Cobb Schools' Athlete of the Week (AOW) program is a weekly recognition of a male and a female student-athlete that perform at high levels in their sport, in the classroom, and in their school communities. The program is made possible by support from BSN Sports.

This week's winners are long-distance runners from Allatoona and Pebblebrook.

Molly Hensel, Allatoona, Cross Country

With a recent personal record of 20:11, Molly led her team with a seventh place finish to help the Allatoona girls qualify for the State meet at Carrollton on November 3-4. She is a freshman and is following her older sister's lead who graduated in 2023. Molly also plays club soccer and hopes to play for the Bucs in the spring.

"Molly's quiet demeanor and hard work fits in well with our team," said her coach Patrick Parsons. "She is a talented runner and great addition to our successful program. She leads by doing and the older Varsity Girls have done a great job encouraging her and helping her grow as a runner."

"This is her first year running high school cross country. She ran the last three seasons with a junior club team. Molly’s older sister is Ceci Hensel who also ran for us. Ceci finished last year as Region Runner-Up and a Top 10 individual runner at the State meet," concluded Coach Parsons proudly about the Hensel sisters.

Jalen Irby, Pebblebrook, Cross Country

Jalen broke the Pebblebrook school record at the Region tournament and is also preparing for an appearance at the State meet this weekend. The junior runner is a member of the Falcon Track and Field team, as well as the Fairburn Flames club team. He has been running competitively for six years. He is great student, too. He works hard on the course and in the classroom and his teachers and classmates love to be around him.

"Just about every time he competes, Jalen runs a personal best," said Pebblebrook XC Coach Cherisse Thompson. "He provides direction, inspiration, and guidance to his team and motivates his teammates to work together to set team and personal goals. He is also extremely funny!" 

Jalen's sport is also a family affair. His father is a fixture at all the Pebblebrook meets. "He comes to every meet and supports our entire team. We love Jalen and his family!" concluded Coach Thompson with a smile about her Athlete of the Week.

Well done, Molly and Jalen! Great job improving this season, and running personal bests and qualifying for States. Best of luck to you and your teams in Carrollton this weekend!