Vote for Tuscaloosa News Girls Athlete of the Week

Voting open for top female high school athlete from Feb. 14-20

Published on Feb. 22, 2026

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The Tuscaloosa News is holding a vote to determine the Girls Athlete of the Week for the period of February 14-20. Last week's winner was Payton Church of Northside High School, who scored all five goals in a 5-0 victory over Holt.

Why it matters

The Athlete of the Week award recognizes outstanding performances by local high school female athletes and helps build community engagement and school spirit around their achievements.

The details

Nominees for Athlete of the Week are selected from the top performers list the week prior. Readers can vote for their choice on the Tuscaloosa News website.

  • Voting is open from February 22, 2026 until a winner is announced.
  • Last week's winner, Payton Church, won 91.07% of the vote.

The players

Payton Church

A student-athlete at Northside High School who scored all five goals in a 5-0 win against Holt last week.

Northside High School

The high school that Payton Church attends.

Holt High School

The opposing team that Northside defeated 5-0 last week.

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What’s next

Readers can vote for this week's Tuscaloosa News Girls Athlete of the Week on the newspaper's website until a winner is announced.

The takeaway

The Tuscaloosa News Athlete of the Week award highlights the impressive achievements of local high school female athletes and encourages community engagement and school pride.