Vote: Who Should be Iowa’s High School Athlete of the Week? (2/1/2026)

Here are the candidates for High School on SI’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for Jan. 26-31.

AOTW

Here are the candidates for High School on SI’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for Jan. 26-31. Read through the nominees and cast your vote.

Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on Sunday, Feb. 8. The winner will be announced in the following week’s poll. Here are this week’s nominees:

Gage Moreno, Woodward-Granger boys basketball

Moreno went off, scoring a state-best 53 points on 21 of 31 shooting in a win over Perry. He knocked down five 3-pointers and also had six assists.

Nakia Ollivierre, Waterloo West girls basketball

Ollivierre became the 25th player in 5-on-5 history to surpass 2,000 career points. The senior is averaging over 26 points per game this year.

Olivia McDaniel, Vinton-Shellsburg girls bowling

McDaniel, a senior, recorded a 618 series on the lanes, which has her among the state leaders. Her series included a high game of 227.

Rush Steen, Waterloo West boys bowling

Steen placed his name at the top of the boys bowling leaders with a 791 series. That included a high game of 279.

Cael LaFrentz, Decorah boys basketball

LaFrentz exploded for 40 points with 15 rebounds and six blocked shots vs. Spring Grove in a dominating win.

Gabe Staley, Hamburg boys basketball

Staley had a monster double-double, scoring 40 points with 21 erbounds in a 55-54 win over Griswold.

Oscar Cline, Louisa-Muscatine boys basketball

Cline was all over the court in a 67-66 victory vs. Lone Tree, scoring 31 points with 26 rebounds, four blocks and two assists.

Hunter Horn, St. Edmond boys basketball

One night after breaking the school’s career scoring record, Horn went off for a career-high 44 points. He finished the week with 90 points in three wins by the Gaels.

Cal Heydon, Coon Rapids-Bayard boys basketball

Heydon scored 26 points with 13 rebounds, three assists and two steals in a big win over Woodbine.

Skylar Slade, Southeast Polk girls wrestling

Slade will head to the girls state wrestling championships unbeaten after claiming a regional title.

About Our Athlete of the Week Voting

High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.

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