Latest news with #DoralAcademy
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
New Doral Academy basketball coach. Plus lacrosse and beach volleyball
Daniela Barrios, a Doral Academy alum, will be taking over as head coach of the girls' basketball program with a deep-rooted connection to the school. A 2019 graduate, she played basketball at Doral for seven years and made history as the school's first 1,000-point scorer. She continued her playing career at Keiser University, an NAIA affiliate in West Palm Beach. She gained valuable experience at the collegiate level. In the past four years, she has served as an assistant coach at Doral Academy to former coach Allison Bustamante, who was recently named new women's basketball coach at Barry University, an NCAA Division II program in Miami Shores. State lacrosse honors Senior attack McKenzey Craig of Tampa Plant High School has been named the state's 2025 Florida Dairy Farmers Miss Lacrosse. Craig scored 81 goals and added 67 assists for her undefeated Class 2A state championship team. She completed her high school career with 242 goals and posted 192 assists and was named a USA Lacrosse All-America. She will play lacrosse for NCAA Division I Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.. Jayne Chapman of Plant was named state Girls' Coach-of-the-Year after leading her team to a 24-0 record and the Class 2A championship, the school's first state lacrosse title. Chapman posted a 47-1 record the past two years and a state runner-up finish in 2024 before winning the 2025 title. Senior midfield/attack Jayden Vega of The Benjamin School in North Palm Beach was selected the state's 2025 Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Lacrosse, and Benjamin coach Peter Cordrey is the 2025 Boys' Lacrosse Coach of the Year. Vega helped his squad to its second straight Class 1A state championship by scoring 81 goals and adding 65 assists. Vega completed his three-year varsity career with 168 goals and 103 assists. The dual-sport standout has signed to play both lacrosse and football at NCAA Division I Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Cordrey, who repeated as the state's top coach, finished his seventh year at Benjamin by leading his squad to a 24-1 record and its second straight Class 1A state championship. In seven years at Benjamin, Cordrey has posted a 104-24 record, including a 45-2 record the past two years and the school's only state titles. The Florida Dairy Farmers Sports Awards program exemplifies Florida Dairy Farmers' commitment to the state's youth. This is the 33rd year of these unique awards as we honor the state's top athletes and coaches in sanctioned FHSAA sports. The program also emphasizes to young people the importance of keeping dairy products a primary part of their diet in their overall nutrition plan. Beach volleyball recap The final impact of South Florida teams in the FHSAA state's beach volleyball season occurred in the state tournament, which featured Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas in 3A and Miami Westminster Christian in 1A. To reach state, Westminster Christian won the 4-1A region title by beating LaSalle 4-1, Boca Raton Christian 4-1 and West Palm Beach King's Academy 5-0. Prior, they beat LaSalle 5-0 and True North Academy 5-0 for the District 16-1A championship. In the state semifinals, Westminster Christian defeated Jacksonville Episcopal (17-7) 5-0 to advance to the state finals, where the Warriors lost to Tampa Berkley Prep. Entering those state finals, Westminster Christian (19-1) was the top ranked team in the state. Tampa Berkley Prep (22-0) was ranked second. In the region championship win against King's Academy, the No.1 pair from Westminster Christian (Zoey Matias and Gigi Artiles) won 21-18, 21-11. The No.2 pair (Alex Washington and Lia Gonzalez) won 21-19, 23-21. The No.3 pair (Alyana Cadavid and Cassie Thomas) won 21-19, 22-20. The No.4 pair (Coco Garcia and Dani Arroyo) won 21-11, 21-7. The No.5 pair (Frenchie Pazmino and Lauren Palczynski) won 21-7, 17-21, 15-8. Westminster Christian also includes Lili Nunez, Ella Wohl, Bella Fernandez, Luci Del Campo, Ava Cantos, Sylvie Curbelo, and Olivia Hernandez. To qualify for state, St. Thomas Aquinas won the 4-3A region title by beating West Boca 5-0, Wellington 3-2 and Weston Cypress Bay 3-2. Prior, the Raiders beat Cooper City 5-0 and Boca Raton 3-2 to capture the District 15-3A championship. Cypress Bay (16-1) won the District 16-3A Tournament by beating Coral Reef and Western. At regionals, the Lightning beat Fort Myers Gateway and Boca Raton to matchup against St. Thomas Aquinas in the region finals. Cypress Bay entered the region finals unbeaten, winners of 16 