River Bluff, Gray Collegiate players leave their mark, named Athlete of the Week

Posted 5/1/26

Regular season action wraps this week for all the spring sports. 

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River Bluff, Gray Collegiate players leave their mark, named Athlete of the Week

Posted

Regular season action wraps this week for all the spring sports. 

With just days until the official start of the postseason, teams and players are aiming to perform at the top of their game, hoping that momentum carries into the playoffs. 

This week’s Athlete of the Week winners put some big numbers on the board to help guide their team to victory. 

Voting for Athlete of the Week runs from 10 a.m. Saturday to 10 a.m. Monday each week at lexingtonchronicle.com/athleteoftheweek. To submit a nominee for consideration, email a photo and short bio to sports@lexingtonchronicle.com.

Banks Smith

River Bluff’s Banks Smith was a big part of the Gators’ (15-1) regular season. 

In River Bluff’s two games last week, Smith helped the Gators take down Phillip Simmons and Clover. Against Phillip Simmons, he had five goals and three assists. He followed that with a three-goal, two-assist game against Clover. 

Smith was one of River Bluff’s top scorers in 2026. He finished the season with 55 goals and a team-high 31 assists. 

River Bluff finished second in region play, despite only having one loss all season. The team still managed to get a first-round bye and will begin its playoff run on Saturday. 

Smith will be a key part in determining how far River Bluff goes. It will be the senior’s last ride with the team. 

Aspen Boulware

Gray Collegiate’s Aspen Boulware has been having a historic year. 

The senior has led Gray Collegiate to a (25-0) undefeated regular season and national recognition. Gray is the No. 7-ranked team in the country and is looking to defend its consecutive state championships. 

Boulware helped lead Gray to two wins last week. In a 14-0 win over Airport, Boulware went 3-3 from the plate for five RBIs. Against South Aiken, she also recorded an RBI as Gray won 12-0. 

A dynamic hitter, Boulware led Gray with a 0.542 batting average. She finished the regular season with over 30 hits and RBIs. She went yard eight times. 

 

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