Athlete accolades: Maria Carrillo baseball player doing well in online contest; local brothers find waterskiing success

A Maria Carrillo High School baseball player is receiving plenty of support as he competes in a national “athlete of the year” contest.

Oliver Cookman, a junior who pitches and plays first base for the Pumas, is leading his group in voting so far in the Why Not You Foundation’s contest, which serves as a fundraiser for the nonprofit founded by former NFL quarterback Russell Wilson.

If he advances from the group stage, Oliver will compete against other group winners as he looks to be named “athlete of the year.” The ultimate winner receives $25,000 and will be featured in Sports Illustrated, on CBS and with Wilson’s 3BRAND youth apparel company.

Oliver hopes to play Division I baseball in college, and as part of that goal has been competing with the Sonoma County Legions fall baseball team. He’ll be back on the field for the Pumas in the spring. His voting page is athleteoftheyear.org/2026/oliver-9961

For Mike and John Puccioni, getting back to the waterskiing days of their youth is paying off — even in their 60s. The brothers, who were raised in Healdsburg by parents who waterskied on the Russian River and Lake Pillsbury, made a pact a year ago to see if they could still ski at a competitive level.

The answer? Yes. Mike, 64, who now lives in Penngrove, just finished second in his age group to earn a spot at the American Water Ski Association’s national championships in Minnesota. His older brother John, 68, who lives in Texas, finished fourth in his group. Last month, they both competed in men’s trick skiing at the national competition, with Mike earning a podium finish in fifth and John eighth in his group.

The family’s love of the sport is continuing on. Mike’s two daughters competed in college, and each has two sons who are taking up the sport.