GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The warming weather, budding trees and chirping birds are clear signs that spring is here and that it’s time for Michigan’s best high school athletes to find a groove heading into the heart of the prep sports season. With that in mind, we’re taking a look at the local athletes that spent last week excelling on the diamond, the pitch, the court and the track for our first installment of the Grand Rapids-area Athlete of the Week series. Among those that stood out between April 21-26 were a Byron Center softball shortstop that hit six triples and track school record setters at Jenison and Grandville. Follow along to see who else made the cut and cast your vote for the athlete that impressed the most. Readers have unlimited voting until 9 a.m. Friday, May 2, and we’ll publish the winner later that day. Voting has no bearing on postseason honors, such as the all-conference or all-state teams. The Athlete of the Week series will continue throughout the spring sports season, and to nominate a standout performer, you can email Patrick Nothaft at pnothaft@mlive.com with that athlete’s stats and recent accomplishments. If the poll does not appear at the bottom of the story, click here to view it. Tait Bennett, Comstock Park baseball The senior shortstop and leadoff hitter led Comstock Park to a 4-1 week by going 8 for 13 at the plate with seven runs scored and three RBIs, while drawing six walks without a strikeout. He also showed his speed on the basepaths by stealing 11 bags in 12 attempts. Alana Bracey, East Kentwood girls track The junior won eight of her nine races last week, including a personal-best time of 14.71 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles at the Charlie Janke Invitational, which achieved early qualifying status for the Division 1 state meet. Bracey also led off East Kentwood’s early qualifying time of 48.87 seconds in the 400 relay at the Janke Invitational. Gavin Buckley, Calvin Christian baseball The senior pitcher threw a gem in last week’s 3-0 win over Hopkins, striking out 13 and allowing four hits and no walks in seven innings, and he also swung a solid bat, going 5 for 13 with four RBIs and a run scored in five games. Chastyn Cole, Kenowa Hills baseball The senior outfielder and pitcher led Kenowa Hills to a 4-1 week by going 7 for 16 at the plate with a double, a triple and a home run, while scoring eight runs and driving in six more. He also logged a quality start in an 11-1 win over Forest Hills Northern, in which he struck out two batters in four innings and allowed just one run on one hit and three walks. Logan Dawson, Lowell baseball The junior catcher led Lowell to a 4-1 week by going 7 for 17 at the plate with two doubles, seven RBIs and nine runs scored, while also drawing four walks without striking out and stealing four bases in four attempts. Defensively, he threw out 1 of 6 baserunners for the 9-3 Red Arrows. James Dempsey, Forest Hills Eastern baseball The senior catcher and Massachusetts Institute of Technology commit continued his strong season by leading Division 2 No. 2 Eastern to a three-game sweep over rival Forest Hills Central, in which he went 6 for 11 with two doubles, a triple, eight RBIs and one run scored. He also stole three bases without getting caught and threw out one of five baserunners on defense for the 13-1 Hawks. Maddy DeVries, South Christian softball The sophomore shortstop compiled a big week during South Christian’s 2-3 stretch, going 9 for 15 at the plate with two doubles and a triple, while driving in one run and scoring three more for the 8-6 Sailors. Henry Dixon, Forest Hills Eastern boys track The senior distance runner won all four of his races last week and set a personal-best time of 4:11.02 in the 1,600-meter run at the GR Elite Challenge, which met an early qualifying standard for the Division 2 state meet. Olivia Dolan, Byron Center softball The junior shortstop led Byron Center to a 4-1 week that included a three-game sweep over Mona Shores and a doubleheader split with top-ranked Hudsonville by going 12 for 17 at the plate with three doubles, six triples, seven RBIs and seven runs scored, while also committing just one error in 12 total chances for the 8-1 Bulldogs. Drew Duthler, Coopersville baseball The versatile senior and Davenport signee capped Coopersville’s three-game sweep over Greenville by pitching a gem in a 2-0 win that saw him strike out 11 batters and allow just two hits. He also provided some pop at the plate during the Broncos’ 4-1 stretch, hitting a double and a home run, while driving