Martin Dentistry Athlete of the Week: Chavez's Natalin Hout

The votes are in and Natalin Hout of Chavez wrestling in the Martin Dentistry Athlete of the Week for the week of Feb. 12-18. In an online poll that closed on Friday, Hout received close to 80% of votes cast for a total of 861 votes.

This recognition comes after Hout had a stellar regular season wracking up a 33-8 overall record in the 140-pound weight class. Over that time she took home gold in four tournaments and holds the title of the San Joaquin Athletic Association Champion in her weight class. The sophomore continued to shine as the lights got brighter and the stakes were higher.

In the 2024 Sac-Joaquin Section Wrestling Masters which was held from Feb. 16-17, Hout was near unstoppable working her way to the final 140-pound match of the tournament. She took on Gianna DiBenedetto of Bella Vista for first place and would go on to lose to her taking home silver. With her second-place finish, Hout is the only Titan to punch her ticket to the CIF State Championship which is set to start on Feb. 24.

Here’s a look at the past winners:

• Aug. 26: Samson Hunkin, St. Mary's football

• Sept. 2: Eliana Williams, St. Mary's girls' volleyball

• Sept. 9: Landen Ly, Linden, football

• Sept. 6: McKenna McIntosh, St. Mary's girls' volleyball

• Sept. 23: Matthew Schallberger, Linden, football

• Sept. 30: Sophia Martin, Escalon, girls' volleyball

• Oct. 7: Keely Hummel, St. Mary's, girl's volleyball

• Oct. 14: Taylor Zalunardo, Sierra, girls' flag football

• Oct. 21: Katie Martin, Ripon, girls' golf

• Oct. 29: Kaydence Bispo, St. Mary's, girls' volleyball

• Nov. 5: Dax Weber, Linden, football

• Nov. 12: Reyna Biedermann, Ripon, girls' water polo

• Nov. 19: Asante Carter, St. Mary's, football

• Nov. 26: Emma Gilmore, Sierra, girls' basketball

• Dec. 3: Nylah Dyson, East Union, girls' basketball

• Dec. 10: Ricardo Velasquez, Weston Ranch, boys' soccer

• Dec. 17: Mario Rodriguez, Linden, boys' soccer

• Jan. 7: Jaden Ryan, Kimball, boys' basketball

• Jan. 14: Landon Gillespie, Ripon, boys' basketball

• Jan. 21: Donez Lindsey, Lincoln, boys' basketball

• Jan. 28: Mateen Rafiq, Weston Ranch, boys' basketball

• Feb. 4: Destiny Martinez, Stagg, girls' basketball

• Feb. 11: Morgan Reihl, Linden, gymnastics

Editor's Note: Anyone can nominate an athlete of the week for every sport. Nominate next week’s ballot through email. Readers can email nominations to sports reporter Shannon Belt at sbelt@recordnet.com. Please include the player's stats and a photo if possible.

Only a handful of San Joaquin County teams are still competing in their respective winter sports. With the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs happening for basketball, soccer and wrestling, all athletes can think of is a blue banner.

Whether they capture the blue banner or not, these six athletes have shined in the past week representing the 209 sides of the SJS.

This week’s poll will include athletes from the following winter sports: girls' basketball, boys' basketball, girls’ soccer and wrestling. The poll can be found at the bottom of the story and closes on Friday.

Here are the candidates for Feb. 12-18 (athletes listed in alphabetical order):

Richard Banks, boys’ basketball, Weston Ranch: Banks did everything he could as the Cougars' season began to slip out of their grasp. He scored a team-high 18 points during their quarterfinal game against Inderkum on Feb. 16. The senior guards' efforts weren’t enough as Weston Ranch went on to lose 68-61 against the Tigers.

Dawson Downs, boys’ basketball, Ripon: The Indians were near unstoppable from beyond the arc during its quarterfinals matchup against Escalon and Downs was a crucial part of that. Downs drain trey after trey to finish with 19 points to help Ripon beat its longtime rival 78-65. The win helped his team advance to the SJS Division 4 semifinals.

Natalin Hout, wrestling, Chavez: As just a sophomore, Hout has made big waves in the 140-pound weight class. She took down the No. 1-ranked SJS wrestler in her weight class to help punch her ticket to the SJS Masters from Feb. 16-17. Hout will be looking to continue her success on the big stage at the Masters.

Ripon basketball: Make it rain: Ripon basketball scores 15 threes to beat Escalon in SJS quarterfinals

More: Heartbreak and advancement: Lincoln basketball teams host SJS playoff double header

Dayna Koolhaas, girls soccer, Ripon Christian: Ripon Christian is heading to the SJS Division 5 semifinals thanks to clutch play from Koolhaas. She scored one of the Knight's goals during their semifinals game against Bradshaw Christian on Feb. 14. They would go on to win the match 2-1.

Anthony Moore, boys’ basketball, Lincoln: Moore has been locked in during the Trojans SJS Division 1 playoff run. He led his team past Laguna Creek on Feb. 14 scoring 18 points to help them win 54-47. The junior guard will look to continue to lead Lincoln as they face Rocklin in the semifinals.

Michailla Springs, girls’ basketball, Manteca: The Buffaloes will advance to its first SJS semifinals in the last 24 years after they beat Kimball on Feb. 16. Springs was the driving force scoring a team-high 17 points to lead Manteca offensively past the Jaguars. Manteca will host Wood in the semifinals on Feb. 19.

Athlete of the Week nominations are based on information available to The Record about all high school varsity players from San Joaquin County. Nominations must be received for consideration by Monday morning following that week's games.

Anyone can nominate an athlete of the week for every sport. Nominate next week’s ballot via email. Readers can email nominations to sports reporter Shannon Belt at sbelt@recordnet.com. Please include the player's stats and a photo if possible.

Record reporter Shannon Belt covers sports. She can be reached at sbelt@recordnet.com or on Twitter @ShannonBelt3. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Martin Dentistry Athlete of the Week: Chavez's Natalin Hout