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The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Check This Out

Local youth track stars shine at championships

March 7, 2023 By Mike Camunas

Seth Williamson, of Tampa Christian School, was crowned state champion in the 200 meter and long jump and finished second in the 60 meter. (Courtesy of B.B. Roberts)

Numerous athletes from Speed Starz Track Club — a track speed, agility and training academy in Wesley Chapel — qualified for the Florida Indoor Championships and competed at Alachua Sports Complex, a new indoor track facility in Gainesville. The event was held Feb. 11 and Feb. 12.

Several athletes from Wesley Chapel performed well, with some winning medals.

Wesley Chapel Elementary athlete Aiden Amaya was state champion for the 60 meter and the 200 meter, in the division for athletes age 6 and under.

Seth Williamson, of Tampa Christian School, was crowned state champion in the 200 meter and long jump. He finished second in the 60 meter.

Wesley Chapel High athletes Adriana Rodriguez (qualified for finals in the 600 meter), Tessa Bray (eighth in the 400 meter) and Georgina Amaya (ninth in the 400 meter). Wiregrass Ranch High’s Victoria Flemming placed 13th in the 60-meter hurdles.

Tiffany Colin, also from Wiregrass High, qualified for finals in the 60-meter dash with seventh overall fastest time.

Freedom High’s Jaya Harrigan placed 19th in the 60-meter dash, while 12-year-old Ethan Rosson, of North Tampa Christian Academy, placed third in the 3,000-meter run.

“I was very impressed with the outcome and I believe all of our athletes competed well,” said B.B. Roberts, the club’s coach, in a news release. “Congrats to Tiffany Collin and Adriana Rodriguez for making it to finals in a very competitive high school division. Tiffany has proven to be one of the fastest athletes in Florida. Special congratulations to Aiden Amaya and Seth Williamson for (becoming) state champion in their age group.”

For more information on Speed Starz Track Club, visit SpeedStarz.webflow.io.

Aiden Amaya, of Wesley Chapel Elementary, was crowned state champion in the 60 meter and 200 meter.
Adriana Rodriguez, of Wesley Chapel High, qualified for finals in the 600 meter.
Victoria Fleming placed 13th in the 60-meter hurdles.
Tiffany Colin, of Wiregrass Ranch High, qualified for finals in the 60-meter dash with the seventh overall fastest time.

Saint Leo’s men’s tennis crowned champs

February 28, 2023 By Mike Camunas

The Lions men’s tennis team became “Kings of the Tennis Court” as the third-seeded team defeated eighth-seeded and host University of Indianapolis 4-1 at the UIndy Tennis to become the 2023 ITA National Indoor Champions on Feb. 19.

The National Championship win also was coach Chad Berryhill’s 400th career win.  “I’ve been blessed to have a great career and truly awesome student-athletes to coach — love them all!” Berryhill said in a news release.

The championship match began in doubles play, but the Greyhounds won the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles matches.

Tao Castillo Bernal and Ivan Marrero won the No. 2 doubles, 6-3.

But the Lions dominated singles play, with the team’s No. 1, Marreo, winning 7-6, 6-2; No. 2 Martin Soukal winning 6-3, 2-6, 7-5; No. 3 Vincent Thiel winning 6-3, 6-3; and No. 5 Luis Iriate winning 6-4, 6-4.

“Super proud of our guys for handling a very tough environment playing UIndy on their home courts and with their fans going crazy,” Berryhill added in the release. “All the hard work is paying off, and I’m super proud of these guys that they call themselves National Champions.”

Additionally, Soukal earned Sunshine State Conference Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week on Feb. 20 thanks to his play in the tournament. The Czech Republic native won against players ranked 34th and 28th players in the nation, in back-to-back matches.

Up next, the Lions will travel to Valdosta, Georgia, on March 4 for a neutral-site match against Auburn Montgomery at 3 p.m.

Chad Berryhill
Martin Soukal
Ivan Marrero

New figure skating club

February 28, 2023 By Mike Camunas

AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel announced the formation of the Sunshine State Figure Skating Club (SSFSC), which will conduct test sessions, host competitions, shows, and club events. The new partnership will allow greater collaboration between the facility and the club, resulting in more services for club members and figure skaters to enjoy, according to a news release.

(Mike Camunas)

The goal of the SSFSC is to serve club members to the best of its ability. The club aims to provide a multitude of diverse opportunities to all skaters, coaches, and members to help further their skating journey and goals in life.

The Sunshine State FSC will accept transfers and new members beginning April 1 for the remainder of the 2022-2023 season.

Current members of other clubs can transfer their membership for the remainder of the 2022-2023 season at no cost. New members can join for a discounted rate of $30 for the 2022-2023 season ending June 30.

All transfers and new members that join before the 2022-23 season ends will be recognized as Founding Members of the Club.

Starting June 1, the SSFSC will accept members for the 2023-2024 season, which is July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024.

