The Post-Dispatch Athletes of the Week is compiled by Chris Gove based off stats reported to . Please send nominations to cgove@stltoday.com by noon each Monday.
Ashley Forbes, Oakville soccer
A freshman who plays midfield and forward, Forbes continued her breakout debut season by helping the Tigers repeat their championship from the Blue Cat Cup, which is co-hosted by Union and Washington. Forbes opened the tournament with three goals in an 8-0 victory against Borgia. It was her second hat trick and fourth multi-goal game of the season. She then scored the icing goal in a 2-0 semifinal win over Washington and provided the assist on Alivia Schnur’s game-winning goal in a 2-1 title-match victory against Union. Forbes leads the Tigers with 30 points this season with 14 goals and one assist.
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Reese McNamara, Edwardsville softball
In her second season as the starting catcher, McNamara has helped the Tigers to another winning campaign. Last week, McNamara was 2 for 3 with a double and one RBI in a 4-2 victory against Collinsville in a Southwestern Conference game and she also had one hit as the Tigers beat Granite City 15-0 in a nonconference game for their fifth consecutive victory. McNamara leads Edwardsville this season with two home runs. She has a .311 batting average, has driven in six runs, scored three runs and hit four doubles. McNamara’s fielding percentage is .992, and she has 117 putouts and three assists. She was a second team all-Southwestern Conference pick as a junior.
Ella Moersch, St. Joseph’s soccer
A sophomore goalkeeper, Moersch helped the Angels improve to 17-0 with a pair of shutout victories on the road. The Angels started the week with a 1-0 victory at Nerinx Hall in a Girls Independent Schools League showdown. Moersch made 11 saves, her second-highest total of the season, as the Angels snapped a six-game losing streak to the Markers with their first win in the series since April 23, 2019. Two days later, Moersch made a pair of saves in a 2-0 victory at defending Class 3A Illinois state champion O’Fallon. Moersch’s 17-0 record in goal matches her team’s, and she has 11 solo shutouts to go along with two shared shutouts, 86 saves and a .5 goals allowed average.
Evan Paule, Vianney volleyball
A 6-foot-2 senior opposite hitter, Paule helped lead the Golden Griffins to five victories last week against many of the area’s best programs. Paule opened the week with 12 kills in a three-set sweep of O’Fallon and then had 18 kills, two solo blocks and two block assists in a 25-17, 25-16, 19-25, 24-26, 15-7 victory against SLUH. Then as Vianney won three matches in the Lafayette Invitational, Paule had eight kills against Francis Howell Central and 15 against Edwardsville in two-set sweeps before providing 14 kills and three block assists in a 26-24, 25-27, 25-20 win over the host Lancers. Paule ranks among area leaders with 3.64 kills per set for the Metro Catholic Conference-leading Griffins (18-1-1).
Michael Strong, SLUH baseball
The Jr. Billikens won their first outright Metro Catholic Conference title since 2011 in style as Strong, a sophomore pitcher, threw a no-hitter in a 2-0 victory at Vianney. One day after a 6-1 home loss to the Golden Griffins that left open the possibility of a shared league championship between the teams, Strong took the mound and struck out five, walked one and hit one batter during his first complete-game performance of the season. Strong improved to 3-0 in 24 2/3 innings and also has two saves this season, including a three-inning appearance in a MCC victory against De Smet. He has 26 strikeouts, nine walks and has allowed eight hits.
Dominic Sutton, Hillsboro baseball
A senior pitcher who also plays shortstop, Sutton threw his third no-hitter of the season as the Hawks beat Perryville 5-0 in a Jefferson County Activities Association game. Sutton struck out eight in seven innings and missed a perfect game on one hit batter. His other two no-hitters came March 19 in a 15-0 victory against North County and April 12 in a 4-0 victory against Union in the Potosi tournament. At the plate in three victories last week, Sutton went 5 for 12 with four RBI and one double. Sutton has allowed only one hit in his last 23 innings pitched. He is 5-1 for the season with a .37 ERA, 36 strikeouts and eight hits allowed. He also is hitting for a .379 average with 16 RBI and 10 stolen bases.
Carly Swan, Lafayette soccer
A sophomore midfielder, Swan scored three game-winning goals to help the Lancers to a four-victory week, including their second consecutive Orchard Farm Tournament championship. Swan scored the opening goal for the Lancers in their 7-0 victory against Lutheran St. Charles in the tournament opener, and she had the lone goal in a 1-0 semifinal victory against tournament host Orchard Farm. Then in a Suburban Conference Yellow Pool game, Swan again scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory against Summit, Lafayette’s fourth in a row against its Rockwood rival. Swan has six goals and two assists this season. She was a second team all-conference pick as a freshman.