Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – The finalists for the 2024 Humboldt Sports Big 5 Girls Athlete of the Year.

By Ray Hamill — As with our other end-of-year high school awards categories, narrowing down the list of finalists for the 2024 Humboldt Sports Big 5 Girls Athlete of the Year was not an easy task.

But for my money six athletes stood out above the rest and one of them will be named our athlete of the year next week.

Our list of finalists include a couple of outstanding sisters who left an impressive legacy at Fortuna High School, a two-time MVP on the basketball court who closed out her high school career in dramatic fashion and a senior who made an outstanding return to the softball fields this past spring.

The finalists also include a two-sport Eureka star who performed at an MVP caliber level in both, and a tenacious junior who also dominated on her way to a pair of all-league selections this year.

All six finalists received all-league recognition in at least two sports and displayed their outstanding athleticism on multiple fronts.

Of the six, five were seniors this past year and all of them closed out their high school careers in impressive fashion, while the lone junior should be even better next year as she looks to do the same.

The 2024 Humboldt Sports Big 5 Girls Athlete of the Year is one of six end-of-year awards we’ll be handing out, along with Team of the Year, Coach of the Year, Little 4 Girls and Boys Athletes of the Year and Big 5 Boys Athlete of the Year.

And a huge thank you to the local businesses that have stepped up to help sponsor this year’s awards, a group that includes Mendes Supply, DelReka Distributing, Bode Construction, The Humboldt Fence Company, and Chris Prior of Coldwell Banker Cutten Realty, whose generosity ensures all six award winners will receive trophies to honor their accomplishments.

Here then is our list of finalists for the 2024 Humboldt Sports Big 5 Girls Athlete of the Year in alphabetical order.

Allie Cox

Fortuna Senior

Soccer, Basketball, Track and Field

Arguably the most accomplished of all of our finalists across a wider range of sports, Cox was named the Girls Athlete of the Year at the annual Fortuna ESPYs.

The senior star was a first-team all-league selection in soccer and basketball and a league champion in track and field.

Chloe Cox

Fortuna, Senior

Soccer, Wrestling

Chloe Cox was one of the most inspirational athletes in the H-DNL this past year and leaves a lasting legacy at Fortuna High.

The standout senior received an all-league honorable mention on the soccer field and became the Huskies’ first-ever four-time league championship winner and a two-time state qualifier on the wrestling mats.

McKenna Curtis

Del Norte, Senior

Volleyball, Softball

Curtis is a two-time Big 5 MVP in volleyball after playing a huge role in leading the Warriors to a perfect league campaign last fall, when they did not drop a single set in their eight matches.

She also returned to the softball field with a bang in the spring, playing a pivotal role in leading the Warriors to a league title and a first-ever Charles Lakin tournament championship and earning all-league honors in the process.

Kaitlin Giacone

Eureka, Senior

Soccer, Basketball, Softball

Few athletes ever get to close out their high school careers in the manner Giacone did, when she hit a walk-off home run for the Loggers in her final ever at-bat and earned all-league honors.

She also is a two-time MVP in Big 5 basketball, where she played a pivotal role in leading the Eureka girls to a third straight Big 5 and Dick Niclai championship double this past winter.

Isis Poteet

Eureka, Senior

Volleyball, Basketball

Poteet was equally impressive and was named co-MVP in Big 5 basketball along with Giacone after also playing a key role in the double-championship season.

The senior standout also enjoyed a stellar career in volleyball and was named all-league for the Loggers last fall.

Gabby Watson

McKinleyville, Junior

Soccer, Basketball

The youngest of our six finalists, few players played as tenaciously as Watson on the local high school soccer fields this past fall, where she earned the respect of her opposing coaches and players with her consistent standout performances.

She followed that with a an all-league campaign on the basketball courts in the winter.