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Saint Leo University women’s assistant soccer coach Sarah Leiby has been named to the United Soccer Coaches’2019-2020 30 Under 30 Program, which recognizes the top 30 soccer coaches in the nation under the age of 30 years old.

This year’s 30 Under 30 class features 15 men and 15 women selected from a pool of nearly 300 applicants. Leiby was named among 18 college coaches, nine youth coaches and three high school coaches.

Leiby is in her first year at Saint Leo alongside first-year head coach Peter McGahey. McGahey hired Leiby out of an assistant coaching position at Montana State University earlier this year.

Prior to two seasons at Montana State University, Leiby helped build the Black Hills State University (Spearfish, South Dakota) women’s soccer program during its inaugural season in 2016. She holds both a United States Soccer Federation National “C” and “D” license and a National Soccer Coaches Association of America Goalkeeping Level III diploma.

As part of the 30 Under 30 class, Leiby will receive an educational scholarship, which provides registrations for the United Soccer Coaches Convention and an Advanced Diploma course of the coach’s choosing, as well as a travel stipend to cover costs for attending these events. In addition, Leiby will be matched with a mentor dedicated to fostering her growth in the game and expanding her coaching network.

Before her coaching career, Leiby competed at the NCAA Division I level as a goalkeeper at the University of Vermont. As a Catamount, she saw action in 25 games and started in 23 during her playing career. In 2011, she set a single-season record for minutes played by a goalkeeper with 1,693 and led the America East Conference (AEC) in saves. She earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental science in 2014 and was a three-time AEC Academic All-League selection.
A native of West Chester, Pennsylvania, she is a graduate of WC Bayard Rustin High School in the Keystone State.

The Sunlake High varsity cross-country program swept the Oct. 12 Sunshine Athletic Conference East Championship meet, claiming top team finishes and individual champions in both the boys and girls 5K races.

The Sunlake boys tallied 20 points and were paced by top individual finisher Colby Robbins, a sophomore (16:09.91), while the girls tallied a perfect 15 points (school’s top five runners place one through five) behind senior Liina Winborn (18:55.10).

Sunlake, which hosted the meet, defeated six other East Pasco County high schools, which included Land O’ Lakes, Wiregrass Ranch, Cypress Creek, Zephyrhills and Pasco.

Both Seahawks teams are presently ranked among the state’s top three in Class 3A.

Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School sophomore Arielle Jonas earned silver medals in the

50-meter freestyle and 50-meter butterfly at the Florida State Special Olympics Swim Meet, held Oct. 5 and Oct. 6 at North County Reginal Park in Sebastian.

Jonas has participated in Special Olympics swimming and rhythmic gymnastics for the last four years. She also is a cheerleader and participates in musical theatre at Bishop McLaughlin.

The Special Olympics event was hosted by Indian River County Recreation Department and Treasure Coast Sports Commission.

Carrollwood Day School senior shooting guard Maliyah Perry verbally committed to play collegiate basketball at NCAA Division II Rollins College, in Winter Park. The 5-foot-5 Perry, a Wesley Chapel resident, averaged 9.1 points and 3.2 assists per game for a Patriots team that went 27-2 and finished Class 4A state runner-up. Perry, right, stands alongside Rollins College women’s basketball coach Glenn Wilkes Jr.

Lutz teenager Zoe Spanos high-fives PGA Tour professional Bryson DeChambeau during the 2019 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 15-year-old Spanos, who has cerebral palsy, was one of 22 patient ambassadors throughout the country to represent the health care system at the Oct. 2 through Oct. 6 golf tournament, where she served as a Courtesy of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

standard bearer and pro-am participant. The avid youth golfer was only 10 days old when she developed encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain. The brain swelling resulted in two strokes and cerebral palsy. Spanos today has residual left-sided weakness, mostly in her foot, and some loss of muscle control.

Florida’s recreational and commercial stone crab claw harvest season is now open through May 2020 in state and federal waters, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced.

To be harvested, stone crab claws must be at least 2.75 inches in length when measured from the elbow to the tip of the lower immovable portion of the claw.

Harvesters are encouraged to take only one claw, even if both claws are of legal size, so the released crab will be better able to defend itself from predators. There is a recreational daily bag limit of 1 gallon of claws per person or 2 gallons per vessel, whichever is less.

Recreational harvesters who are age 16 and older and fish with traps are required to complete an online, no-cost recreational stone crab trap registration and place their registration number on their traps before using them. To register, visit GoOutdoorsFlorida.com.

For more information in recreational stone crab harvesting, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater Fishing.”

Wiregrass Ranch High School baseball product John Gant recently wrapped up a strong regular season campaign with the MLB playoff-bound St. Louis Cardinals.

The 26-year-old Gant was a key bullpen cog all season long for a Cardinals team that went 97-71 and won the National League Central Division for the first time since 2015. Gant in the regular season went 11-1, with a 3.66 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 60 strikeouts in 66.1 innings.

The Cardinals are currently facing the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS (National League Division Series).

Gant was surprisingly left off the NLDS roster, but could be added in subsequent playoff rounds should the Cardinals advance.

A win in the best-of-five series will qualify them for the best-of-seven NLCS (National League Championship Series), which runs through at least Oct. 15.

Gant starred on the Wiregrass Ranch varsity baseball team all four years (2008-2011) before being selected by the New York Mets in the 21st round of the 2011 MLB Draft. He made his major league debut in 2016 with the Atlanta Braves. He’s been with the Cardinals each of the past three seasons.

Wesley Chapel resident Maxine Carlson recently achieved a rare golfing feat that ranks high in her 20 years playing the sport.

During the Heritage Harbor Golf and Country Club Monday Women’s League on Sept. 16, Carlson, 73, recorded a hole-in-one on the course’s 90-yard par-three, third hole using a Taylormade M6 7 iron and Callaway Supersoft pink ball.

The feat was witnessed by golfing partner Janet Morin and verified by Heritage Harbor.

It was Carlson’s first career hole-in-one.

The odds of an amateur golfer scoring a hole-in-one are approximately 12,500 to 1, according to the National Hole-In-One Association.