The time is now for the biggest South Bend Tribune poll of the 2025-26 academic year so far. It’s time to vote for the 2026 South Bend Tribune Boys Athlete of the Year.
Below are 23 nominees from 23 different coverage area schools, listed in alphabetical order by school. Nominees were limited to just one per school. Find the poll below the list of nominees, which is open with no voting limits until Wednesday, July 8 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
NOTE: this is a FAN VOTE. The South Bend Tribune’s staff pick for Boys Athlete of the Year will be unveiled Thursday, July 9.
Kaeden Warfield, Brandywine senior
Warfield excelled at both quarterback on the gridiron and at shortstop on the baseball diamond, helping the latter win its first district title since 2008.
Jack Wildauer, Bremen senior
Quarterback Wildauer passed for 660 yards and six touchdowns. He helped Bremen go 22-5 in basketball and battled .293 with 18 RBIs in baseball for the sectional champion Lions.
Bo Brunner, Concord senior
Brunner passed for 2,004 yards and 14 touchdowns as Concord went 11-2 and won Class 5A sectional and regional titles in football. He also averaged 10 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in basketball and ran track before being injured in the regional round.
Alex Rudolph, Edwardsburg senior
Rudolph was a standout baseball player for the Eddies and a Pittsburgh football commit at long snapper.
Alonzo Newbern, Elkhart senior
Newbern placed second in the 200-meter dash at the State Finals after winning NIC, sectional and regional titles in the event. He also played basketball for the Lions.
Braxton Cline, Goshen senior
Cline batted .479 with 39 RBIs and 40 runs as Goshen went 22-7 and won the NLC and a Class 4A sectional title. He also averaged 13.7 points and 5.3 assists per game in hoops.
Archer Rust, John Glenn sophomore
Rust threw for almost 900 yards and rushed for over 500 as a quarterback. He also averaged 7.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in basketball and batted .299 with 15 RBI in baseball.
Brayden Schwitz, LaVille senior
Quarterback Schwitz passed for 1,825 yards and 27 touchdowns and rushed for 423 yards and six scores to lead LaVille to a sectional title. The standout baseball player, who will play at Kankakee Community College, batted .397 with 22 RBI.
Leon Fowler, Mishawaka junior
Fowler earned a state championship in the long jump. His leap of 24-6 was just 1.75 inches short of the state record set in 1995.
Prescott Horvath, Mishawaka Marian senior
Horvath was dominant offensive lineman for the Knights, and he will continue his football career at IU. He also averaged 20.2 points and 8.1 rebounds as Marian won a Class 3A basketball sectional title.
Reed Robinson, New Prairie senior
Robinson passed for over 700 yards and rushed for almost 1,500 while totaling 28 touchdowns as the New Prairie quarterback. Robinson also led the New Prairie baseball team to a 23-7 mark and a sectional title. He hit .505 with 28 RBIs and six home runs.
Brenden Olsen, Niles senior
Olsen excelled in football, basketball and his specialty baseball for the Vikings. He was a wide receiver/defensive back on the 9-1 football team, helped the basketball team win a District title and then was all-everything in baseball. Olsen will play baseball at Houston.
Baylor Miller, Northridge senior
Miller placed fourth in the 800-meter race at the State Track Finals. He also led the Raiders to a fifth place team finish at the Cross Country State Finals, where he placed 11th individually.
Ryder Ransberger, NorthWood senior
Ransberger helped the Panthers win Class 3A baseball sectional and regional titles as the team’s lone senior. The catcher hit .433 with 29 RBIs and 15 doubles. Ransberger also played football and was an all-state punter.
Christian Bonner, Penn senior
Bonner played four sports for the Kingsmen. He was a standout defensive lineman in football, starter on the basketball team, a member of the sectional championship volleyball team and a key contributor for the state championship unified track team.
Dan Nguyen, Plymouth senior
Nguyen averaged 10.2 ppg on the hardwood for the Pilgrims and was a member of the Pilgrims’ regional championship boys golf team.
Eric Garcilazo, South Bend Adams senior
Garcilazo was the star goalie for the Eagles boys soccer team that went 16-3-2 and won Class 3A sectional and regional championships. He was also the placekicker and the punter for the Adams football team.
Siva Bahradine-Bell, South Bend Career Academy senior
Bahradine-Bell placed seventh in the 300-meter hurdles at the State Finals.
Vince McCoy, South Bend Riley sophomore
McCoy won NIC, sectional, regional and semi-state titles at 106 pounds and was a state qualifier. He finished with a 41-6 record.
Matt Champlin, South Bend Saint Joseph junior
Champlain rushed for 396 yards and six touchdowns as the Huskies went 12-2 and won Class … sectional and regional titles in football. He also was a state qualifier in the pole vault, where he set a program record with a height of 14-9.
Jaydon Lineberry, South Bend Washington senior
Lineberry had 58 receptions for 1,248 yards and 15 touchdowns as one of the area’s best receivers. He also played basketball for the Panthers.
Nathan Palmer, Trinity Academy junior
Palmer helped lead his team to a 10th place finish at the Golf State Finals. He was the individual medalist at the regional with a 68 as Trinity won the regional championship.
Jayden Overmyer, Triton senior
Overmyer rushed for 1,749 yards and 19 touchdowns in football. He also averaged 10.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as the Trojans went 25-4 and were Class 1A state runner-up.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: 2026 South Bend Tribune Boys Athlete of the Year fan poll is now open
