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National Collegiate Athletic Association

Cypress Creek celebrates inaugural signing day

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Unlike just about every other high school in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area, Cypress Creek Middle/High School last year didn’t have a National Signing Day event for student-athletes moving on to the college ranks.

That’s because, the then first-year school on Old Pasco Road had no seniors, as it pulled strictly underclassman from Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass Ranch high schools.

Cypress Creek’s athletics department made up for lost time this year, however.

Cypress Creek Middle/High had its inaugural National Signing Day ceremony on Feb. 6. Seven athletes from four sports signed their National Letters of Intent to play college athletics at various institutions. (Courtesy of Cypress Creek athletics)

Dozens of students and friends, coaches, teachers and staff, and parents and family members gathered inside the school’s media center on Feb. 6 to celebrate the school’s inaugural signing day, as seven senior student-athletes representing four sports signed their National Letters of Intent (LOIs) to various institutions.

National Signing Day is held annually on the first Wednesday in February, a day where thousands of athletes nationwide can sign a binding letter of intent with a member school of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

The school’s softball program yielded the most signees, with four — Payton Hudson (Pasco-Hernando State College), Jasmine Jackson (Savannah State University), Ashley Nickisher (Newberry College) and Neely Peterson (Colorado State University).

Baseball (Ray Camacho, Saint Leo University), football (Devin Santana, Lindenwood University-Belleville) and girls’ lacrosse (Jordan Alvis, Huntingdon College) had a signee apiece, respectively.

Among the group of seven, Peterson arguably represented the most notable signing.

The All-State catcher is one of the nation’s top softball players — ranked No. 63 on the Extra Innings Softball Extra Elite 100 national rankings for 2019.

Her stats underscore the national standing.

As a junior last season, Peterson posted a .544 batting average, seven home runs, 14 doubles, 27 runs and 43 RBIs. Defensively, she registered a .984 fielding percentage, with 57 putouts and five assists.

Peterson will set foot upon Colorado State’s campus in August as the Division I softball program’s first signee from the state of Florida.

She verbally committed back as a freshman — after being the first high school freshman offered a scholarship by a Colorado State athletic program.

Peterson boasted offers from several other blue-blood softball programs.

But, she fell in love with the Fort Collins, Colorado-based campus and the coaching staff’s family-like atmosphere at a softball camp there. Additionally, she has a chance to make her mark quickly, in line to be the team’s starting catcher next season.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long,” Peterson said, of finally signing the dotted line. “It feels great.

“I love making history, so it’s great to be able to do this for our school,” she added.

Peterson also expressed joy for her fellow softball teammates who signed alongside her; each was redistricted from Wesley Chapel following their sophomore seasons.

Said Peterson, “It’s really awesome, because just to see that everything they’ve worked for is  kind of paying off, just as much as it is for me, because I get to see them hustling and all the hard work they put on the field, so just to see them find their future home makes me feel good.”

The inaugural signees were each met with balloons and celebratory cake, along with countless cheers and photo requests during the hourlong event, as memorabilia from each choice institution was visible in the room brimming with onlookers.

“It’s great, like being around all these great athletes, just knowing I’m a part of that, of creating a culture of great athletes for this school,” Devin Santana, who will play wide receiver at Lindenwood, said of the ceremony.

Becoming Cypress Creek’s first college football signee has added significance for Santana, who transferred from Wesley Chapel after his sophomore season.

“It’s crazy, like it’s a great feeling,” he said. “It’s a little nerve-wracking, because there’s a lot of pressure on me, but like I feel like I have the tools around me to be successful.”

Cypress Creek athletic director Justin Peliccia coined the event “a good look for our program.”

“It’s amazing to be able to put on this ceremony for the athletes, their parents and their coaches,” the athletic director said. “Having seven athletes move on to the next level, it’s just an awesome experience for myself as the athletic director, and the program.”

Peliccia was particularly complimentary of the varsity softball program — and its four signees — which collectively posted a 15-9 record and 10-4 district mark last spring.

