GAMES
RANKINGS
THE HOT 100: Smith, Thompson, Bryant are the leading ladies of Greater Houston; photo gallery
After hours of research, evaluation and countless hours spent studying game film and highlights, VYPE is proud to unveil the 2026 VYPE Hot 100.
Ladies first.
The VYPE Hot 100 "Girls List" recognizes the Top 50 female athletes in the Houston area, celebrating those who have distinguished themselves through elite performance, athletic achievement and impact on their respective programs.
The primary factor in determining the rankings was their performance during the 2025-26 school year. Additional consideration was given to multi-sport athletes, college commitments, national recruiting status and overall accomplishments at the district, regional, state and national levels.
The result is a collection of the area's most dynamic and accomplished athletes — competitors who have proven themselves on the biggest stages in 2025-26..
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TOP 50
No. 1 EK Smith, Katy, Softball
Nation’s Top Softball Recruit, State Champ (OU-commit)
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No. 2 Halle Thompson, Grand Oaks Volleyball
2X State Champ, Under Armour All-American (Wisconsin-signee)
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No. 3 Macie Bryant, Barbers Hill, Softball
Super Ace; Threw Perfect Game in State Final (LSU-commit
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No. 4 Kennedy Simpson, Summer Creek, Basketball
Led team to back-to-back State Titles, All-State (Tulane-signee)
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No. 5 Sara Wiggins, Lake Creek, Softball
Ace on Back-to-Back State Champs (Wichita State-signee)
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No. 6 Landri Von Gonten, College Park, Wrestling
Junior is a 3x State Champion
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No. 7 Elsa St. Rose, Tompkins Volleyball, Basketball and Track
District MVP led Falcons to Final Four
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No. 8 Lainy Zabiegala, Lake Creek, Soccer
Scored nearly 40 goals on State Champion Team
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No. 9 Emerson Lechler, Foster, Volleyball and Softball
District MVP in VBall and Softball (Baylor-signee)
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No. 10 Bayleigh Taylor, Liberty, Softball
Carried Liberty to State Championship (Florida State-commit)
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No. 11 Ogechi Okeke, Hightower, Basketball
Top 15 National Recruit; All State; Went to Regional Final
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No. 12 Gemma Hopkins, Tomball, Volleyball
District MVP led Tomball to State Finals (Arkansas-commit)
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No. 13 Cadence Johnson, Bellaire, Swim
VYPE Swimmer of Year and State Meet (UCLA-commit)
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No. 14 Carolyn Liu, Katy Jordan, Golf
Won Class 6A State Golf
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No. 15 Jayden Robinson, Ridge Point Volleyball
Under Armour All-American (Nebraska-signee)
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No. 16 Addison Martin, Summer Creek, Basketball
All-State, 2x State Champ, Offensive POY
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No. 17 Madalyn Davis, Lake Creek, Softball
2x Offensive POY, 3-Time State Champ (UNC-signee)
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No. 18 Wiggles Ngoh, Seven Lakes Volleyball, Basketball, Track and Flag Football
Explosive Junior Headed to USC Volleyball
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No. 19 Emily Betran, Katy Wrestling
Won state individually and was on best team in H-Town
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No. 20. Ahona Chowdhury, The Woodlands, Tennis
State Champ in Tennis Singles
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No. 21 Jenna Thedford, Dawson, Volleyball
Defensive POY; Led to State Finals (Texas A&M-signee)
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No. 22 Hope Smith, Bridgeland, XC and Track
Finished 6th on State XC Champ; Silver in Both Long Distance Events
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No. 23 Concepcion Maya, Kingwood Soccer
Led Kingwood to State; District MVP
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No. 24 Ma’Ryiah Alfred, Kinkaid, Basketball
Won SPC State, TABC All State
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No. 25 Naomi Booker, Tomball, Track and Field
Gold & Bronze in Hurdles; Defending Champ (Texas A&M Signee)
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No. 26 Nadi’ya Shelby, Friendswood, Volleyball
State Final Four (Florida-signee)