consecutive matches. En route to winning the state title, Jupiter (16-1) defeated St. Thomas Aquinas 3-0 in a state semifinal. The state's third place Raiders finished the season 19-5. They are: No.1 pair (Emma Bear and Alexa Raymond); No.2 (Leah Novatne and Madeline Meltz); No.3 (Dior Ferguson and Emily Rosinsky); No.4 (Addison Steinberg and Emi Bernal); No.5 (Gianna Gorsin and Karina Andresky). The Raiders also include Abigail Scalzitti, Isabella Vergara, Camila Ortiz, Caitlyn Ward, Kamila Alvarado, Ava Alberani, Daniela Alvarez, Laura Grubor. Send high school sports results For high school and middle school athletes in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, if you have summer sports results and top performers (with stats), email hssports@ They will run in the newspaper and online. Photos accepted, too. No deadline. Send after the game, the next day or weekly. You will be alerted when it will appear in the newspaper and online. New athletic directors, coaches For high schools in Broward and Miami-Dade, if you have new sports administration and/or coaching hires to announce, email hssports@ --- Roundup compiled by Jim Varsallone jvarsallone@
Miami Herald
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Doral Academy rallies to advance to state softball final with walk-off in eighth inning
With the Class 6A state softball semifinal on the line on Friday, Doral Academy freshman Zoey Abdullah stood in the batter's box against Bloomingdale senior Natalie Cable, a UCLA recruit. Despite the fact that Cable has struck out more than 1,000 batters in her prep career, Abdullah got the job done, lofting a walk-off sacrifice fly in the eighth inning as Doral prevailed, 5-4, in Longwood. 'I don't usually celebrate much,' Doral coach Willie Viruet said, 'but I had to throw up a couple of fist pumps after this one.' Doral (30-1) will play the Pace Patriots (24-3) on Saturday at 2 p.m. for the state championship. A victory would give Doral its second state title and its first since 2021. But the Doral Firebirds, ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 4 in the nation, according to MaxPreps, almost didn't make it to Saturday's final. Doral fell behind 3-1 in the fourth inning despite the fact that two of the Firebirds' greatest former players were in the dugout on Friday, helping Viruet and his staff coach. Those two players are: Amanda 'Tuta' Ramirez, who just graduated from the University of Pittsburgh where she served that team's catcher; and Louisville pitcher Alyssa Zabala. 'There were a bunch more of our alumni sitting in the stands,' Viruet said. Perhaps all that support inspired Doral senior Sarah Breaux, a Clemson recruit who homered in the bottom of the fourth, cutting Bloomingdale's lead to 3-2. That was Breaux's 14th homer of the season, which is one behind team leader Anabela Abdullah, who is a Texas recruit and Zoey's older sister. Doral then trailed 4-2 entering the bottom of the sixth. But the Firebirds started a rally with a Breaux walk and single from Leyani Viruet, the coach's daughter. Both runners came home, including Viruet, who scored the tying run on an RBI single from Sara Utera. The game then went to extra innings, where the designated runner starts each frame at second base. So, with a speedy runner on second and no outs, Doral pitcher Meagan Villazon retired Cable on a pop-out in one of the game's biggest moments. Earlier in the game, Cable had slugged her 15th homer of the season on a Villazon curve. This time, Villazon won the battle. 'I was a little worried because I had missed my spot and she homered off me in her previous at-bat,' Villazon said. 'This time, I just tried to spin the ball as best I could. 'I got the result I wanted, and I was hyped.' Villazon got the next two batters, also on pop-outs, ending the threat. 'Meagan didn't have her best stuff today, but we battled the whole game,' Coach Viruet said. 'We didn't make any errors, and we defended the bunt well.' After escaping that jam, Doral started the bottom of the eight with Utera on second as the designated runner. Ashley Tremont got on base with an infield single, moving Utera to third. Then, after an unproductive out, Abdullah delivered against Cable, who finished with 10 strikeouts. Abdullah's fly ball to right-center was not hit that deep, though, causing an anxious moment or two. 'The ball hung there for a second,' Viruet said. 