The Dexter Athletic Department recognizes outstanding Dexter student-athletes with the Athlete of the Month program. Each month, one female and one male student-athlete who has shown a combination of outstanding performance, leadership, and/or exemplary effort will be recognized. Head coaches make nominations for their student-athlete(s), then recipients are selected by a committee of Dexter administrators. Congratulations to our January Athletes of the Month!
Sophomore Layla Blumberg is a second-year varsity player, starter, and proven leader on the Dexter girls basketball team. According to Head Coach Rachel Canen, “Layla puts in the extra work needed to be successful in her sport. Not only does she better herself every day, she is always looking for ways to help her teammates become better. All of that work truly shows up in her game.”
Her dedication to the game of basketball is paralleled by her dedication to her studies. A 4.0 student, Layla excels in the classroom. This past Fall, she also excelled in the sport of cross country. She earned All-SEC honors and her coaches awarded her the “Dreadstrong Award,” an accolade earned only by hard-working and high-achieving student-athletes.
Layla was recently selected to attend the 2026 MHSAA Women in Sport Leadership Conference, held biennially in Lansing, MI. There, she represented the Dreadnaughts with pride and had the opportunity to further advance her leadership skills as co-captain of her team.
The team’s leading scorer in nine games, she scored over 20 points in five of those games. Coach Canen also said, “Layla is always a ray of sunshine! Her commitment to her team is inspiring - she’s truly a breath of fresh air!”
Freshman diver Fletcher McCarthy had an incredible January! He started the month at the Spartan Invitational, which featured some of the top Division 2 divers in the state. Fletcher placed ahead of multiple 2025 state qualifiers and his score earned him a place on the All-Time Top 10 performers list for 11 dives, slotting into the #8 spot with a score of 363.20!
He continued his strong month by winning every dual meet during January, going 8-0 and setting multiple personal best scores. During the meet against Bedford, Fletcher went to a new level and once again earned himself a spot on the All-Time Top 10 performers list for six dives, entering the list at #5 with a score of 264.50. He also set a new freshman class record, eclipsing the old mark by almost 20 points!
Fletcher finished up January by becoming the first Dexter diver to qualify for the MISCA meet since 2019. According to Head Swim Coach Michael McHugh and Diving Coach Kam Liberman, “Fletcher is just getting started and has a very bright future ahead of him. We are proud to have Fletcher McCarthy as Dexter's January Athlete of the Month!”
- AOTM 2025-2026