Here’s our list of seven area athletes who excelled last week. Send your nominee for future Athlete of the Week honors to Paul Kopsky at pkopsky@stltoday.com.
Brianna Butler
Triad softball
A junior first baseman and pitcher, Butler helped the Knights to three wins last week, two of which were key conference games against Highland and Civic Memorial. Butler went seven for 10 with two walks, nine runs and four doubles and also won one game as a pitcher. For the year, Butler, the Knights' No. 3 hitter, is hitting .525, with 18 runs, 11 RBIs, a .596 on-base percentage and an .800 slugging percentage; she is 5 -1 on the mound. Butler was a first-team all-conference pick in the Mississippi Valley last season.
Kristin Bright
Summit soccer
A senior midfielder, Bright exploded for six goals and one assist in three games last week. In each game, she tallied what would be the game-winning goal. Bright opened the scoring Tuesday with a goal against Parkway South in a 1-0 win. She followed up the next night with two goals and one assist vs. Northwest and capped off the week with a three-goal performance against Webster Groves. Bright leads the Falcons with 14 goals and four assists in 12 games. She has a scholarship to Central Missouri State.
Clayton water polo
A senior outside driver, Garfinkel is the area's leading scorer with 79 goals and 21 assists for 179 points in 18 games. Last week, Garfinkel had six goals and four assists in a 12-6 victory over Mehlville. Twice this season, Garfinkel has scored 10 goals in one game. As a junior, Garfinkel was second team all-conference. An accomplished swimmer, Garfinkel qualified for state in the butterfly this past season.
Mike Krumm
Lutheran South baseball
In recent back-to-back pitching outings, Krumm, a senior lefthander, came up big on the mound and at the plate in two Lancers' wins. Against St. Dominic, he struck out 14 in a complete-game victory and went three for three with a home run. Against MICDS, Krumm went the distance, allowing no earned runs and fanning 10, and he was three for three with one RBI. Overall, Krumm has a 3-1 record, a 2.22 ERA and a .500 batting average. A first-team all-conference selection as a junior, Krumm has signed with Meramec Community College on a baseball scholarship.
University City baseball
In five games last week, Mavropoulos, a junior third baseman and cleanup hitter, batted .533 and slugged 1.466 with three home runs, two doubles, a triple and 13 RBIs. He was at his best against Webster (three for three, double, homer, four RBIs) and Ritenour (three for four, triple, homer, five RBIs). On the season, he is batting .354 and is tied for the area lead in home runs with six. He is among the area RBI leaders with 26. Mavropolous has a grade-point average of nearly 4.0.
Wesclin track
A junior, Schreiber has broken the school records for the 100 and 200 and is among the area leaders in both events. He set a new mark in the 100 (10.67) at the Wood River Quad and broke the record in the 200 with a 21.8, second best in the area to date, at the Belleville West Invitational. Other highlights for Schreiber this season include running a leg on three winning relays — 400, 800 and 1,600 — at the Wood River Quad and finishing third in the 55 dash at the Prep Top Times Indoor Classic.
Mitch Rutledge
Whitfield golf
A sophomore, Rutledge led the Warriors to a first-place finish at the Old Hickory Challenge. Rutledge shot a 2-over 74 for medalist honors in the morning session. That would be the low round for the entire day as the lowest score in the afternoon was a 76. Later that same afternoon in a dual match vs. Lutheran St. Charles at Bellerive, Rutledge earned medalist honors in another Warriors victory with a 1-under 35. On the day for 27 holes, Rutledge was a cumulative 1 over par on what are considered two of the most-challenging courses in the area. He has won four of five duals this season.