“It was great to see a program roll out the end of the year and kind of bring us into, ‘Look, we have opportunities, we have chances, we do have athletes here, and we can make some noise.’”

Peliccia acknowledged that although many of the school’s varsity sports programs struggled in the school’s first year, strides have been made this year. He mentioned boys’ and girls’ soccer, and football, as a few who’ve upped their win totals.

“All of our programs this year have taken a step up,” he said. “Everything has taken a step ahead, which is what we want. Everything needs to develop and grow.”

Cypress Creek National Signing Day

Baseball
Ray Camacho—Saint Leo University

Football
Devin Santana—Lindenwood University-Belleville (Belleville, Illinois)

Lacrosse
Jordan Alvis—Huntingdon College (Montgomery, Alabama)

Softball
Payton Hudson—Pasco-Hernando State College
Jasmine Jackson—Savannah State University (Savannah, Georgia)
Ashley Nickisher—Newberry College (Newberry, South Carolina)
Neely Peterson—Colorado State University

Published February 13, 2019

Saint Leo hires winning coach for basketball program

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Saint Leo University has hired a new head basketball coach with a reputation for winning.

“I’m very excited to come to Saint Leo,” said new head coach Vince Alexander. “I think they’re an institution that’s growing. I think it’s an athletic department that really wants to step up their game and really make some things happen.”

New Saint Leo basketball coach Vince Alexander will bring a fast-paced game to the court. He also brings a 285-187 record to his new school and a pedigree of success. (Courtesy of Saint Leo University)
New Saint Leo basketball coach Vince Alexander will bring a fast-paced game to the court. He also brings a 285-187 record to his new school and a pedigree of success.
(Courtesy of Saint Leo University)

Alexander is used to making things happen. He boasts a lifetime winning record above 60 percent during a 16-year coaching career, and spent a decade building his last school, the University of South Carolina-Aiken, into a perennial winner.

His new team has an impressive track record in recent years as well.

Saint Leo finished last season with a record of 14-15, but has enjoyed greater success in previous years.

The Lions reached the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Men’s tournament in each of the previous three seasons, setting a school record for wins in the 2012-13 season (22) and again in the 2013-14 season (24). The Lions reached the second round of the tournament in both of those record-setting campaigns.

After the off year, coach Lance Randall resigned to accept a position at Lindenwood University in Missouri.

That opened the door for Alexander, who had spent the previous 10 seasons with the Pacers. During that time he took the Pacers even farther than the Lions’ best seasons: In 2012-13, Alexander’s team reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA Division II tournament, and the following year they made the Final Four.

In all, USC-Aiken won four Peach Belt Conference regular season championships. Alexander was named the PBC Coach of the Year four times, and National Association of Basketball Coaches Regional Coach of the Year three times. He has a career coaching record of 285-187.

Those accomplishments and that school might be behind him, but Alexander is bringing the work ethic and philosophy that earned those accolades with him to Saint Leo. He’s also bringing a couple of assistants from his former staff who are among his former players. And, he expects success from his new team both on and off the court.

“What we do is we develop young men. We want them to become champions in life. It’s not just about being a champion on the court,” Alexander explained. “Winning is a by-product of what we’ve done in establishing young men and helping them to become good fathers, good husbands and productive citizens of our community. We’re going to keep that same philosophy (at Saint Leo), and, God willing, we’re going to continue to have the success that we had at USC-Aiken.”

Alexander isn’t the type to preach to others, but is proud to say that God plays a big role in his life. He and his family prayed over the decision to coach at a new university, and he strives to lead by example when it comes to how he conducts himself in his life and career.

Alexander’s practices don’t feature a lot of cursing and yelling. But players would be making a big mistake if they assume practices will be easy. To the contrary, Alexander wants intense sessions as he establishes an up-tempo, fast-paced game plan, which requires moving up the court quickly when they have the ball, and a pressuring defense when they don’t.

