 68
5. Emma Lungwitz, Columbia River, 46

Here are the accomplishments of the other nominees:

EMMA LUNGWITZ, COLUMBIA RIVER GIRLS TENNIS: Lungwitz won a pair of straight-set matches from the No. 1 singles spot in helping the Rapids improve to 10-0 on the season.

CHASE MCGEE, CAMAS BOYS TRACK AND FIELD: McGee cleared an area-best 14 feet, 6 inches in the pole vault — second-best in state at 4A this season — to finish second at the Nike/Jesuit Relays.

JOSIE SETTLE, KELSO GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD: Settle won the 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, long jump and triple jump at the Elden Kellar Invite, continuing a season in which she has placed first in every event she had entered.

BRADY TROMBELLO, PRAIRIE BASEBALL: Trombello went 6 for 12 with six runs, a triple and four RBI, and pitched five hitless innings with 11 strikeouts in four games for the Falcons.