The 2016-17 azcentral.com Sports Awards, presented by Arby’s, will honor the best student-athletes and those who support them.

Each week, the azcentral.com Sports Awards, presented by Arby’s, will honor two Athletes of the Week, presented by La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries, and an Academic All-Star of the Week.

To learn more about the azcentral.com Sports Awards, visit hsawards.azcentral.com.

To nominate an Athlete or Academic All-Star of the Week, visit nominations.azcentral.com.

Meagan Van Pelt, from Phoenix Shadow Mountain, is the azcentral.com Sports Awards Academic All-Star of the Week, from March 2-9.

Academic All-Star of the Week

Meagan Van Pelt

School: Phoenix Shadow Mountain

Class: Junior

Sport: Track and Field

Has a 4.7 GPA … Runs the 400-, 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter races … Cross country runner … Basketball forward … National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society and Society of Women Scholars member … Junior class vice president … Part of Matadors’ Your Caring Shadow, food and clothing drives for sister school Sweetwater … Volunteers with Arizona Game and Fish and the USDA … Placed seventh at state cross country meet … Holds Matadors’ cross country home course record at 19:19 … “I like (running), it gets me out and about,” she said … Said her track goals are to break 5 minutes in the mile and the school 800 record at 2:18 … “She’s a model kid,” coach Matt Shannon said. “She’s what you would want your whole team to be like.”

• Nominate: All-Arizona teams, Athletes of the Week, Academic All-Stars
• Larry Fitzgerald to headline azcentral.com Sports Awards show in April
• Congratulations to the Fan Experience basketball contest winner
• Nominate for I Am Sport Award, presented by Nike

Gabe McGlothan, from Chandler Basha, is azcentral.com Sports Awards Male Athlete of the Week, presented by La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries, from March 2-9.

Male Athlete of the Week presented by La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries

Gabe McGlothan

School: Chandler Basha

Class: Senior

Sport: Basketball

Has a 3.8 GPA … Power forward and center … Led the 6A Conference state championship team with an average of about 15 points per game and 11 rebounds … Achieved double-doubles throughout the year … “I don’t like losing, so I strive to find ways to win not just for myself but for the team,” he said … Mentioned his hunger and drive as his greatest strength … Senior class president in student government … Playing basketball since he was 8 years old … Committed to play with Army West Point … Plans to study mechanical engineering with a minor in electrical engineering … “He’s one-of-a-kind,” coach Mike Grothaus said. “He’s the anchor of our team.”

AZCENTRAL.COM SPORTS AWARDS: List of azcentral.com Sports Awards Athletes of the Week, Month

ALL-STARS: List of all azcentral.com Sports Awards Academic All-Stars

Riley Herman, from Gilbert Campo Verde, is the azcentral.com Sports Awards Female Athlete of the Week, presented by La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries, from March 2-9.

Female Athlete of the Week presented by La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries

Riley Herman

School: Gilbert Campo Verde

Class: Senior

Sport: Softball

Has a 4.2 GPA … First base … Has a .333 batting average, 15 at-bats, four runs and two RBIs, as of March 3 … “Before every game, there’s a certain energy before warming up, and I look forward to that every time,” she said … National Honor Society member … Part of a BioMed academic program at Campo Verde, and president of the program’s club … Playing softball since she was 11 years old … Played club softball with Team Storm … Going to University of Arizona to study BioMed … Coach Deryk Sexton said Herman is the “entertainment of the team” for her sense of humor … “She’s got that ability to lighten the mood when things get intense,” Sexton said.

Congratulations to the azcentral.com Sports Awards Athletes of the Week, Gabe McGlothan and Riley Herman, presented by La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries, and the Academic All-Star, Meagan Van Pelt, for March 2-9.