in five runs and scoring five more. Defensively, he didn’t commit an error in 16 total chances during time at catcher, first base and pitcher. Ellory Dykstra, Byron Center softball While teammate Olivia Dolan was leading Byron Center at the plate, Dykstra was dominant in the pitcher’s circle, going 3-0 last week and collecting 24 strikeouts and allowing just seven hits in 17 shutout innings. In a 2-0 win over Division 1 No. 1 Hudsonville, the senior and Lake Michigan College signee struck out seven and allowed just two hits and a walk in seven innings. Jordan Empie, West Catholic softball The senior and Davenport University commit led West Catholic to a 5-1 week by going 10 for 20 at the plate with four doubles, four RBIs and four runs scored, while also posting a 4-0 record in the pitcher’s circle with a 2.66 ERA, 1.101 WHIP and 39 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings for the 7-5 Falcons. Kellen Ford, Hopkins baseball The senior shortstop and pitcher led Hopkins to a 4-2 week by going 7 for 18 at the plate with a double, two triples, four RBIs and three runs scored, while stealing eight bases in nine attempts. He also turned in a strong effort on the mound, striking out 15 batters in 6 2/3 innings, while allowing three runs on three hits and three walks in a 3-0 loss to Calvin Christian. Isabel German, Lowell girls track The senior was a five-time winner last week and set a pair of personal bests, including a time of 12.71 seconds in the 100-meter dash and a time of 26.07 seconds in the 200 dash. Emma Goring, Forest Hills Central girls track The junior sprinter won all six of her races last week, setting a personal-best time of 56.70 seconds in the 400-meter dash, which was fast enough to earn early qualifying status for the Division 1 state meet. Logan Hedlund, NorthPointe Christian baseball The senior center fielder led NorthPointe to a 4-3 week by going 6 for 13 at the plate with a double, two triples, eight RBIs and 11 runs scored, while drawing nine walks against just one strikeout. Hedlund also struck out four batters and allowed two runs on seven hits and a walk in 2 2/3 innings in two appearances on the mound for the 5-6 Mustangs. Keaton Hendricks, Zeeland West boys track After setting a Zeeland West school record with a time of 38.65 seconds in the 300 hurdles on April 18, the Hendricks continued his strong senior season by winning 5 of 6 events last week, including an early-qualifying mark of 21 feet, 10 inches in the long jump. Ben Hoekstra, Unity Christian baseball The senior led 14-1 Unity Christian to a series sweep over Zeeland West last week by going 6 for 8 at the plate with a double, three runs scored and four walks, while also earning a series opening win over the Dux, in which he struck out six and allowed one run on six hits across seven innings in the 4-1 victory. Amaya Jackson, Lowell softball The junior catcher and leadoff hitter led Lowell to a 7-0 week by going 11 for 22 with three doubles and a triple, while driving in five runs and scoring 12 more, including the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning of a 13-12 victory over Coopersville. Jayden Kulhanek, Grandville boys track The junior high jumper set a school record in the high jump last week by clearing 6 feet, 8 inches, which surpassed his previous personal best by six inches and currently stands as the top height in Division 1. Kulhanek also set a personal best with a first-place long jump of 21 feet, 2.5 inches at last week’s Rockford dual meet. Harmony Laker, Wayland softball The future Division II college basketball player at Cedarville University is also a star on the softball diamond and is coming off a strong week for a Wayland team that went 6-1. Laker went 15 of 25 at the plate with two doubles, two triples and two home runs, while scoring 16 runs and driving in 13 more. She also made four appearances in the pitcher’s circle and logged a 2.68 ERA and 1.277 WHIP with nine strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings. Luke Laska, Byron Center baseball Byron Center went 5-1 last week, and its senior catcher was a big reason behind the success, as Laska went 6 for 14 at the plate with three doubles, six walks, six RBIs and nine runs scored, while also throwing out 2 of 4 baserunners. Brody Leyendecker, Byron Center boys track The senior sprinter won four of his five races last week, setting personal bests in the 200-meter dash (22.56 seconds) and the 400 dash (48.99), while also anchoring a state-qualifying time of 3:21.32 in the 1,600-meter relay. Caden Livermore, Grandville boys track The sophomore