Nebraska's Top 10 girls spring athletes who perform well in other sports

Video: Maddie Simon's highlight vs. Omaha Skutt
See Pius X's Maddie Simon in action playing basketball

With the 2014-15 school year winding down, we're taking a look back at some of Nebraska's top girls performers for the spring season, as well as the other sports they compete in. Bellevue West's Chloe Akin-Otiko was an easy pick for the top spot, while Nebraska basketball recruit Maddie Simon falls into the No. 2 rung on the list.

Hastings St. Cecilia and Crofton each landed two athletes in the Top 10, while an injury not only held Fremont standout Jessica Shepard out of most of the 2014-15 basketball season, it held her out of this Top 10. In order to qualify for the Top 10 an athlete had to compete during the spring season and at least at a high level in another sport.


Chloe Akin-Otiko, Bellevue West
Track and Field/Basketball
Akin-Otiko is unquestionably the best sprinter in the state regardless of class, leading the state in the 100 meters (11.85 seconds), 200 (24.59) and 400 (57.11) so far this spring. But she also had a knack for dominating the action on the basketball court, averaging 19.2 points and pulling down 8.1 rebounds per game last winter. Akin-Otiko guided the Thunderbirds to a 21-7 record and a spot in the Class A semifinals against eventual runner-up Norfolk.

Maddie Simon, Pius X (Lincoln)
Track and Field/Basketball
A Husker basketball recruit, Simon is one of the premier hurdlers in Nebraska this spring, sitting fourth in the 100 intermediate hurdles and fifth in the 300 low hurdles in the Lincoln Journal Star's latest track and field chart. Simon teamed up with Kennedy Sander in guiding the Thunderbolts to the Class B state basketball championship and a 22-2 record last winter.

Tiani Reeves, Gothenburg
Track and Field/Volleyball
Although she is walking on to play volleyball at Nebraska, Reeves is in domination mode on the track and in the field, leading the state in both the long jump (18 feet, 8 inches) and the triple jump (38-0). Reeves pounded 405 kills last fall while hitting to the tune of a .359 hitting percentage. She guided the Swedes to a 20-11 mark.

Jeralyn Poe, North Star (Lincoln)
Track and Field/Cross Country
Poe sits ninth on the leaderboards in the 1600 (5:14.08) and fifth in the 3200 (11:18.03) as she prepares to defend her Class A titles in both events later this month. Poe started the 2014-15 school year by winning the Class A state cross country meet with an 18:15.2 clocking, outrunning Millard South's Katie Spencer by more than 13 seconds.

Clare Hamburger, St. Cecilia (Hastings)
Tennis/Basketball/Volleyball
Hamburger lost her 2014 Class B No. 2 doubles partner Morgan Nikkila to graduation. But she returned to try to improve upon last season's third-place finish. Besides baffling foes on the tennis court, Hamburger earned first team all-state honors in both basketball and volleyball, while guiding St. Cecilia to the Nebraska state tournaments in both sports. Hamburger served up 423 assists and swatted the ball to the floor for 290 kills while guiding St. Cecilia to a third-place finish and a 31-5 mark in volleyball. As a member of the 23-4 Class C2 state runner-up basketball team, Hamburger averaged 16.5 points and six rebounds.

Quinn Wragge, Crofton
Track and Field/Basketball/Cross Country
One of the state's top Class C performers in the 800 this year, Wragge ran legs on Crofton's state champion 1600 (4:06.00) and 3200 (9:40.03) relays last May. Wragge also captured eighth place at last fall's Class D state cross country meet and earned all-state honors while averaging 11.8 points and 4.1 rebounds on the Class C2 state championship basketball team.

Alexis Altmaier, Lincoln East
Track and Field/Swimming and Diving/Cross Country
Altmaier sits firmly on the state's track and field leaderboards in the 800 (2:21.36), 1600 (5:10.84) and 3200 (11:24.24). She also led the Spartan swimming and diving team to a 13th-place finish at the state meet with a fifth-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle and took fifth at last fall's Class A state cross country meet in helping Lincoln East to a third-place team finish.

Allison Arens, Crofton
Track and Field/Basketball/Volleyball
A member of Crofton's state champion 1600 relay a year ago, Arens sits third on the latest Omaha World Herald Class C track and field leaderboard in the 1600 (5:28.2) after finishing second in the event at last spring's state meet. Arens earned all-state honors in both volleyball and basketball this school year after knocking the ball around for 254 kills in volleyball and averaging 16 points and 3.4 rebounds in basketball.

Abby Meader, Lincoln Southwest
Soccer/Basketball
Through 18 games this spring, Meader has guided the Silver Hawks to a 14-4 mark by scoring 49 points, after notching 17 goals and dishing out 15 assists for the Lincoln Southwest soccer team. Meader also earned a name for herself on the basketball court after averaging more than 17 points a game halfway through the 2014-15 season.

Shandra Farmer, St. Cecilia (Hastings)
Track and Field/Basketball/Volleyball
After coming oh so close to placing in both the 1600 and 3200 at last spring's Nebraska Class C state track and field meet, Farmer is ready to tally up some points for Hastings St. Cecilia at the state meet at Omaha Burke Stadium later this month. Farmer secured all-state basketball and volleyball honors from both the Omaha World Herald and the Lincoln Journal Star after digging up 263 enemy attacks during the volleyball season and averaging 20.7 points and 2.6 rebounds during basketball.