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The Saint Leo women’s basketball team will have a few new faces next season. Head coach Anthony Crocitto added two players to the 2016-2017 roster: junior college transfer Ragen Dotson and European import Gina Brierley. Dotson is a transfer out of Daytona State College, and Brierley, a native of Manchester, England, played for Loreto (Manchester) College and most recently earned a spot on England’s U18 team.

Dotson, a 5-foot-10 guard, averaged 7.0 points per game and 2.3 rebounds per game, and shot nearly 41 percent from 3-point range in her sophomore season at Daytona State.

“Ragen is a special young lady and can really shoot the ball,” Crocitto said in a release. “We will count on her to play multiple positions for us at Saint Leo and score the ball inside and out. She can really stretch a defense with her long-range shooting and has a huge upside to do some special things in her two years here.” Brierley, a 5-foot-7 point guard, averaged 17 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game at Loreto College; she also averaged 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game.

“Gina will be a rookie to watch in our conference,” Crocitto said. “She is a multi-talented guard who plays the game the right way while playing hard. Gina will be expected to contribute right away and play multiple guard spots for us.”

Brierley and Dotson join Madelin Lang and Courtney Cox, who both signed with Saint Leo during the fall period.

Saint Leo senior Liam Ainsworth and junior Joey Savoie were recently named to the Division II PING All-America teams. They join freshman Hugo Bernard, who was named to the first team in May.

“I am so proud of these guys and all that they achieved this year,” Saint Leo University men’s golf coach Chris Greenwood said in a release.

Ainsworth, a native of London, England, was selected to the DII PING All-America Second Team following his performance at the NCAA National Championships at the Green Valley Ranch Golf Course in Denver, Colorado. He finished in a tie for eighth place at the championships with a 209 total (-7) in stroke play.

Savoie, a native of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada, was named to the All-America Third Team after his nationals performance, finishing in 11th place with a final of 210 (-6) during stroke play.

On May 21, the Saint Leo’s men’s golf team won the school’s first-ever National Championship, defeating top-ranked Chico (California) State in match play 3-2.

Saint Leo University’s men’s and women’s swimming teams recently earned Scholar All-America Team status from the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA).

The men’s team finished the semester with a 3.24 team grade point average, while the women’s team finished with a 3.55 team grade point average.

To be eligible for the designation, teams had to achieve a 3.0 or higher team GPA over the Spring 2016 semester.

Men’s swimmers Matheus Assis, Hunter Bains, Daniel Bis, Evan Jacob and Pawel Trenda, and women’s swimmers Natalia Garriock and Nicole Weber were individually honored as CSCAA Scholar All-Americans by maintaining a 3.5-or-higher GPA and representing Saint Leo at the NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships.

“Our goal has always been to have a nationally competitive Division II program, both in the pool and in the classroom,” Saint Leo’s head men’s and women’s swimming coach Paul Mangen said in a release.

Wesley Chapel resident Joey Koehler single-handedly won the South Pasco Bassmasters June tournament on Lake Reedy. He also won the tournament ‘Big Bass’ award after reeling in a 6.64-pound bass.

The FC (Football Club) Tampa Rangers won the 2016 Florida U18 Boys State Cup championship last month. The club team will be advancing to the U.S. Youth Soccer Southern Region Championship in Greenville, South Carolina, from June 23 through 30. They will face top teams from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee.

The Wesley Chapel American League All-Star tee-ball team won the District Championship in Wildwood, Florida on June 15 after defeating Bushnell 26-15 in five innings. The group of 6-year-olds won five consecutive games, defeating each opponent by at least 10 runs to capture the title. The Wesley Chapel all-stars will be competing in the state tee-ball tournament in Bristol on July 8. The team is coached by Jeff Myers, Matt Como, Eric Piet and Brad Christensen. If you’d like to support the team through the state tournament, call (813) 928-1983 or .

Saint Leo junior first baseman Troy Sieber was selected by the Houston Astros in the 24th round with the 727nd pick of last week’s Major League Baseball Draft.

“We’re very proud of Troy and all the hard work he has put in to make this happen. We wish him all the best, and we will miss him,” Saint Leo head baseball coach Sean O’ Connor said in a release.

Sieber, a Second Team Division II All-American, batted .457 with 16 home runs and 55 RBIs this season.

A native of Salem, New Jersey, Sieber also ended the season with a 14-game hitting streak.

“It’s hard to lose a player of Troy’s caliber, but it’s fun to see them go on and play. This is what Troy and all these guys train for – a chance to play professional ball,” O’ Connor said.

Since 2013, the Lions have had at least one player selected in the MLB draft.

Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) freshman outfielder Emily Stafford has received the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Marucci Elite Hitter Award for District F Regions 8 & 10. Stafford led the PHSC women’s softball team with a .455 average, and added nine doubles, two triples and one home run, with 21 RBIs. The Palm Harbor native only struck out nine times in 122 total at bats.

The PHSC softball team finished the season with a 22-15 record after last month’s elimination in the NJCAA D2 Southeast District Tournament in Burlington, North Carolina.

The Seattle Mariners selected Camryn Williams, a former Gaither High shortstop, with the 1,167th pick, in the 39th round of last week’s Major League Baseball Draft. Williams helped guide Gaither to its first FHSAA 7A State Championship, batting .338 with eight extra-base hits and seven stolen bases. Williams has signed to play collegiate baseball at Dallas Baptist (Texas) University, which is widely viewed as one of the nation’s premier Division I baseball programs.

Pasco Middle School in Dade City was one of the first five schools named as a recipient for the FLW (Fishing League Worldwide) Foundation Florida High School Fishing grant program.

The other recipients were in other parts of the state.

The grants, offered through a two-year initiative with the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), are available to Student Angler Federation (SAF)-affiliated high school fishing clubs in Florida in the amount of up to $500 per school to establish new or expand existing clubs.

The goal of the Florida High School Fishing grant initiative is to support fishing as a high school sport by helping to recruit new anglers, retain existing anglers and reactivate lapsed anglers. Florida High School Fishing clubs that have at least 10 SAF members or are interested in becoming an SAF-affiliated club and are recognized by their school are eligible and encouraged to apply for the grants.

The Florida High School Fishing Grant Application is available at FLWFishing.com/Foundation. Applications are generally reviewed within three to five business days, but may be as long as four weeks. School sponsors are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

More information on the FLW Foundation is available at FLWFishing.com/Foundation.