'Everything paused in my mind until I saw it was deep enough.' This was the first time all year that Doral played extra innings. And it was just Doral's second one-run game. Next up is Pace, which is ranked fourth in the state and 18th in the nation. Pace won the 6A state last year with Jayden Heavener, who is now pitching for LSU. This year, Pace relies on sophomore pitcher Hannah DeMarcus, who is 23-2 with a 0.29 ERA and 15 shutouts. In fact, Pace has shut out its past four opponents. Overall, this season, Pace has posted 18 shutouts and held opponents to just one run five times. Also, Pace has lost just two games all season to Florida schools. Doral, which is undefeated against Florida schools, will counter DeMarcus with Villazon, who is 25-1 with a 0.66 ERA. This will be the first meeting between Doral and Pace, according to Viruet. 'We've checked them out,' Viruet said when asked about scouting Pace. 'We do our homework. Coaching travel ball for more than 10 years helps. We've seen a lot of their kids. '(DeMarcus) is a competitor. They have elite pitching in that Pace program. But we are 'ride or die' with (Villazon).'
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Miami Herald
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Doral baseball tops St. Thomas, pushes Region 4-6A final series back to ‘The Cage'
Because of its small match-box style dimensions, the Doral Academy baseball team refers to its home field as 'The 'Birdcage.' And the Firebirds have been historically very tough to beat there. Thus, following a tough loss on Wednesday night in the first game of a best-of-3 series in the Region 4-6A final, their goal when they traveled for a second consecutive night to Fort Lauderdale to take on St. Thomas Aquinas was to do whatever it took to find a way to push the series there. Thanks to a strong pitching performance from Aaron Elissalt, a big two-run third inning blast over the left field fence by Dylan Prince, and two brilliantly executed double plays at crucial moments, that's exactly what happened as the Firebirds hung on to top Aquinas 5-3. St. Thomas will now travel to Doral Academy on Saturday at 1 p.m. with the winner advancing to the state final four at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers. 'We've got'em back in 'the cage' on Saturday and that was our goal coming into tonight,' Prince said. 'We really play well at home in front of our fans and wanted to get this thing back to our place.' Prince's two-run shot completed a five-run rally in the top of the third that staked Elissalt to a big 5-0 lead. But one that he almost lost in the last of the fourth. That's when the Raiders came back around to face him for the second time in the lineup and really hit him hard. After Elissalt hit Brady Buxbaum to open the inning, Josh Jennings followed with a deep shot off the fence in left center to put runners on second and third. Andrew Alvarez then stepped up and launched a towering blast over the high fence in dead center field for a three-run homer and suddenly Elissalt's five-run lead was down to two. It appeared the lead would be cut to one in the next inning when Jonathan Lopez launched another towering high shot to dead center. But in a bizarre fortunate twist for the Firebirds, the ball hit the top of the fence and dropped straight down into the glove of center fielder George Pardo who quickly fired to second, holding Lopez to perhaps the longest single in St. Thomas history. The next Aquinas batter, Zack Malvasio, then hit a laser right at third baseman Gabriel Milano who cooly fielded it and fired to second and then to first for an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play. One inning later, the Raiders had runners on first and second with one out when Jayden Doverspike hit a shot in between third and short. Shortstop Kobe Carrion not only got to the ball but quickly fired to second and then to first for another brilliant turntable inning-ending double play. Closing in on his max pitch count, Elissalt managed to finish the game with a quick three-up, three down last of the seventh to secure the win for his team. 'They've got some big bats and were really hitting it hard but I just wanted to attack every hitter I faced, make them hit the ball and then leave it up to my defense and you saw what happened out there,' Elissalt said. 'Those two double plays were huge. Now we've got them back at our place on Saturday in front of our fans and on our field where we feel like we're tough to beat.' Before Prince came to the plate in the third, Doral had already scored three runs thanks to base hits by Milano and Caleb Hernandez with a walk to Jadyn Nunez sandwiched in between. Leonard Hernandez then stepped up and cleared the bases with a double off the fence in left center setting the stage for Prince's big two-run blast. 'A great job tonight to come in here and get this thing done on their field,' Doral coach Ralph Suarez said. 'Now we've got it back at our place on Saturday and we'll see what we can do.'