compiled an unforgettable week that saw him set school records in the 800-meter run (1:54.35) and the 1,600 run (4:12.50), the latter of which was an early-qualifying time for the state meet and is currently the fastest time in Division 1. Madi Ludema, Wayland softball The star junior and GVSU commit continued her stellar season by leading Wayland to a 6-1 week that included victories over state-ranked squads Grand Haven and Livonia Stevenson. At the plate, Ludema went 15 for 24 with seven doubles, three triples and two home runs, while driving in 19 runs and scoring 14 more. In the pitcher’s circle, she went 3-1 with a 2.63 ERA, a 1.167 WHIP and 22 strikeouts in 24 innings, including 11 strikeouts in a 4-1 loss to D2 No. 3 Unity Christian. Morgan Macek, Jenison softball The senior center fielder and Indiana Tech commit led Jenison to a 5-0 week by going 9 for 16 at the plate with a double, four triples, 10 RBIs and 12 runs scored, while also drawing three walks without a strikeout for the 9-4 Wildcats, who are currently ranked seventh in Division 1. Evie Mathis, Wayland girls track The senior won three events last week, most notably the pole vault at Saturday’s Saxon Co-ed Relays at Hastings, where she cleared 12 feet on the pole vault, which marked a season-best and is currently the best height in Division 2. Josh McCune, East Grand Rapids baseball The junior first baseman led Division 2 No. 15 EGR to a 7-0 week by going 8 for 18 at the plate with two doubles, a triple and a home run, while driving in seven runs and scoring seven more. He also threw three solid innings on the mound, striking out two and allowing two unearned runs on three hits for the 13-1 Pioneers. Emma McKersie, Rockford softball The junior third baseman led Rockford to a 4-2 week by going 12 for 22 at the plate with five doubles, a triple and a home run, while driving in 12 runs and scoring nine more. Malachi Mosley, East Kentwood boys track The senior sprinter and University of Michigan signee won all seven of his races last week and set personal bests in the 100-meter dash (10.78 seconds) and the 200 dash (21.75). The 800 relay team he anchored at the Charlie Janke Invitational also achieved an early-qualifying time of 1:28.04. Caleb Munson, Northview baseball The senior pitcher threw a gem in last week’s 4-0 win over Wyoming, striking out 10 and allowing two hits and three walks in seven innings. Munson also went 2 for 4 at the plate last week with three RBIs during the Wildcats’ 3-2 stretch. Lyla Reynolds, Hopkins softball The senior catcher and Davenport University commit led Hopkins to a 3-3 week by going 11 for 24 at the plate with two triples and two home runs, while driving in 11 runs and scoring 11 more. In a 7-5 comeback win over Zeeland East, Reynolds sparked a three-run rally with a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh inning, before coming around to score the game-tying run on teammate Cami Hibma’s walk-off three-run home run. Reynolds also excelled behind the plate by throwing out 1 of 7 baserunners and picking off two more. Logan Richardson, East Kentwood girls track The sophomore sprinter won 10 of her 11 events last week and achieved early qualifying times for the Division 1 state meet in the 100-meter dash (12.23 seconds), the 200 dash (24.88), the 400 relay (48.87) and the 800 relay (1:42.13). Madelyn Schaendorf, GR Catholic Central softball The sophomore slugger and left fielder led undefeated Catholic Central to a 4-0 week by going 7 for 12 at the plate with four doubles and a home run, while scoring seven runs and driving in six more. Schaendorf also stole four bases without getting caught for the 10-0 Cougars. Bailey Scholma, Allendale softball Allendale went 4-2 last week, and Scholma played a key role in the success, as the junior pitcher went 3-2 with a 0.25 ERA, 0.821 WHIP and 23 strikeouts in 28 innings. She also helped her cause at the plate by going 5 of 18 with a double, a home run, three RBIs and five runs scored. Rylie Smith, Grandville softball The junior catcher led Grandville to a 3-3 week against a tough slate of opponents, including Lowell, Hudsonville and Rockford, by going 11 for 17 at the plate with four doubles, six RBIs and five runs scored, while also drawing four walks without a strikeout. Defensively, she logged a perfect fielding percentage and threw out two baserunners in nine attempts. Kierea Smits, Holland Christian softball The senior and future Division-II softball player at Palm Beach Atlantic led Holland Christian to a 2-2 week that included a pair of tough-luck losses to Covenant Christian by going 