Pampa Harvester Athletes of the Week (September 28 - October 4)

Photos courtesy of Cartershots and M2.Phrames

Madi Barton is #9 and a junior on the Lady Harvester volleyball team. She also plays golf, runs track, and is on the cheer squad.

Madi Barton has established herself as an important part of the Lady Harvester volleyball team, and her work throughout the season has earned her recognition as Athlete of the Week.

Away from athletics, Barton’s experiences growing up helped shape her personality and her ability to connect with others.

“I used to move around a lot when I was little, and doing that taught me a lot about coming out of my shell and making new friends,” Barton said.

For Barton, being selected as Athlete of the Week is meaningful because of the work that goes into preparing and competing throughout the season.

“It means a lot to me to be named Athlete of the Week,” Barton said. “So much work gets put in throughout the week, and it feels really good to be recognized.”

As the Lady Harvesters continue through the remainder of their schedule, Barton’s goals center around staying healthy and helping her team make another postseason run.

“My goals for the rest of the season are to stay healthy and hopefully be able to help my team find our way back to the playoffs,” Barton said.

Volleyball is far from the only activity keeping Barton busy. She is a multi-sport athlete who also participates in track, cheer and golf.

“Other than volleyball, I also run track, cheer, and I’ll be on the golf team,” Barton said.

Barton also has plans for both athletics and academics after her time at Pampa High School comes to an end. She hopes to continue playing volleyball at the collegiate level while pursuing a career in medicine.

“After high school, I really want to play college volleyball, but I’m planning to go into the medical field and be a dermatologist,” Barton said.

In the classroom, Barton said mathematics is her favorite subject because she enjoys the process of working through problems and finding solutions.

“My favorite subject is math,” Barton said. “I like to solve equations and find the right answer to things, and it also helps a lot that Miss Armenta is a great teacher.”

Lady Harvester volleyball head coach Kaylee Samulowitz said Barton has shown tremendous growth as the season progressed.

“I would say Madi has improved a lot throughout district,” Samulowitz said. “Setting in a 5-1 offense is a really tough job, and Madi and I have worked a lot on her location and consistency. She has been a great server and defender for us, and her blocking continues to improve. She is working on getting our hitters in the best position to score, and I know she is going to continue getting even better.”

Max McClendon is a sophomore runner on the Harvester cross-country team. He is also a member of the Harvester soccer team.

Away from athletics, McClendon enjoys spending his free time with the people closest to him and relaxing with some of his favorite activities.

“Outside of athletics, I really like to spend time with my family, friends and my girlfriend,” McClendon said. “I also like to watch movies, play Xbox and run in my free time.”

For McClendon, being selected as Athlete of the Week is meaningful because of the work he and his teammates put in throughout the season.

“It is definitely an important accomplishment to me,” McClendon said. “My team and I work very hard in the classroom, on the track and on the course for all of our runs and meets. I’m very glad I’m being recognized for my hard work every day.”

As the cross-country season continues, McClendon is focused on improving and helping make this a memorable year.

“My goals for the remainder of the season are to get better, get faster and finish the season strong,” McClendon said. “This has been a season to remember, and I hope we can do well enough for other people to remember it too.”

McClendon stays active throughout much of the school year, competing in both cross country and soccer.

“I run cross country in the fall and then play soccer through the winter going into the spring,” McClendon said. “I’m very passionate about both, and I try my hardest in everything I do for both sports.”

Looking beyond high school, McClendon hopes to continue his education while also continuing his athletic career.

“My plans after high school are to go to college, get a degree in sports or business and play soccer wherever I go to college,” McClendon said. “After that, I hope to travel the world, get a good-paying job and settle down.”

In the classroom, McClendon said history stands out as his favorite subject because of his interest in understanding how things have changed over time.

“My favorite subject is history because I like learning about the backstory of things and seeing how far people have come and improved,” McClendon said.

Head cross-country coach Otis Chunn praised McClendon for the work ethic, consistency and team-first attitude he has shown throughout the season.

“Max is not the fastest, but he is all about his team,” Chunn said. “Max was one of the first cross-country kids to show up to summer workouts, and he has run at every race. He gives ‘team player’ new meaning. His teammates look up to him, and he has dropped from a 22 to the low 19s since the beginning of the season.

“It takes five team scores to win the team trophy, and Max was No. 5 at Balko when the team took first place. He is always good-natured, and he loves his school and teammates.

“Max represents what athletes are all about — hard work, integrity and team. Max is most deserving of Harvester Athlete of the Week.”

Congratulations to Madi and Max for representing the Harvesters with pride, dedication and leadership.