Miami Herald
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
New ADs at Chaminade-Madonna. Plus more state tennis, baseball, boys' volleyball
Miami Divine Savior senior Lauren Kettlewell ended her high school varsity tennis career in style by winning an FHSAA State Championship at girls' No.1 singles in Class 1A to become the first Divine Savior tennis player to win state. Kettlewell is the daughter of Divine Savior tennis coach Jenny Sotomayor. This was her first and only season playing high school tennis for Divine Savior as she did online schooling prior, and Divine Savior does not allow online students to participate in school sports. As a 6th-8th grader, she competed high school varsity tennis for state and national champ Doral Academy. Kettlewell, who reported to Divine Savior for the 2024-25 school year, defeated last year's state champ Maria Navarro, a sophomore from North Palm Beach The Benjamin School, 6-3, 7-5 in the state finals. In the state semifinals, Navarro eliminated Miami True North senior Daniela Chica, while Kettlewell ousted senior Laziza Talipova of Winter Park Trinity Prep. Kettlewell also recorded state wins over 8th grader Emily Kao of Community School of Naples, junior Anna Philliips of Niceville Rocky Bayou Christian and junior Gabriela Rocker of Tampa Prep. Chica later bounced back (teaming with senior Alba Martinez) to win state at girls' No.1 doubles by beating Kettlewell and senior Anabella Parente in a battle in the finals 6-3, 3-6, 11-9. Prior, True North girls won their third consecutive team state title. Kettlewell finished the 2025 high school season undefeated in singles play at 17-0 with a 2025 state title. In doubles, her and Parente went 11-2, culminating with a state runner-up finish. Some other accomplishments by Kettlewell Sportsmanship Awards: Recognized for outstanding sportsmanship at national tournaments, received 5 times of 8 nominations.2019 Leadership Award: Doral Academy High School Tennis Team's Florida Bobby Curtis State Tournament Individual Champion 2021.2X FHSAA State Team Champion while playing for Doral Academy.2019 High School National Team Champion while playing for Doral 50 Class of 2025 Recruiting.5 Star to play for NCAA Division I Boston University (Commencing Fall 2025).Part of Billie Jean King Cup Team Puerto Rico (2023, 2024, 2025). Note: After playing varsity high school tennis for Doral Academy (6th-8th grade), she opted to focus more on her circuit tennis schedule (her freshman-junior years). She became a Florida virtual school student (home schooled) to keep up with that tournament schedule (Level 1s and Level 2s with USTA and ITF tournaments as well as being a member of Billie Jean King Cup Team Puerto Rico). Fort Lauderdale Westminster Academy 8th grader Lexie Bursa was a state semifinalist in girls' No.1 singles in 1A. Miami LaSalle sophomore Sabrina Casareale was a state quarterfinalist. In 1A boys, sophomore Lorenzo Lopez and senior Oscar Bergier of Miami Country Day reached the state semifinals at No.1 doubles. In 4A girls, Parkland Stoneman Douglas senior Savita Bagirathan won state at No.1 singles for the second consecutive season. She also teamed with her sophomore sister Dhea, and they were state semifinalists at No.1 doubles, after winning districts and regionals Miami Doral Academy freshmen Payton Seidle-Lubowitz and Stefany Zamora teamed to finish runner-up at state in girls' No.1 doubles in Class 4A. Coral Gables junior Kira Acevedo was a state semifinalist at 4A girls' No.1 singles. The Miami Gulliver prep boys' tennis team was a FHSAA Class 2A state finalist, defeating Orlando Lake Highland Prep in a state quarterfinal and Naples Aubrey Rogers in a state semifinal. In the finals, Delray American Heritage beat the Raiders. The runners-up are Lorenzo Martinez (soph.), Alexander Zelenov (soph.), Tomas Orrego (soph.), Maximo Lopina (jr.), Juan Beltran (jr.), and Jack O'Brien (fr.). Coconut Creek North Broward Prep sophomore Max Freedman was a state semifinalist in 2A at boys' No.1 singles. The defending state champ was up 4-1 in the first set but then a hand injury effected his play, and he lost the match to Pembroke Pines Somerset Academy senior Quentin Gabler 6-4, 6-3. Gabler reached the finals, finishing as state runner-up. In 2A boys' doubles, Miami MAST Academy senior Pedro Ribas and sophomore Ricardo Watson were state semifinalists. Miami Downtown Doral senior Samuel Uribe was also a state semifinalist in Class 2A at boys' No.1 singles. It marked his second consecutive season reaching the state tournament. Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest senior Bridget Chalich not only won a state title at girls' No.1 singles in Class 2A, but she also teamed with freshman Sophia Ead, and they were state finalists at girls' No.1 doubles. Senior Sophia Pacheco and sophomore Rowan Cicero of Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas were state finalists in girls' No.1 doubles in Class 3A. Faith Valentine and Riddhi Thakur of Naples Gulf Coast beat them in the finals. Southwest Ranches Archbishop McCarthy junior Jessica McLean was a state semifinalist in girls' No.1 singles in 3A. On the boys' side in 3A, top seeded Bosko Matovic, a Miami Beach junior, was upset in the state quarterfinals in a tiebreaker at No.1 singles by Riverview Spoto sophomore Luka Torres-Sigler 4-6, 6-2, 10-4. St. Thomas Aquinas junior Conor Reeser reached the state semifinals at No.1 singles. The FHSAA State Tennis Championships were at three parks in Seminole County in the Orlando area. They were at Sanlando Park (for all matches in 3A and 4A), Red Bug Lake Park (for team competition in 1A and 2A) and Sylvan Lake Park (for individual competition in 1A and 2A). Chaminade-Madonna ADs The Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory administration is pleased to announce that two new athletic directors have been hired. After a nationwide committee led search, Caytie Lagrange and Gerard Albert have been named to lead Lions sports and will begin their new roles starting July 1, 2025. 'It's a new day for Lions' athletics,' Head of School Dr. Judith Mucheck said. 'The model we used for years could not keep up with the pace, prowess, and success of all our programs. It is virtually impossible for one person to offer the support and supervision which is called for in today's high school athletic programs.' Lagrange will be athletic director for the women's program. She is no stranger to South Florida athletics, having served as an athletic trainer at Monsignor Pace High School before teaching science and sports medicine at Chaminade-Madonna the past 13 years. She is a founding moderator of the Women Engaged Club and is the chairperson of the Mission Integration committee. 'I am both grateful and excited to be named the new athletic director for the women's program,' said Lagrange. 'What a way to support our female athletes by reinforcing a growth mindset, integrity, resilience, leadership and sense of self in the classroom and to encourage them to shine on the athletic fields.... Always moving toward a better world.' Albert has served in an athletic administrative capacity and is also well known in the baseball arena. He most recently served as the athletic director at West Boca Raton High School. He also spent part of his tenure at Belen Jesuit and Coral Springs Charter high schools. 'I look forward to getting back into the Catholic School environment, where I have spent the majority of my career,' said Albert. 'After my first meeting with Dr. Mucheck, I immediately realized that our vision, values and goals for an athletic program at the high school level were very much aligned. I am excited about joining the leadership team at Chaminade-Madonna and am confident that Mrs. Lagrange and I will be able to facilitate a major jump in all aspects of the Lions athletic program in the very near future.' Mucheck added, 'I was pleased to see the deep interest in our school and programs from all candidates that applied. Our student athletes are clearly making a positive impact on high school sports in South Florida. We are committed to providing comprehensive support to nurture their