ANN ARBOR – The Ann Arbor area is full of junior athletes who have already made names for themselves but still have time to add to their resumes this spring. And now, readers have the opportunity to further acknowledge their contributions. MLive-The Ann Arbor News has listed 45 junior athletes from the Ann Arbor area for readers to vote on for the top junior athlete. Note that this list is strictly for junior athletes as we highlighted seniors last week and will recognize the top sophomores and freshmen later this month. Readers will have unlimited voting for the top senior until the poll closes at 9 a.m. on Monday, May 5. The poll winner will be announced shortly after. Here are the candidates for the top Ann Arbor-area junior athlete. Kaydee Absher, Chelsea Absher, a Toledo commit, is already a top-tier performer for the Bulldogs. This season, she ranks among the area’s best in batting average and home runs. Muna Ajaero, Ypsilanti Girls Track and Field Ajaero was an all-around performer for the Grizzlies last year. She had victories in the 200 and high jump and contributed to wins in the 800 and 1600 relay races. Ajaero has had a strong start to her junior season with multiple top 3 finishes. Samantha Bieber, Chelsea Girls Tennis Bieber had a magical season last year that culminated with a Division 3 state championship in the No. 2 flight position. Bieber finished the season at 22-6 and returns looking to defend her individual crown. Jacob Berkemeier, Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard Berkemeier has been one of the most consistent players for FGR this season. He ranks in the top 10 in the area in hits, RBIs and strikeouts as a pitcher. Ryan Boehnke, Ann Arbor Pioneer Boehnke returns as one of the more experienced players for the Pioneers this season after they graduated multiple golfers from last year’s team. He already has a victory this season. Carina Burchi, Whitmore Lake Girls Track and Field Burchi was a consistent contributor to Whitmore Lake’s fifth-place finish at last year’s D4 state finals. She took 10th in the 1600 and was a member of WL’s 3200 relay team that won the state title. James Burns, Whitmore Lake Burns was a first-team all-conference performer as a sophomore last year. He batted .357 with 20 hits, 16 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. He also struck out a team-leading 52 batters on the mound last season. Mackenzie Chrysler, Milan Last year, Chrysler batted .367, drove in 28 runs, scored 29 runs, and hit three home runs. Chrysler has continued this season with timely hitting for the Big Reds. Evan Crossman, Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard Crossman is expected to be one of the Fighting Irish’s most consistent players once again this season. Last year, he recorded 31 hits and scored 22 runs while batting .301. Abby Curtis, Saline Curtis has become one of the area’s premier pitchers this season. The junior is listed among the top 10 in strikeouts, wins and ERA. Andrew Cusick, Dexter Cusick has been the Dreadnaughts’ top pitcher this season. He ranks in the top 10 in the area in wins, strikeouts and ERA. Last year, he went 4-2 on the mound with 25 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.57. Gavin Gasior, Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard Boys Track and Field Gasior had nine top 3 finishes in the shot put, including three wins last season. He also competed at the D2 state finals in the event. Harper Grambau, Saline Grambau is another solid pitcher for the Hornets who also ranks among the area’s best in several pitching categories. Ava Greene, Ypsilanti Lincoln Greene has produced offensively for the Railsplitters and is one of the teams’ leaders in batting average, RBIs and runs scored. Benjamin Holloway, Saline Holloway placed 14th at regionals last season, rebounding from a 25th-place finish at the SEC-Red Championship. Harper Hummel, Saline Hummel had a solid sophomore season where he placed second overall at the SEC-Red Championship and took 41st at regionals. He has already picked up a victory this season. Kate Huntzicker, Ann Arbor Huron Girls Track and Field Huntzicker was a regional champion in the 400 and took sixth at the D1 state finals with a personal-best time of 56.91 last year. The junior is once again one of Huron’s top performers this season with several top finishes. Raiden Kipfmiller, Dexter Girls Track and Field Kipfmiller will be looking to improve off last year’s sixth-place finish in the pole vault at the D1 state finals. She had five victories in the event a year ago. Kipfmiller is the area’s top pole vaulter this season. Nolan Klein, Saline Klein has been a