5 for 10 at the plate with two doubles, four RBIs and two runs scored. In the circle she struck out 29 batters in 15 1/3 innings, while allowing three earned runs on 12 hits and eight walks, but Holland Christian’s offense provided just two total runs in a pair of close losses to the Chargers. Leigha Stoepker, Jenison girls track The senior broke her own school records in both throwing events last week, tossing the shot put 44 feet, 2 inches in a meet against Mona Shores and launching the discus 148 feet, 10 inches at the GR Elite Challenge, which met an early qualifying standard for the state meet and is currently the second best mark in Division 1. Nolan Stubblefield, Byron Center boys track The senior thrower five of six events last week, and set personal bests in the shot put (53 feet, 8 inches) and the discus (168 feet, 7 inches), the latter of which eclipsed his previous top mark by 7 feet. Dakota Traxler, Cedar Springs softball It was a tough week for Cedar Springs during its 2-4 stretch, but Traxler was a consistent bright spot for the Red Hawks, as the junior center fielder and leadoff hitter went 10 for 22 at the plate with a double, four RBIs and 10 runs scored, while also drawing four walks without striking out. Aubrie Uebele, Greenville softball The junior catcher led Greenville to a 2-2 week that included a doubleheader sweep over Cedar Springs by going 8 for 15 at the plate with two doubles, a triple, three RBIs and five runs scored. Layla Vallone, Sparta softball The senior outfielder and Albion College signee led Sparta to a 4-2 week by going 9 for 16 at the plate with a double, six RBIs and four runs scored, while drawing three walks without a strikeout. Vallone also stole four bases in four attempts to help the Spartans improve to 7-6 overall. Sidney VanderVeen, Covenant Christian softball The junior center fielder played a big role in Covenant Christian winning all eight of its games last week, going 12 for 24 at the plate with three doubles, a triple, 12 RBIs and 10 runs scored, while also sealing four bases without getting caught. Defensively, VanderVeen logged a perfect fielding percentage with two outfield assists. Molly Versluis, Unity Christian softball The state’s No. 3 team in Division 2, Unity Christian went 5-2 last week including four wins over state-ranked squads, and the Crusaders’ senior shortstop played a big role in that success, as Versluis went 12 for 23 at the plate with three doubles, five RBIs and five runs scored, while stealing three bases without getting caught. Defensively, she logged a .967 fielding percentage and turned two double plays to help Unity Christian improve to 11-2 overall. Dustin Warner, Sparta boys track The senior thrower won thee of his four events last week, including a season-best shot put toss of 54 feet, 9 inches at the GR Elite Challenge, which met an early qualifying standard for the Division 2 state meet. His fourth-place distance of 156 feet, 6 inches in the discus at that meet also qualified him for the state finals. Collette Wierks, West Ottawa girls track The sophomore won seven races last week, including a top finish in the 800-meter run at the prestigious Barnyard Invitational, and she also set a personal-best time of 5:27.56 in the 1,600 at a dual meet against Hudsonville. Owen Wilson, Rockford boys golf The sophomore led Division 1 No. 6 Rockford to a pair of team wins at last week’s conference jamborees and earned medalist honors both times, shooting a 36 at Macatawa Legends and a 38 at Blythefield Country Club. Madison Wyckoff, Zeeland West softball The senior pitcher and Saginaw Valley State commit led Zeeland West to a pair of doubleheader splits against Division 1 No. 1 Hudsonville and Division 2 No. 3 Unity Christian last week by striking out 18 batters in 16 1/3 innings and compiling a 0.43 ERA and 0.980 WHIP in three starts against the Eagles and Crusaders. Wyckoff also helped her cause at the plate by going 7 for 16 with a double, a triple, four RBIs and six runs scored, including four hits in the Dux’s 10-1 win over Hudsonville, which snapped the defending state champs’ 48-game winning streak. Anna Zoet, Calvin Christian softball The future Division-I college softball player at James Madison continued her stellar senior season by going 10 for 20 at the plate last week with two doubles, two triples and a home run, while driving in three runs and scoring eight more during the Squires’ 3-2 stretch that included a doubleheader sweep over conference foe Hopkins. In a 7-6 victory over the Vikings, Zoet drove in the game-winning run with an eighth-inning double.