development.' Region boys' volleyball Region 4-2A Quarterfinal: Reagan d. Hialeah-Miami Lakes 25-11, 22-25, 25-20, 31-29: Yeison Gonzalez 22 kills, 27 serve received, 3 aces, 9 digs; Diego Cobena 17 kills, 19 serve received, 5 digs; Diego Requena 47 assists, 8 kills, 4 blocks; Zhayed Lacruz 5 kills, 1 ace; Santiago Mejias 27 serve received, 3 aces, 16 digs; Felipe Rivero 5 aces; Michael Perez 6 kills, 8 digs. Rea 22-4. Region baseball Region 4-6A Semifinal: Doral Academy 10, Braddock 0: Gabriel Milano 3-3, RBI; Leandro Hernandez 2-3, HR; Kobe Carrion 1-2, HR, 2 RBI; Dylan Prince 2-2, 2 R, HR; Winning Pitcher Marcelo Rodriguez 5 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 8 K. Dor 25-5-1. All-County Ballots High school coaches of spring varsity sports should have received their ballots to send Miami Herald All-Dade and Miami Herald All-Broward nominees. If you have not received a ballot, email hssports@ Send high school sports results For high schools in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, if you have varsity results and top performers (with stats), email hssports@ They will run in the newspaper and online. Photos accepted, too. No deadline. Send after the game, the next day or weekly. You will be alerted when it will appear in the newspaper and online. --- Roundup compiled by Jim Varsallone jvarsallone@
Miami Herald
10-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Miami High's Wilson and Doral's Vega are Dade Girls' Basketball 7A-5A Players of the Year
Doral Academy and Miami High battled until the final buzzer this season for the right to go to state. While several players on both sides played pivotal roles to get their teams to that point, two stood out in particular - Doral Academy's Stephanie Vega and Miami High's Sydney Wilson. In the end, it was Vega's squad, which would go one step further and advance to the Class 7A state semifinals. 'It's always competitive but on the court in a good way,' Vega said. 'We all know each other and it's fun when we're on the court together.' Vega has been one of the integral players who has helped Doral Academy become a consistent state title contender over the past couple of seasons. Meanwhile, few athletes have been as versatile in multiple sports in recent years as Wilson has at Miami High. And so, Vega and Wilson share honors this season of being the Miami Herald's Class 7A-5A Girls' Basketball Co-Players of the Year. On an already prolific scoring squad, Vega, a junior combo guard, averaged 19.9 points per game. But Vega also handled point guard duties at times and became stronger at both ends of the floor, also averaging 3.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Unfortunately for Doral, its bid for a state title was thwarted by Orlando Dr. Phillips in the state semifinals. As part of a core of players, several of whom have played together since the fifth grade, Vega hopes to climb that final hurdle next season as a senior and bring home the school's first state championship. 'Before last year, none of us had been to state so going back-to-back was good,' Vega said. 'We would have wanted to win it obviously, but we all learned from the experience. I feel like we need to bring more energy during the whole game and not let us get down.' Wilson was coming off an already successful season on the volleyball court at Mater Lakes Academy when she rejoined her basketball teammates at Miami High. The Stingarees scored a win over Doral during the regular season and won 18 games heading into the regional final due largely to Wilson's leadership on the court as she averaged over seven assists per game and nearly 12 points despite handling point guard duties. Wilson and Miami High pushed Doral to the brink before losing 55-54 in the Region 4-7A final. 'Even though we didn't make it as far as we did in previous years, I know we put in the work and made the best out of it,' Wilson said. 'Not everything is always going to go your way, but it was still a good game. We didn't lose on a bad game. We had a chance to win it and we did everything we could possibly do.'