solid contributor for the Hornets as he has produced timely batting and defensive plays this season. Reese Knox, Milan Knox is another Big Red who is off to a strong start this season. She is one of Milan’s top batters, ranking among the top players in batting average, hits and RBIs. Clara Lamb, Dexter Lamb has done it all for the Dreadnaughts this season. She leads the team in batting average, hits, RBIs, runs scored and home runs. Lamb also ranks among the area’s best pitchers in ERA, wins and strikeouts. Landon Livingston, Whitmore Lake Boys Track and Field Livingston returns as the Trojans’ top long-distance runner. Last season, he had several victories in the 3200 and had multiple top 3 finishes in the 1600. Mason McAllister, Dexter McAllister is one of the area’s top pitchers so far this season as he ranks in the top 10 in wins, strikeouts and ERA. Vince Miano, Ypsilanti Lincoln Miano has been one of the Railsplitters’ top pitchers to start the season with 12 strikeouts and two victories on the mound. Greg Myers, Ypsilanti Lincoln Boys Track and Field Myers will be looking to build off a sophomore season that saw him place 10th in the 800 at the D1 state finals. Myers was also a key member of Lincoln’s relay teams. Cole Novara, Dexter The Michigan State commit returns after a sophomore season that saw him bat .306 with 34 hits and 31 RBIs. He ranks in the top 10 in the area in stolen bases, runs scored, hits and batting average this season. Max Pinsky, Ann Arbor Huron Pinsky has been one of Huron’s top batters this season as he’s batting over .400 and leads the team in hits. Kinley Poole, Ann Arbor Huron Boys Track and Field Poole is expected to have a breakout junior season on the track for the River Rats. Last year, he had top 5 finishes in the 100 and 400, as well as helping Huron win several relay races. Danica Rakic-Dennis, Ann Arbor Greenhills Girls Tennis Rakic-Dennis has not lost a match during her career and is a two-time individual state champion in D4. Rakic-Dennis is already 9-0 this year and is 59-0 in her career. Sofia Robertson, Whitmore Lake Girls Track and Field Robertson was a key member to WL’s cross country state title team in the fall and returns as a top performer for the track team. Last spring, she had five wins in the 400 and helped the Trojans win the 3200-relay state title. Nick Roney, Ann Arbor Greenhills Roney has emerged as one of the area’s top pitchers as he is listed in the top 10 in wins, strikeouts and ERA. Ella Root, Chelsea Root is another strong offensive weapon for the Bulldogs. She is one of Chelsea’s leaders in runs scored, stolen bases and home runs. Reese Rupert, Saline Rupert was an all-conference honorable mention selection last season but is making a case for the first team this year. She ranks in the top 10 in the area in multiple categories including batting average, hits and RBIs. Mackenzie Schuitman, Ann Arbor Pioneer Schuitman has contributed both at the plate and on the mound this season. She is one of Pioneer’s top batters and leads the team in strikeouts for a pitcher. Brendan Stone, Ann Arbor Pioneer Stone has provided solid play at the plate and on the mound when needed this season for the Pioneers. Yash Srivastava, Ann Arbor Huron Srivastava already has a victory and multiple top 5 finishes this season and returns as an experienced player for the River Rats. Haidren Stewart, Saline Stewart saw some success as a sophomore and is looking to improve as a junior. His best finish so far this season is a second-place performance. Danika Stone, Ann Arbor Pioneer Stone is one of the Pioneer’s leaders at the plate as she ranks among the team’s top players in batting average and hits. Lucy Taylor, Chelsea Girls Tennis Lucy Taylor finished 22-3 as a doubles player for the Bulldogs. Kenna Trost, Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard Girls Tennis Trost was 12-3 last season and returns as the Fighting Irish’s No. 1 singles player. Joonsang Um, Ann Arbor Skyline Um showed potential last year as he placed 12th at the SEC-Red Championships and will be expected to have a larger role this season. Benny Willard, Dexter Boys Lacrosse Willard was a first-team all-state selection last season for the Dreadnaughts. Brynlee Williams, Dexter Girls Tennis Williams made the jump from No. 4 singles to No. 1 singles this season. She is 4-4 to start the year. Lauren Ye, Ann Arbor Greenhills Girls Tennis Ye, who won the No. 1 doubles title last season and is 9-0 this season with teammate Alyssa Hong. Audrey Yu, Ann Arbor Pioneer Girls Tennis Yu returns this season after finishing last year with a 22-5 record and a state semifinals appearance in No. 2 singles.