NCAA rules do not permit practice over the summer.

Alexander said he has already spoken to returning and incoming players so they know what to expect, and he is working with the strength training coach to make sure that players will be in shape to handle the increased activity and intensity in practice and on game days.

The players have expressed enthusiasm about the style of play, but the coach knows it’s easy to say you’re on board before the conditioning starts. He wants those first practices to be difficult and to really test his players.

The coach said if they stick with his philosophy and follow the game plan, he’s confident the results will show up on the scoreboard.

“Our goal is to have 45-50 points at half time. Not for a game,” Alexander explained.

In a press release announcing Alexander’s hire, Saint Leo athletic director Fran Reidy stated the team’s goals are to challenge for the conference title and eventually reach the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament.

For his part, Alexander wouldn’t make any specific predictions regarding how much progress they’ll make toward those goals in his first season. They haven’t even had a practice yet.

But he does have one prediction for the fans: They’re going to like what they see on the court.

“It will be hard for you to sit in your seat because it will be up-tempo, aggressive defense and getting after it on both ends of the floor,” he said.

Published July 8, 2015

Hot bats, hot start for Saint Leo

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Saint Leo University’s baseball team is off to a 21-5 start.

While the Lions have had strong records the last two years under coach Sean O’ Connor, his third season at the helm has produced the best results so far. They won 17 out of their first 18 games, and currently lead the nation in both hits and runs in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II play. They’re ranked 15th in the D2 Baseball News poll, and 16th in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.

At 21-5, coach Sean O'Connor has the Lions off to their best start in his three years with the team. He also played for Saint Leo in the early 1980s. (Courtesy of Saint Leo University)
At 21-5, coach Sean O’Connor has the Lions off to their best start in his three years with the team. He also played for Saint Leo in the early 1980s.
(Courtesy of Saint Leo University)

O’ Connor admits he is surprised by the team’s performance — he actually thought it would be better.

“I’m shocked we have five losses at this point,” he said. “We haven’t played our best baseball, to be honest with you.”

Still, to be 21-5 is an impressive start, and to build on consecutive 30-plus win seasons is no easy feat. O’ Connor attributes the team’s success this year to having a lot of returning players. The team’s starting lineup this year is about the same as last year, and playing underclassmen in the past is paying off now.

The Lions also benefit from a focus on depth during the recruiting process. O’ Connor wanted to avoid tying their fortunes to one or two star players, where an injury or slump could derail the entire season. Instead the team has depth, with players on the bench that could start for other schools. While they might not get as much playing time as the starters, those athletes can take over when necessary without a big drop-off in talent or production.

“We’ve tried to build this team so that when something does go wrong, we’re fully prepared for it and somebody else will step in and do the job that’s more than capable of doing so,” O’Connor said.

That method seems to be working, with double-digit run production in more than half of their games. But even with the strong start, O’Connor warns that there’s no guarantee of post-season success just yet. They weren’t selected for the regional tournament the past two years, and with most of the conference schedule ahead of them, they have to win when it matters most to make the tournament.

“The real test is the conference,” O’Connor said. “It’s nice that we’re 21-5, but if we don’t finish in the top two or three spots in the conference, it doesn’t mean a thing.”

The Sunshine State Conference provides a pretty tough test for its teams. All eight schools have a winning record, and five of them have 19 wins or more. With a 2-4 conference record, the Lions will have to win many of those upcoming conference games to keep up with the other talented teams and enter the regional tournament.

If they get there, they’ll do it with passion and emotion. While some coaches (and their teams) are stoic and don’t display much passion, O’ Connor said that Saint Leo plays with a lot of emotion. Being vocal and staying invested in the moment is part of the team’s personality, and he wants the team to remain that way.

And if that passion gets them to the first regional tournament of his tenure as coach, he thinks they can keep it going from there.

The talent level is so high in the Sunshine State Conference, O’ Connor thinks the teams that escape it have an advantage over teams that don’t face that level of competition on a regular basis.

