By By SCOTT NOVAK / Vigilant/Argus
The first Leader Publications Athletes of the Week from either Cassopolis, Edwardsburg or Dowagiac have been selected.
The male Athlete of the Week is Edwardsburg's Phillip Turner. The female Athletes of the Week are Dowagiac's Kim Rutkowski and Kayleigh Sundman.
Turner scored four goals to help the Edwardsburg soccer team get off to a 3-0 start on the season.
Turner had both goals Monday night in the Eddies' Lakeland Conference opening win over Coloma.
Turner also scored two goals against Grace Christian to help the Eddies win its own invitational tournament on Saturday.
Rutkowski and Sundman won both of their tennis matches last week for Dowagiac.
With the matches hanging in the balance, the Chieftains' No. 4 doubles team helped Dowagiac to a win over Three Rivers and a split with Paw Paw.
The Lady Wildcats and Lady Redskins both blanked Dowagiac in 2003.
Each week, the athletic directors from Dowagiac, Cassopolis and Edwardsburg will nominate players for the Athlete of the Week.
The sports editor of the Daily News will then select a boys' and girls' winner for each week.
Each senior winner will be eligible to apply for the scholarship at the end of the school year. Each week's winners will also receive a three-month subscription to the newspaper of the community they represent.
In April, each senior Athlete of the Week winner from all three sports season will submit an application for the scholarship.
Leader Publications will then select a boys' and girls' Athlete of the Year from either Cassopolis, Dowagiac or Edwardsburg.
The two athletes will receive a scholarship for an as yet to be determined amount.
The winners will be named in May.
Questions regarding the Athlete of the Year scholarships can be director to Cooper at 687-7732 or Daily News sports editor Scott Novak at 782-2102, ext. 19.