Voting live for 3rd round of Hines Furniture Athlete of the Year

The Hines Furniture Athlete of the Year has entered the third round of voting. This will be the final round in the bracket format, as the final four candidates will have the same voting process as the weekly contest, where readers can vote once daily for each candidate, rather than two matchups that set up a championship head-to-head.

Voting for the third round went live on Tuesday and runs until Thursday at noon. Readers can vote in each of the four matchups once daily. Voting for the final four will then begin on Monday and run through the end of the month.

Get to know each of the final eight candidates remaining in the running for the Hines Furniture Athlete of the Year.

East Clarendon's Wes Springs matches up with Laurence Manning's Lyza Prickelmyer. Springs was our final Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week winner of the 2025-26 school year. He helped lead the Wolverines to their second consecutive SCHSL 2A lower state championship game amid an All-State season. He hit .500 as EC claimed their district title to earn the honor. Prickelmyer, meanwhile, earned the award during basketball season after eclipsing 1,000 career points in a rivalry win over Laurence Manning. She went on to lead LMA to their third consecutive SCISA 4A state softball title in the spring.

The next matchup is all LMA, as Kendall Tanner matches up with Camdyn Strickler. Tanner, who also played basketball for the Lady Swampcats, earned Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week honors early in the softball season, as she pitched and played second base for the eventual state champions. Strickler, meanwhile, earned his honor just one week before Tanner, shining with the LMA lacrosse team. He had four goals and five assists in one week, helping power a hot start to the season for the 'Cats.

Manning's CJ Robinson matches up against Aubree Frye of East Clarendon. Robinson was a standout defensive back and wide receiver for the Monarchs, earning Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week honors after catching two touchdowns, intercepting a pass and forcing a fumble against Mullins. Frye was the libero of the EC volleyball team and helped power two region victories, leading the defensive effort while adding seven aces, five kills and five assists.

The last matchup is another matchup between 'Cats, as Laurence Manning's Ashley Rae Hodge faces Wes Lyles. Both Swampcats earned their recognition during basketball season in consecutive weeks. Lyles earned the recognition first after carrying LMA, who was playing without his co-leading scorer Scoop Dennis at the time, to three consecutive wins, two of which came in region play. Hodge followed suit, carrying an injury-riddled Lady Swampcat squad to a pair of wins and an overtime loss with three consecutive nights with 20-plus points. She also reached her 1,000-career point milestone this season before playing a key role in the softball team's state title in the spring.