Vote: Who Should be Iowa’s High School Athlete of the Week? (2/15/2026)

Iowa high school sports fans have until 11:59 p.m. PT on Sunday, Feb. 22 to crown the next High School on SI Iowa Athlete of the Week, with voting now live for performances recorded between Feb. 9-14.

A dozen nominees span basketball, bowling, swimming and wrestling, each authoring a headline-worthy moment during the past week.

On the hardwood, a sophomore became only the second player in state history to drop 50 points, adding eight rebounds and four assists in a win over Waukee. Mount Vernon’s Persching helped snap then-No. 1 Clear Creek-Amana’s reign with a 23-point outing on 9-of-15 shooting in a 60-39 statement victory. Severson—already stacking Division I football offers—powered his squad past ACGC with 25 points and 15 boards, while the Tigers’ Mr. Triple-Double logged another flawless line of 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. In girls basketball, Jacobi etched her name among an elite group, becoming the 25th Iowa girl to reach 2,000 career points after pouring in 23 against MFL MarMac; she also sits above 1,100 career rebounds.

The lanes proved just as dramatic. Steines struck gold in Class 1A bowling, sealing the individual state title with a 193 final game. Whitehead surged from the No. 5 seed to capture Class 2A state glory, and Jungwirth closed her campaign with Class 3A gold via a commanding 223 championship score.

In the pool, a future University of Cincinnati Bearcat closed his prep career with two state titles and a pair of fresh state records, while Martin snapped a decade-old mark in the 50 freestyle, touching in 20.06. Seifert doubled his pleasure with twin golds at the state swim meet, etching his name into the record books along the way.

Fans can cast votes on the High School on SI platform. There are no formal prizes; the poll exists simply to spotlight remarkable achievements and spark community conversation around Iowa high school sports.