The Post-Dispatch Athletes of the Week is compiled by Chris Gove based off stats reported to . Please send nominations to cgove@stltoday.com by noon each Monday.
Cole Brockmeyer, Duchesne soccer
A two-sport state champion for the Pioneers, Brockmeyer recently became the all-time leading goal scorer in program history. A 6-foot-2 and 160-pound senior forward, Brockmeyer scored two goals Sept. 25 in a victory against Granite City to surpass the 53 goals scored by Andy Pacio, whose career wrapped up at Duchesne in 2000 before he played at Butler University. Brockmeyer, who helped Duchesne win state titles in soccer and baseball last season, has scored 10 goals and has five assists this season. That gives him 57 goals and 18 assists for his career.
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Landyn DeRousse, Crystal City football
A 5-foot-10, 160-pound junior who plays running back, safety and kick returner, DeRousse helped the Hornets snap a three-game losing streak with a 22-20 victory against Roosevelt. A three-year varsity player, DeRousse returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and scored 16 points to help lead Crystal City’s effort. His first touchdown return covered 92 yards in the first quarter and put the Hornets ahead 8-6 right after Roosevelt had gone ahead. He also had a two-point conversion on Crystal City’s second TD and scored its last points of the game on a 95-yard kickoff return to start the second half.
Reece Distler, Althoff volleyball
Amidst an unbeaten week for the Crusaders, Distler hit a career milestone with the most prolific attacking performance of her career. A 5-foot-10 junior outside hitter and three-year varsity player who also plays basketball and runs track, Distler recorded a career-high 18 kills to go along with10 digs in a 25-19, 23-25, 25-13 victory against Collinsville. She hit the 500-kill plateau for her career during that victory. For the week, Distler had 42 kills, attacked at a .337 percentage, had 18 digs and five blocks as Althoff also swept Belleville West, Christ our Rock and Maryville Christian. Althoff has won 11 of its last 12 matches.
Dia Kannan, Edwardsville tennis
A freshman playing in the No. 1 singles position, Kannan won all four of her matches to help Edwardsville improve to 21-5 by capturing the championship of the Lockport Invitational. Kannan and the Tigers opened the tournament with a 4-0 victory against St. Charles East before topping St. Charles North 4-1 in the quarterfinals. On the tournament’s second day, Edwardsville beat Naperville Neuqua Valley 4-1 in the semifinals before completing the event with a 4-1 win over Plainfield North in the title match. Kannan is 22-10 in singles in her debut season heading into this weekend’s Southwestern Conference tournament.
Ryan Kassebaum, Washington football
A senior quarterback, Kassebaum was efficient and prolific while helping lead the Blue Jays to a 56-34 road victory against Liberty in a GAC Central Division game. He completed 16 of 17 passes for 384 yards and five touchdowns to five different receivers while also rushing 18 times for 105 yards and one score. Kassebaum staked the Blue Jays to a 28-14 halftime lead with his first three touchdown passes, one each to Nolan Hendrix, Camron Smith and Jacob Bina. Kassebaum then hit Wyatt Bobo for a TD in the third quarter and threw his last scoring strike to Alec Pecka, covering 85 yards, in the fourth quarter.
Sophia Otten, Incarnate Word softball
A senior pitcher who has verbally committed to play at the NCAA Division I level for the University of Evansville, Otten helped the Red Knights to three victories last week. The highlight for Otten was a nine-strikeout performance during a 2-1 victory against Oakville during an event at Windsor. In 24 innings pitched for the week, Otten struck out 36. At the plate, Otten was 10 for 15 for a .667 average and she had a home run to complete a run-rule conference victory against Ursuline. On Monday, Otten reached 500 strikeouts for her career in a win over Notre Dame. For the season she is 13-5 with 131 strikeouts.
Emily Perone, Summit softball
The Falcons earned their first conference title since 2019 and won five of six games last week, and Perone was a big part of it. A sophomore who plays second base, Perone hit .500 with a .542 on-base and .955 slugging percentage. She had 11 hits, three doubles, two triples and one home run, driving in 12 and scoring 10 runs. In a 7-1 win over Eureka that clinched an unbeaten run through the Suburban Conference Yellow Pool, Perone was 1 for 3 with two RBI and one run scored. For the season, she is hitting .533, ranks among area leaders with 39 RBI and 39 runs scored and is tied for the area lead with seven triples.