Here are the 2025-26 Athletes of the Season for girls' winter sports
See which Section 4 athletes, in girls' basketball, wrestling, track, and bowling, were voted as having made the most impact during the winter season.
Several female athletes across Section 4 have dominated in their respective sports, creating headlines and outshining their competition this season. The question posed: What characteristics make a standout athlete? These fan-picked athletes have shown up and shown out in their respective sports this year; some athletes creating new legacies, other athletes stepping up to lead a team, and a handful of newcomers who changed the perception of the "underclassman" label.
Here are this year's "Athlete(s) of the Season" in Section 4 girls' basketball, wrestling, bowling and track: Click below to see all nominees and their accomplishments. All Nominees and Descriptions Girls Wrestling This season's nominees: Ellisa Bly (Horseheads), Teagan McGuinness (Union-Endicott), Isabella Phelps (Sidney), Delaney Dixon (Windsor) The fan-picked 2026 "Athlete of the Season" in Section 4 girls' wrestling is Union-Endicott's Teagan McGuinness. McGuinness' accomplishments this season: McGuinness captured the girls’ wrestling individual state championship title at 185 and ended her senior season with an unbeaten record of 36-0 to become the first women’s state champion in Union-Endicott history.
The senior also captured another individual title at the Section 4 wrestling championships. Girls Basketball This season's nominees: Maggie Warpus (Chenango Forks), Harper Eagan (Maine-Endwell), Ava Kariam (Susquehanna Valley), Nayla Miley (Sidney) The fan-picked 2026 "Athlete of the Season" in Section 4 girls' basketball is Susquehanna Valley's Ava Kariam. Kariam's accomplishments this season: Kariam scored 15 points against state-ranked Chenango Forks to claim the STAC championship title this season, claiming a spot on BCANY’s all-state first team and the STAC’s Central/East all-conference team as a freshman.
Girls Indoor Track & Field This season's nominees: Eva DiNunzio-Welch (Binghamton), Cella McLaughlin (Corning), Grace Walley (Walton), Tsadia Bercuvitz (Ithaca) More: High school sports results for the 2025-26 school year The fan-picked 2026 "Athlete of the Season" in Section 4 girls' indoor track and field is Binghamton's Eva DiNunzio-Welch. DiNunzio-Welch's accomplishments this season: DiNunzio-Welch ranked among the top 10 female track athletes in Section 4. The senior took first place in the 800-meter event (2:23.