Cummins, Brown, and Villarreal are the WyoPreps Athletes of the Week 2-27-25 [VIDEO]

Two girls’ basketball players and a boys’ swimmer received the WyoPreps Athlete of the Week honors, presented by Premier Bone and Joint Centers. Following their performances last week, Feb. 17-Feb. 22, 2025, Tongue River sophomore Afton Cummins, Cheyenne East junior Jade Brown, and Kemmerer junior Malachi Villarreal earned the weekly honor. Cummins accomplished a very rare feat, Brown had two great all-around performances, and Villarreal was a record-setter at a state championship.

WYOPREPS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK WINNERS 2-27-25

Girls Winners

Cummins led top-ranked Tongue River to two wins against conference foes by 52 and 38 points, respectively. Afton had 14 points, seven rebounds, 14 assists, and seven steals in a win over Moorcroft last Friday. At No. 5 Sundance, Cummins achieved a basketball rarity with a quadruple double. She had 22 points, 12 assists, ten rebounds, and ten steals in the road victory. That was an average of 18 points, 8.5 rebounds, 13 assists, and 8.5 steals per game last week. Wow!

WyoPreps caught up with Cummins to reflect on her week. She discussed how she reached the quadruple-double, credited her teammates for her success, what it’s like playing for her parents, how she wants the big assist on the big basket and more.

Jade Brown averaged 16 points, 9.5 rebounds, and three blocks per game in two conference wins last week. The junior led the No. 2 Thunderbirds to a 23-point road win at Laramie. Brown scored 20 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and finished with five blocked shots. She added 12 points, 11 rebounds, and one blocked shot in three quarters against Cheyenne South. Brown helped East win that game by 26 points.

WyoPreps spoke to Brown about her week. She felt the team played well and continued their improvement last week. She discussed the keys to her good play, what she’s been working on, how she uses her length, looked ahead to a big game against rival Cheyenne Central, and more.

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Boys Winner

Malachi Villarreal was the only swimmer to break two state records at last weekend’s state championships in Gillette. He set a new 3A mark in the 200 freestyle at 1:42.17. That record had stood for 27 years. Villarreal broke the record by over eight seconds. Malachi set a new 3A mark in the 500 freestyle twice, once in the prelims and again in the finals. Villarreal’s time was 4:37.94, and he won the race by over 39 seconds. Malachi was named the 3A Athlete of the Meet after dominating his events.

WyoPreps visited with Villarreal about his outstanding two days. He reflected on how he had two great days of swimming, the two records, his margin of victory, his strategy in both races, how he was surprised by the Athlete of the Meet honor, and more.

Congratulations to Afton, Jade, and Malachi on being chosen as the Premier Bone and Joint Centers WyoPreps Athletes of the Week!