Latest news with #WaterPoloCoachoftheYear
Miami Herald
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Top state awards for water polo coaches, players. Plus Miami scholar athletes, state boys' hoops honors
Senior Kathleen Serig of Miami Gulliver Prep is the state's Florida Dairy Farmers 2025 Miss Water Polo, and junior Dane Fox of Fort Lauderdale Westminster Academy is the winner of the state's 2025 Mr. Water Polo award, after a final round of voting by a statewide panel of high school water polo coaches. In addition, Carroll Vaughan of Gulliver Prep and Daniel Cercols of Westminster Academy were named winners of the state's Girls' and Boys' Water Polo Coach of the Year awards, respectively. Serig helped her team to the state championship with 84 goals while adding 36 assists and 64 steals. The senior attack finished her four-year varsity career with 334 goals, 150 assists and 197 steals. Fox helped his team to the state title with 103 goals while adding 51 assists and 39 steals. He scored the overtime goal in an 11-10 semifinal win over Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas and added two goals in his team's 11-10 title-match victory over Miami Hialeah Mater Lakes Academy. Vaughan led her squad to a 27-1 record and Gulliver's first girls' state title since 2013. Her team avenged its only loss of the regular season to Seminole (8-7) by scoring an 8-5 win over the 2024 title winner in the championship game. Cercols's Westminster squad posted a 24-2 record on the way to winning the school's first boys' state water polo title. Scholar Athletes The Miami Chapter of Delta Psi Kappa recognizes and promotes worthwhile achievements of women in the fields of Health, Physical Education and related fields. Each year, Delta Psi Kappa recognizes outstanding high school senior women athletes from each Miami-Dade County high school and awards scholarships to two high school seniors, as well as a college student studying in a field related to Health Sciences and or Physical Education. This year's recipients of the Mary Mahan Grant are Miami High's Devyn K. Riggins and Ronald Reagan/Doral High's Antonia Dean. The Alleine Swain College Scholarship Winner is Barry University's Lia Larramendi Mirabel. The following are Delta Psi Kappa Bravo Award recipients. Kamilla Gareeva (Mourning), Solange Aleman (American), Jasmin Brown (Goleman), Deztinie Lewis (Booker T.), Valentina Tomas-Dolan (Coral Gables), Samantha Ruiz (Coral Reef), Abigail Lintner (Cutler Bay), Clara Benzaquen (Krop), Adriana Zavala (Varela), Catherine Fuerte (Braddock), Jasmine Uz (Hialeah Gardens), Nyla Hayes (Hialeah), Isabella Velasquez (Hialeah-Miami Lakes), Jamilah Miller (Homestead), Doral Sofia Carrasquel (JC Bermudez), Sophia Diaz (Ferguson), Florencia Alvarez Bomrad (MAST), Leah Mercer (Miami Beach), Ja'Kayla Milton (Carol City), Eymani Brown (Central), Carmen Dragustinovis (Coral Park), Camille Canidate (Edison), Daniela Valentina Rodriguez (Jackson), Amanda Cepero (Killian), Jayden Victoria Courtney (Norland), Tyra Cox (Northwestern), Alessandra Falcon (Palmetto), Devyn K. Riggins (Miami High), Ronairda Legra (Southridge), Gia Culler-Guerra (Miami Springs), Paula Villacreses (Sunset), Yoshaney Cayaso (North Miami Beach), Naima Valcin (North Miami), Antonia Dean (Reagan), Anisleidy Chavez (South Dade), Natalie Delgado (South Miami), Tatiana Andrea Perez (Southwest), Oakley Sever (TERRA), Ruth Gonzalez (Westland Hialeah). Basketball state honors Source Hoops presents the 2024-25 Boys' Basketball Class 7A All-State Team. Fifteen players represent the best of the best for those high schools that participate in Class 7A of FHSAA boys' hoops. Players were selected based on in-person evaluations, a review of all-area teams selected by media from around the state and without regard to a player's travel team or high school affiliation or his ranking by other outlets. In 7A, state and national champ Miami Christopher Columbus had three players on first team and one on second team. Players from Miami Palmetto and Miami High were also chosen to the elite group. 7A FIRST TEAM Cameron Boozer, 6-9 Sr, Columbus Cayden Boozer, 6-4 Sr, Columbus Jalen Reece, 6-1 Sr, Orlando Oak Ridge Terrance Drain, 6-8 Sr, Windermere Caleb Gaskins, 6-8 Jr, Columbus 7A SECOND TEAM Jamier Jones, 6-5 Sr, Orlando Oak Ridge Santiago Henriquez, 5-11 Sr, Miami Palmetto Jaxon Richardson, 6-6 Jr, Columbus Johnny Lackaff, 6-2 Soph, Sarasota Romarie Robinson, 6-5 Sr, Miami High 7A THIRD TEAM Alex Springs, 6-2 Sr, St. Cloud Tor-El Robinson, 6-3 Sr, Wellington Luke McCrimmon, 6-2 Jr, Kissimmee Osceola Jeremy Felix, 6-0 Sr, Port St. Lucie Centennial Nolan Nelson, 6-8 Soph, St. Augustine Creekside 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
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Westminster Academy's Daniel Cercols is the Broward Water Polo Coach of the Year
Westminster Academy coach Daniel Cercols knew his boys' water polo team would have its best shot at a state championship this season. The Lions faced a path that required them to navigate through the toughest region in the state, however. But Cercols' squad never doubted it could be achieved. 'We knew on paper we had one of the strongest teams, but we were pretty even with the top seven teams in the state so anybody could win,' Cercols said. 'We were consistent especially considering we had some new kids… I'm so happy for the school.' It was a banner year for the water polo programs at Westminster as its boys' squad secured its first ever state championship. Meanwhile its girls' team appears to be on a path toward similar success after a regional semifinals finish through a tough bracket featuring some of the best teams from the central Florida area. In recognition of that success, Cercols, the coach for both squads, is this year's Miami Herald Broward County Boys' and Girls' Water Polo Coach of the Year. Cercols led Westminster's boys to a 24-2 record, which culminated with back-to-back one-goal victories at the state final four against former champion Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas and Mater Lakes. The Lions already had a formidable roster heading into the 2025 season, which got stronger with the arrival of transfer Matthew Troche - one of the top-rated players in the nation. Troche, the Miami Herald's Boys' Player of the Year, became a catalyst for Westminster's explosive attack in the pool. 'It's amazing. We knew we'd be a high-contesting team from the start. But from the way this team put it together, it's just amazing,' Troche said after a 10-9 win over Mater Lakes in the state championship match. On the girls' side, Westminster went 18-8 with its season ending following a 12-10 loss to Orlando Dr. Phillips. The Lions, however, established themselves as one of the most dominant teams in Broward and statewide with a squad led by All-Broward first team selections, Marley Scott, Lynn-Rose Ruiz and goalie Megan Ruiz. With most of its squad returning, the Lions' girls hope next season to reach the milestone their boys counterparts did this season.