“If you get out of the conference, you’ve got a good shot at going to the World Series,” he said.

Saint Leo is also proving that they can bounce back after losses as well. After being swept by Nova Southeastern earlier this month, they followed it up by winning four of their next five, including two of three against Florida Tech, ranked 10th at the time.

While there’s still a lot of baseball left to play before the season ends in early May, O’ Connor believes he has the kind of team that can get over the hump and make a run in the regional tournament and World Series.

“This is certainly the best team we’ve had in the three years I’ve been here,” he said.

Published March 25, 2015

 

Sign Here: Local athletes commit to colleges

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High school seniors are used to writing.

On Feb. 4, though, a number of student-athletes did some writing that will change their lives.

Family members surround Mark Hutchinson, left, and Jaye Miner of Wiregrass Ranch High School as they sign their letters of intent to play college football. They're the first players in the school’s history to sign with NCAA Division I schools. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo
Family members surround Mark Hutchinson, left, and Jaye Miner of Wiregrass Ranch High School as they sign their letters of intent to play college football. They’re the first players in the school’s history to sign with NCAA Division I schools.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo

“It feels good,” said Austin Yeloushan, a senior at Sunlake High School. “Finally, I’m committed and ready to go play somewhere.” Yeloushan was one of thousands of athletes around the country who participated in National Signing Day, the first day that a high school football player can sign a binding letter of intent with a member school of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Yeloushan accepted an offer to attend Jacksonville University, where he’ll also play on defense for the Dolphins. In addition to the football opportunity, he was impressed with the school’s academic offerings and its location. He plans to study business.

He’s also working out several times a day and adding in a lot of running in order to get ready to play football at the collegiate level. Although he had a stellar high school career, Yeloushan knows that the level of competition is tougher in college, and he wants to be prepared.

“I feel like everyone that’s really good from their high school goes to college. So it’s just going to be like a big all-star game,” he said.

Jaye Miner, a linebacker from Wiregrass Ranch High School, feels the same way.

“In college it’s like an all-star team every game,” he said. “I know I can’t take anything easy. Everyone’s going to be bigger, stronger, faster.” Miner received 14 offers to play football at the next level, and chose Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton on National Signing Day. He plans to study photography, sports medicine or marine biology in the classroom, and learn from his more experienced teammates on the football field.

He might be getting some early experience himself when the Owls’ season starts. Due to a lack of linebacker depth at FAU, Miner said he has a good chance of starting games early in his career.

If he’s in the starting lineup when the Owls play Florida International University on Oct. 31, he’ll face off against a former teammate’s new school. Mark Hutchinson, a Wiregrass Ranch wide receiver, sat next to Miner on Feb. 4 and signed his own papers to play at the next level. He chose FIU and will attend on a full scholarship.

Not bad for a kid who was cut from his seventh-grade football team.

“It was my first year. I was scrawny. I was a skinny little boy,” Hutchinson recalled. “So I had to put in a lot of work, a lot of effort and focus. Because I knew this was something I wanted. I wanted to be an athlete in high school.”

Now that he’s completed a standout athletic career in high school, Hutchinson knows he’ll have something to prove when he enters college as a freshman. But working his way up is nothing new for Hutchinson. He started his freshman year on the junior varsity team before earning a promotion to varsity. He’s focusing on adding strength in the off-season to be prepared when they call his number.

Miner and Hutchinson are good friends and have been playing together for years. And even before they were seriously thinking about Division I college football and making big life decisions, this is a moment they considered.

“In Mark’s room right now, he has a chalkboard wall. It says ‘D-1 bound.’ We wrote that when we were in seventh grade,” Miner said.

Friends and family were in attendance at National Signing Day to congratulate the athletes, coaches praised their abilities, and the schools served cake to help celebrate the event. And while they’re proud of their athletes and have confidence in them at the next level, those athletes are leaving big shoes to fill on their football teams. When the new season comes around, the coaches will have to replace their talented athletes who have moved on from Friday night games to playing on Saturdays.