A launch party is scheduled on May 13 to celebrate the start of the new club. That event is set to begin at the conclusion of the Spring Show. Founding members will be recognized and receive a special gift.

Skaters or other interested parties can reach out for more information at the arena’s front desk, or email .

Zephyrhills Christian athlete makes history

February 21, 2023 By Mike Camunas

(Courtesy of Zephyrhills Christian Athletics)

Olivia Chapman, a senior softball player at Zephyrhills Christian Academy, became the school’s first female athlete to sign a letter of intent to become a scholarship student athlete. While surrounded by friends and family and teammates on Feb. 3, Chapman signed to play collegiate softball at the University of Charleston in West Virginia.

Wrestling team wins third-straight

February 21, 2023 By Mike Camunas

(Courtesy of Eddie Marley)

The Land O’ Lakes High wrestling team won its third-straight Sunshine Athletic Conference Tournament, crowning the Gators as the top squad among the Pasco County high schools. Land O’ Lakes won the tournament in dominant fashion, beating second-place team and nearby rival, Sunlake, by 97 points. Land O’ Lakes had six finalists and four conference champions — Brandon Austin, Garry Gilbert, Leomany Casado and Wyatt Green — and 13 of its 14 wrestlers placed in the tournament.

Sisters headed to same college

February 14, 2023 By Mike Camunas

(Courtesy of Brittany Collison)

Wesley Chapel senior standout volleyball player Chloe Danielson is headed to Catawba College in North Carolina after signing a letter of intent on Feb. 1 to play for the Division 2 university.

Joining her there will be her sister, former Wildcat Jordan Danielson, who just finished her sophomore season with Daytona State. 

Chloe helped lead the Wildcats to their first state tournament appearance since 2003, as the team was one of four teams in the Class 5A tournament in November. 

Chloe finished her career with 1,031 kills, including a team-high 241 this season and a school-record 375 in her junior season.

Jordan, who had a career 553 kills at Wesley Chapel, finished this past season with 118 kills for the Falcons (13-7).

Lutz swimmer earns top honors

February 14, 2023 By Mike Camunas

From left: Steinbrenner principal Tiffany Ewell, Jayden Repak and Warriors athletic director Dennis Derflinger. (Courtesy of Chris Repak)

Jayden Repak, a 16-year-old junior at Steinbrenner High, was awarded the Henry Hick Memorial Award for Outstanding Male Swimmer of the Year, in January.

Repak, who has qualified for the Class 4A state swim meet in all three high school seasons, served as a team captain and was district champion in the 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke this season. At the state meet, he broke the school records in these events and was awarded the Male High Point winner for the Warrior’s swim team.

Repak, a Lutz native, grew up swimming and wakeboarding on nearby Lake Brant. He also was a member of the Steinbrenner 400 freestyle relay team that broke the school record his freshman year.

Additionally, the Steinbrenner boys golf and football teams were awarded the Hillsborough County Schools Highest Team Grade Point Average Award for those sports.

Local track star shines

February 7, 2023 By Mike Camunas

Former Zephyrhills Christian track star Evan Miller kicked off his final season at the University of South Carolina in dominant fashion, setting a national record for the men’s indoor 400-meter with a time of 45.91.

At the Gamecock Opening on Jan. 14, Miller also ran a 200-meter in 20.76 and earned Co-Runner of the Week for the SEC (Southeastern Conference) Honors announced on Jan. 17.

Miller is now ranked second in the country in the 400-meter and seventh in the 200-meter.

Miller, who won the Class 1A crown 100-meter dash (10.75) at the 2018 FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) State Track & Field Championships and was a member of the school’s medalist 4×100 relay team that won back-to-back state crowns in 2017 and 2018, opted to an additional year athletes were granted because of a season missed due to COVID.

Former hockey players join staff

February 7, 2023 By Mike Camunas

Tampa Bay Crunch, a travel hockey team based out of AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, announced former Tampa Bay Lightning players Vinny Prospal and Braydon Coburn will join its Spring Travel Training Coaching Staff.

Prospal, drafted in 1993 by the Philadelphia Flyers, played over 1,100 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) and will bring international coaching experience to the 14U Spring training program.

Coburn will be instructing in the 12U Spring training program. He was drafted in 2003 by the Atlanta Thrashers, played over 900 NHL games and is an assistant coach with the U12 Crunch Girls team.

Derby Skate-A-Thon

January 30, 2023 By Mary Rathman

Revolution Roller Derby will host a “Skate-A-Thon,” live on its Facebook page: Facebook.com/RevolutionRollerDerby on Feb. 7 at 7:30 pm. Derby skaters will skate lap after lap to raise money for its upcoming season. Donations can be made to a skater per lap or one flat donation. More information, visit Facebook.com/RevolutionRollerDerby. For information on how to join, ref or volunteer, visit RevolutionRollerDerby.com.

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