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The Land O’ Lakes Gators Athletics Foundation inducted five new members to the school’s athletics Hall of Fame during a dinner ceremony last month.

The inductees for the 2018 class were: William Gebauer, a longtime administrator and varsity coach for football, track and wrestling; Jeff Hendrix, a three-sport athlete from 1979 to 1981 who became the first Land O’ Lakes football player to receive a Division I scholarship; Don Meredith, a three-year letterman in football and wrestling from 1988 to 1990 who later became a standout offensive lineman at the University of North Carolina; Dr. Kirk Peterson, a three-sport standout in soccer, football and track in the late ’80s; and Karla Walsh Graziano, a three-sport athlete from 1979 to 1981 in volleyball, basketball and track, where she qualified for the state meet and set the school’s jump record.

The May 22 ceremony marked the school’s sixth Hall of Fame induction class, which began in 2013 after the Gators Athletics Foundation was established as a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

Anthony Becht, a former NFL tight end and current ESPN college football analyst, was the keynote speaker for the event.

The foundation’s purpose is to “raise funds through donations and fundraising events for the direct benefit of the athletic programs at Land O’ Lakes High School.”

Funds raised through the booster club are currently being allocated to build an athletic field house at the school, perhaps within the next five years.

The Lutz-based FC Tampa Rangers Newcastle U17 boys were crowned U17 Florida President’s Cup Champions in April, and the squad has now advanced to the Southern President’s Cup. That competition runs through June 17 at the Mesa Soccer Complex, in Greenville, South Carolina.

As part of the regional competition, FC Tampa Newcastle faces off against teams from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Tennessee; with hopes to secure a spot at the 2018 U.S. Youth Soccer National President’s Cup in July, in Westfield, Indiana.

A local softball sensation has achieved yet another honor in a growing list of accolades.

Academy at the Lakes’ junior Alexis Kilfoyl, who recently guided the Wildcats to its first state softball title, has been named the 2017-2018 Gatorade Florida Softball Player of the Year.

The honor, which takes into account athletics and academics, distinguishes Kilfoyl as the state’s best high school softball player.

She now becomes a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year award.

The 6-foot-2 right-handed pitcher led the Wildcats to a 26-4 record and the Class 2A state championship this past season.

Kilfoyl posted a 23-1 mark in the circle with a 0.32 earned run average and 249 strikeouts in 154 innings pitched.

Likewise dominant at the plate, Kilfoyl produced a .482 batting average with five home runs, 35 RBI, a .585 on-base percentage and a .788 slugging percentage.

In the state title game on May 22, Kilfoyl fired an 11-inning shutout and knocked the game-winning double in the Wildcats’ 1-0 win over Monticello Aucilla Christian Academy.

Besides in-state success, Kilfoyl has been on the national radar for some time.

Last summer, Kilfoyl was a member of the 2017 USA Softball Junior National team, the youngest of the 24-player roster.

And in January, FloSoftball.com ranked Kilfoyl as the nation’s No. 1 player in its “2019 Hot 100” recruiting list.

She has been a verbal commit to the University of Alabama since her freshman season.

Off the field meanwhile, Kilfoyl has maintained a 3.78 grade-point average and is a member of the Mu Alpha Theta mathematics honor society.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which works with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

Saint Leo University’s men’s tennis standout Thomas Grinberg has been named Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Senior Player of the Year.

Grinberg, a product of Vincennes, France, wrapped up a stellar senior campaign posting a 21-1 first singles record — including an undefeated regular season singles mark — and a 20-3 first doubles record with junior Vincent Suillerot.

Last month, Grinberg was named Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year.

Saint Leo University announced Erin Bean, a former school employee, to the position of assistant athletic director for external operations.

The former Saint Leo employee returns to the school by way of the University of South Florida, where she spent the past three years as the primary contact for its nationally ranked women’s basketball team, the men’s soccer team, and assisted with the football program.

In her new role at Saint Leo, Bean will oversee all aspects of external relations and oversee the athletic communications office.

Bean has seven years of experience in collegiate athletics, including experience in all three NCAA Divisions. That includes stints at Tennessee Technological University, the Northeast Conference, and Juniata College.

Dave Panno, left, and Ken Willis, teamed up for another first place win at the South Pasco Bassmasters (SPBM) April tournament, hauling in five bass for a total weight of 11.94 pounds at the Harris Chain of Lakes. It marks the fishing duo’s third tournament victory this year — also taking first at SPBM events in January and February. Panno and Willis caught their winning haul with Spinner Baits, Finesse Worms, and Lipless Crankbaits along residential canals. The next SPBM tournament is May 19 at Lake Hernando. For information, visit SouthPascoBassmasters.com.