Male Hot Shot

Sam Chandler, St. Petersburg High
Sport: Cross country
Skinny: At last week’s St. Petersburg City meet, Chandler broke away from the pack and took the lead after the first mile. He never relinquished it, widening the gap among his competitors to win in 16 minutes, 14 seconds, beating runnerup Ross Porter of Shorecrest by 21 seconds. Chandler’s time broke his personal record by 12 seconds and marked the first time he had won the meet, which he has run since eighth grade. “Prior to the meet we had three weeks off, and I was able to get in some good training,” Chandler said. “My coach had a game plan for me. I stuck to that and it paid off. My next goal is to break 16 minutes.”

Female Hot Shot

Lee Nielsen, Palm Harbor University
Sport: Volleyball
Skinny: The senior outside hitter was a clear standout in the Hurricanes’ Pinellas County Athletic Conference win over East Lake on  Oct. 17. Out for a week with an ankle injury, she came back to lead the Hurricanes with 16 kills, 29 digs and seven aces in a four-game win over the defending state champion. After the victory, Nielsen was confident her team could be around for a while in the postseason: “(Now) that we’re all together again, I don’t think anything can stop us.”

If there’s an athlete you think should be nominated, email us at hometeam@tampabay.com.