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No. 27 Avery Koonsen, Dawson, Volleyball
District MVP; Led to State Finals (SFA-signee)
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No. 28 Laney Barnes, Cy Woods, Cross Country
Silver at State (Texas A&M-signee)
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No. 29 Ari Holbert, Logos Prep, Swim
4 Gold Medals at TAPPS State Meet
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No. 30 A’Zyua Blair, Houston Christian, Basketball
Dominated SPC as a Junior Transfer; TABC All State
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No. 31 Tyler Weaver, Kingwood, Soccer
The State MVP (DBU-Signee)
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No. 32 Ashtyn Lewis, Iowa Colony, Track and Field
Gold in the 100m; Silver in 200 Meters
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No. 33 Claire Guydon, The Woodlands, Wrestling
Highlander dominated and won State
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No. 34 Courtland Cloud, Shadow Creek, Basketball
District MVP; Led Sharks to Final Four
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No. 35 Zora Bello, Cypress Ranch, Volleyball
District MVP (Rice-commit) led ‘Stangs to State Final Four
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No. 36 Winnie Liu, Dulles, Swim
Won 2 Silver Medals at Class 6A State (Rice-signee)
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No. 37 Ryan Fox, Episcopal, Soccer
Led Knights to Back-to-Back SPC Titles (ULL-signee)
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No. 38 Hunter Quentel, Kingwood, Softball
Best hitter, pitcher on one of city’s best teams
(Oklahoma State-commit)
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No. 39 McKale Lee, Alief Taylor, Track and Field
Gold in 800m
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No. 40 Delaney Wright, Montgomery, Volleyball
District MVP, City’s Leading Kill Artist (Utah-commit)
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No. 41 Faith Etienne, Dawson, Basketball
Was District MVP, 1000-points, Went to Regional Final
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No. 42 Jacey Carroll, St. John’s, Volleyball
Dominant in SPC play, won State Title
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No. 43 Rowan Saake, Bridgeland, Cross Country
Led Bears to State Gold, Finished 5th at State
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No. 44 Makenzie Thomas, Clear Springs, Softball
USA Softball Team, Beast at the Plate
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No. 45 Saniya Reynolds, Cypress Ranch, Volleyball
District Attacker of Year (Kentucky-commit)
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No. 46 Ashley Baxter, Friendswood, Soccer
Scored 46 goals as sophomore; US National Player
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No. 47 Reagan Rohrlich, TWCA, Softball and Track
One of State Top Private School Players (Texas A&M-signee)
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No. 48 Taylor Synnott, St. John’s, XC and Track
Sophomore has won Back-to-Back SPC Titles
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No. 49 Eguonome Akpobassa, Bridgeland, Track
Won Class 6A Gold, Silver in Jumps
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No. 50 Macey deGroot, Clear Springs, Swim
Gold at Class 6A State (Arizona-signee)
Harold Perkins of Cy Park could have his name called at NFL Draft
NEXT IN LINE: Who could hear their names called at NFL Draft from Houston?
From the front cover of VYPE Magazine to the bright lights of college football, Greater Houston has long been a pipeline for elite talent. Now, a new wave of stars with local roots are positioning themselves as potential 2026 NFL Draft prospects.
They hope to follow the path of Houston products like Jalen Hurts, CeeDee Lamb, Donovan Jackson and Jaylen Waddle — players whose journeys began on the youth and high school fields of the Bayou City before rising to the national stage.
Here are some Greater Houston standouts who could hear their names called next.
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IN ORDER OF DRAFT POTENTIAL
AJ Haulcy – Fort Bend Marshall – LSU
Harold Perkins – Cypress Park – LSU
Jaeden Roberts – North Shore – Alabama
Albert Regis – La Porte – Texas A&M
Caleb Douglas – Hightower – Texas Tech
Noah Thomas – Clear Springs – Georgia
Dillon Bell – Kinkaid – Georgia
PJ Williams – Dickinson – SMU
Bryce Foster – Katy Taylor – Kansas
Kyron Drones – Shadow Creek – Virginia Tech
Ryan Niblett – Eisenhower – Texas
Denver Harris – North Shore – UNLV
Kam Dewberry – Atascocita – Alabama
Malick Sylla – Katy – Mississippi State

























































