Vote: Who Should Be Iowa’s High School Athlete of the Week? (8/30/2026)

Here are the candidates for High School on SI’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for Aug. 24-29.

AOTW

Here are the candidates for High School On SI’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for Aug 24-29. Read through the nominees and cast your vote.

Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on Sunday, Sept. 6. The winner will be announced in the following week’s poll. Here are this week’s nominees:

Madison Heilskov, Hampton-Dumont/CAL volleyball

Heilskov picked up 15 kills with just three errors in a three-set sweep for the Bulldogs.

Morgan Frehse, Newton volleyball

Frehse, a senior, had 14 kills and just one error as the Cardinals topped Saydel in two sets.

Andrew Vollbeer, North Scott boys golf

Vollbeer carded a 4-under 67 to win the Western Dubuque Bobcat Invitational by one stroke. His performance helped the Lancers secure the team title.

Evelyn Moeller, Mount Vernon/Lisbon girls cross country

Moeller, a senior, claimed gold at her home invitational, clocking a time of 17:56 to win by almost two minutes.

Lauren Krogmann, Starmont/West Central girls cross country

Krogmann clocked a winning time of 19:14 at the Edgewood-Colesburg Invitational.

Hugh Conway, South Winneshiek boys cross country

Conway scored a victory in a tight race at the Edgewood-Colesburg Invitational, going 17:01. The runner-up finished just two seconds back, with the third place finish less than five seconds behind.

Hadley Michael, Norwalk volleyball

Michael surpassed 50 assists in a tough five-set loss to Ames, recording 53 with four kills of her own.

Claire Kenny, Ames volleyball

Kenny, a junior, had a team-leading 23 kills in a five-set victory over Norwalk.

Nerea Gimeno Perez, Panorama volleyball

Gimeno Perez was 24-for-27 serving in a four-set victory for Panorama over Interstate 35, recording eight service aces.

Nash Mitchell, Underwood football

In his first start, Mitchell was incredible, completing 25 of 34 passes for 414 yards with five touchdowns, leading Underwood past Harlan, 39-34.

Thomas Ehn, St. Edmond football

Ehn, a junior, threw seven touchdown passes to lead the Gaels past Glidden-Ralston. He also forced a fumble on defense.

Laken Caves, Alburnett football

Caves, one of the leading returning rushers in the state, had 289 yards and four touchdowns on just 12 carries, averaging over 24 yards per rush.

Kamden Chyma, Nashua-Plainfield football

Chyma rushed 19 times for 279 yards, scoring twice in a 39-11 victory over AGWSR. He averaged nearly 15 yards per rush.

Rogan Heidt, Maquoketa Valley football

Heidt had 201 yards rushing and scored five touchdowns in a 48-6 win over Starmont.

Pryor Reiners, Iowa City Liberty football

Reiners hauled in 10 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns vs. Cedar Falls.

Gavin Pedersen, Eagle Grove football

Pedersen picked off three passes during a 76-6 triumph over Lake Mills. He also caught a touchdown pass.

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.