Hayley Frank becomes just the second athlete, male or female, to win the O-Zone’s Athlete of the Year award twice with the other being Crane standout Emma Lander.
If Frank just played basketball, she would find herself in the Athlete of the Year conversation based solely off the dominance she displays on the court. The Mizzou commit averaged 24.9 points, 12.7 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 3.3 steals and 3.0 blocks per game in her junior season. She doesn’t have a weakness on the basketball court and is the biggest reason why the Lady Indians have won three consecutive state basketball championships and 82 consecutive games.
Here is what one opposing basketball coach had to say about coaching against Frank: “Her basketball IQ is so high she could coach high school ball right now. Her team is so dominant that you want to not like her, but you can’t not love her as a player. She does everything the right way. She is the best player I’ve coached against in my career. She has no weaknesses.”
She also earned Gatorade Player of the Year honors and was named the Class 3 Player of the Year by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association. A strong senior season will have Frank go down as the most statistically dominant player in Missouri history.
Her resume goes beyond the basketball court. In the spring, she was a key piece of Strafford’s back-to-back state championship softball team. In the state semifinal against Liberal with the game tied 1-1, Frank unloaded on a ball for a home run straight to centerfield to give the Lady Indians the win. The next day, the Lady Indians would beat Central (Park Hills) 3-0 for a second straight Class 1 softball championship and complete another perfect season at 29-0.
Frank, who was first-team all-state on the infield, hit .512 with 44 runs, 26 RBIs and five home runs in her junior season.
In the fall, Frank was a district runner-up in golf before finishing tied for ninth at the sectional tournament and tied for 54th at the weather-shortened Class 1 state tournament.
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL FOUR FINALISTS FOR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
PREVIOUS WINNERS
2017: Hayley Frank, Strafford
2016: Claire Workman, Summit Prep
2015: Emma Lander, Crane
2014: Emma Lander, Crane
2013: Morgan Kensinger, Fair Grove
