Local sports fans have made their voices heard with over 17,500 votes in the inaugural Seacrest Furniture Athlete of the Year bracket contest.

After three weeks of voting, only four candidates remain out of the 32 weekly winners that represented 11 schools and 10 sports. Fairhope sophomore volleyball player Libby Rogers, Baldwin County junior softball player Madilyn Byrd, Daphne junior wrestler Kalyse Hill and Daphne senior football player John Davis are the last ones standing.

Semifinal voting will run for three days starting on Monday, June 10, to determine the final pair of candidates. Championship-round voting is set to begin on the following Monday, June 17, where another three days of voting will crown the first-ever Seacrest Furniture Athlete of the Year.

Gulf Coast Media shares its thanks with all who have voted so far and sends a big token of appreciation to the presenting sponsor, Seacrest Furniture, for its assistance in highlighting student-athletes around Baldwin County.

Below are further details on each semifinalist and how they reached the Final Four. Visit gulfcoastmedia.com/athlete for the full bracket.

Region 1 winner – Fairhope sophomore volleyball player Libby Rogers

The candidate who received the most votes through three rounds was none other than Rogers, who claimed the Region 1 title.

The Week 2 winner used Tournament MVP honors as Fairhope went 7-0 at the Labor Day Classic Tournament to kick off the season. Rogers, a sophomore setter, paced the offense that week with 168 assists, 33 kills, 14 aces and 3 blocks.

With three wins over football players, Rogers is now set to face another Baldwin County Tiger with a trip to the finals on the line. She opened the tournament with a win over Baldwin County’s Koby Johnson before taking down a pair of Spanish Fort Toros in Nehemiah Hixon and Sawyer Wilson.

Region 2 winner – Baldwin County junior softball player Madilyn Byrd

A no-hit effort helped Byrd become the 24th weekly winner and punched her ticket to the year-end bracket.

Byrd and the Baldwin County Tigers won a pitchers’ duel with Dothan 1-0 where the all-state Florida Atlantic commit struck out 5 and allowed 0 hits. That helped them to the semifinals of the Jubilee Shootout to open the regular season.

She claimed Region 2 from the AotY bracket with three wins over Robertsdale Golden Bears, including baseball player Jackson Lyles in the first round before track and field athletes Whitney Wells and Ryan McGilvray in the following two rounds. Now a matchup with Fairhope’s Libby Rogers is the last one before the championship.

Region 3 winner – Daphne junior wrestler Kalyse Hill

A three-time state champion, Hill added one more win to her record when she edged Gulf Shores’ Tia Titi by a singular vote to be named the 19th weekly winner.

The junior used a 6-1 decision win over Gulf Shores’ Leah Guthrie to win the 132-pound division for her third gold medal in as many years. Two more individual champions joined Hill in helping the Trojans hoist their third team championship in four seasons.

The Region 3 winner scored an opening-round victory over Fairhope track and field athlete Deshaun Williams before squaring off with two of her fellow Daphne athletes. Hill earned wins over football player Nick Clark and volleyball player Ella Lomax to clinch her spot in the semifinals against yet another Trojan.

Region 4 winner – Daphne senior football player John Davis

A clutch effort was produced by Davis when the Daphne Trojans needed it the most and he was selected as the Week 5 winner.

With catches on all 6 of his targets for 70 yards, the all-county senior receiver not only caught a touchdown pass but also the ensuing 2-point conversion in a comeback attempt against No. 9 Baker. Davis went on to sign with the Belhaven Blazers.

The Region 4 champion started his AotY bracket with an opening-round win over Orange Beach softball state champion KG Favors before taking down a pair of Gulf Shores Dolphins. Davis beat football player Braden Jackson and soccer player Ansley Warner for his spot on the verge of the finals.