JoBurg's Jayden Marlatt is the GHT Female Athlete of the Year for 2023-24

GAYLORD ― As July begins to come to a close and the 2024-25 school year draws closer and closer, it is time to say our final goodbyes to the graduating class of 2024, a group that accomplished so much during their time around Otsego County sports.

While many of the names from this time period will be remembered for a while, there's one name that will be engrained in the Johannesburg-Lewiston record books for a long, long time.

Marlatt.

The high school career of JoBurg senior Jayden Marlatt came to a close in a softball district final against Hillman back in June, but her legacy will live on as one of, if not the greatest female athlete in JoBurg history after a historic career on the diamond and on the volleyball and basketball court. She pulled in a whole list of honors throughout her senior year, and before she goes off to Ferris State for softball, she can claim one final prize; the Gaylord Herald Times Female Athlete of the Year Award.

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Marlatt was a three-sport athlete her entire career at JoBurg, making herself known as one of the Ski Valley Conference's best athletes by the end of her freshman year. She came into the 2023-24 school year with high expectations and lived up to them all, winning the conference's Player of the Year awards for all three sports she participated in.

On the volleyball court, she cemented herself as one of the top JoBurg players in history in her final season., strengthening her hold on the school's all-time kills record with a team-high 421 kills while also leading the team with 431 digs. She helped JoBurg earn a share of the Ski Valley Championship, the third SVC title in four years of JoBurg volleyball for Marlatt.

A late-season ankle injury nearly cost Marlatt her final basketball season, but a quick recovery helped JoBurg's star get back on the court and thrive again during the winter. After some early season stumbles, Marlatt led the Cardinals to 12 straight wins from late January to late February, nearly chasing down the SVC champion Inland Lakes Bulldogs while finishing as the runner-up.

She averaged 12 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 4 steals per game, earning her second SVC Player of the Year Award when the season concluded. She also eclipsed 1,000 career points during a win over Pellston.

Finally, she wrapped up her historic career in the spring where she is most comfortable; on the softball diamond. The Ferris State signee was the Division 4 Miss Softball selection as a pitcher, putting up some absurd numbers from the circle and the plate; she had a 15-3 overall record, a 1.52 ERA and 198 strikeouts a pitcher while leading the team in almost every offensive category, including hits (56), batting average (.639), doubles (14), triples (4) and home runs (11).

She led the Cardinals to an undefeated conference record, winning yet another SVC Player of the Year Award for her efforts while wrapping her historic high school career in style. The team fell short of its ultimate goals, falling to a historically good Hillman team in a district final matchup, but JoBurg softball accomplished a whole lot under her leadership; they made the D4 state semifinals back in 2023, won four straight Ski Valley Conference titles and dominated most that they played, all while spending the 2022 and 2023 seasons away from home, awaiting construction on their field to be finished.

It was a four-year stretch that won't soon be forgotten in Johannesburg thanks to a name that won't soon be forgotten either.

If they do forget, just open up the record books. It should say Jayden Marlatt all over it.

Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: JoBurg's Jayden Marlatt is the GHT Female Athlete of the Year for 2023-24