“You miss all your seniors. You really do,” said Sunlake coach Bill Browning at Yeloushan’s signing event. “And he’s been really successful here, so we’ll miss him.”

Published February 11, 2015

Saint Leo claims fifth place in Directors’ Cup standings

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When it comes to National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II sports, not many schools are faring better than Saint Leo University.

In the final fall standings for the Learfield Sports Division II Directors’ Cup, Saint Leo is sitting in fifth place with 242 points, best in its Sunshine State Conference. That is the highest current standing for any Florida school — the University of Tampa is currently 14th with 179 points.

Saint Leo’s soccer success is just one of the reasons that the university sits in fifth place in the Directors’ Cup standings. (Courtesy of Saint Leo University)
Saint Leo’s soccer success is just one of the reasons that the university sits in fifth place in the Directors’ Cup standings.
(Courtesy of Saint Leo University)

In a competition that includes hundreds of schools, the Lions find themselves in a position that’s new to them.

“I have seen the good and the bad,” said Fran Reidy, director of athletics for Saint Leo University. “For a number of years we’d be happy if we were inside in the top 100.”

Reidy has been with the school for many of those years. Aside from heading up the athletic department since 1999, he’s been involved with the school for 27 years, including a role as their soccer coach.

In that time, he’s seen a renewed commitment to athletic play at the university. An increase in sports participation (the school had just 10 sports programs in 1998 compared to 19 today), commitment to hiring good coaches, and more resources in scholarships have led to a strong overall program. And that’s the key to a good showing in the Directors’ Cup.

Rather than judge a school’s best sport, the competition is a measure of all the sports in an athletic program. Schools receive points based on their finish in each respective sport. But if a school doesn’t participate in a particular sport, they get zero points. Saint Leo doesn’t have a football or women’s field hockey program, for example, so it did not receive points in those categories.

The university does have strong soccer programs, and with top-10 finishes for both the men’s and women’s teams they were able to collect the majority of their points. Good showings in cross-country and volleyball (all of their fall sports reached their respective post-seasons, which means they all collected points) rounded out the fall scoring.

While the fifth place ranking is the school’s highest, it’s really a continuation of its upward trajectory. Last year Saint Leo was 20th after the fall standings and finished 18th when winter and spring contests were completed. The men’s teams have won the conference’s Mayors’ Cup the past two years.

For a former soccer coach, serving as director of athletics allows Reidy to execute a game plan on a schoolwide scale, and see it play out across a number of sports.

“There’s a competitive atmosphere that’s exciting,” Reidy said.

Along with that competitive atmosphere is a feeling of camaraderie. Each sport’s athletes support the others in an effort to collect points for the school and move up the standings, Reidy said. Even though each team has its own goals, they also want to see the school finish higher in the standings, which requires success across a variety of sports.

If the fifth-place standing is good news for Saint Leo, the upcoming sports offer even more reasons for optimism. A total of 14 sports remain, including a few where the university really shined last year. Women’s tennis reached the semifinals in the national tournament last year, and the men’s swimming team already has some athletes whose times have already qualified for national competition. And while the baseball team hasn’t reached the tournament for years, Reidy said they were very close to qualifying last year and have a good opportunity to break through in 2015.

There are still several months to go before the final standings will be released. The winter schedule sports wrap up April 2. The spring schedule concludes the Directors’ Cup scoring June 4. The best finishes from 14 of a school’s programs will be counted in the standings.

The success in athletics has not come at the expense of the classroom. More than half of the student athletes have a grade point average above 3.2, and the average grade point average for all athletes is 3.17.

“Last year was our best academic year,” Reidy said.

With so many sports left to be counted, Reidy believes they can finish even better than last year. Another top-20 finish for the Lions would show that they have a strong foundation for all their programs, and last year’s good showing was no fluke.

“We want to make sure we’re building something that’s going to last, and that’s happening,” he said.

Published January 7, 2015