Sean Taylor (‘01) was a star in track, basketball and football for Gulliver. During his senior year, he helped Gulliver win the Florida Class 2A State Football Championship as a running back, defensive back and linebacker. Considered the No.1 prospect in Miami-Dade County by The Miami Herald, he attended the University of Miami on a football scholarship. In 2004, he was the NFL’s No.5 draft pick, joining the Washington Redskins as a free safety where he made his mark as one of the hardest-hitting players in the league. In 2007, he was named to the Florida High School Association All-Century Team. Later that year, he was tragically killed. He received numerous posthumous awards, including induction into the Washington Redskins Ring of Fame. The football field at Gulliver was renamed Sean Taylor Memorial Field.

Motor sports

Countrywalk’s Kai Palomino, 9, won go-kart races on consecutive days to make it a clean sweep in the Rotax Micro Max class during the South Florida Rmax Challenge at the Palm Beach International Raceway.

Kai has been competing in the older age group, Rotax Micro Max class, for more than a year. He started racing at age 5 where he dominated the Comer50 class. Born in Miami to Jamaican parents, Kai is in fourth grade at David Fairchild Elementary School.

Tennis adult

Donna Fales of Coral Gables captained the winning USA team in the Althea Gibson Cup Division (women 70 and older) during the International Tennis Federation Super-Seniors World Tennis Team Championships in Umag, Croatia.

Fales along with Cathie Anderson (Del Mar, Calif.), Charleen Hillebrand (San Pedro, Calif.) and Lurline Fujii (Honolulu) defeated Australia 3-0 in the finals.

The 2012 event, the 32nd edition of the championships, consisted of 186 teams from 35 countries competing in 10 age categories from 60-and-over to 80-and-over. The United States won seven age-division cups for the second consecutive year.

Tennis youth

Junior tennis squads representing the USTA Florida Section swept the 12s, 14s and 16s divisions during the USTA Zone Team Championships. Each of the three squads had perfect 5-0 team match records during their events.

The USTA Zone Team BG14 Championships were in Arlington, Texas. The champs are Laura Fabrizi, Andre Johnson, Cheyenne Lilenthal, Anna Bright, Alex del Corral, Megan Horn, Noah Makarome, Alyssa Pujals, Davey Roberts and Stephanie Taylor. The team was coached by Jason Gilbert of Miami.

The USTA Zone Team BG16 Championships were in Waco, Texas. The champs are Kimbery Herrock, Alec Josepher, Daniela Nasser, Christi Woodson, Jake Gabay, Stephen Madonia and Jaclyn Switkes. The team was coached by Mark Dickson, the assistant coach at University of Miami.

Paralympic Games

Miami swimmer Ileana Rodriguez competed in the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. The Paralympic Games spanned two weeks with a record 4,200 athletes from 166 countries.

Rodriguez was seventh in the women’s 100-meter breaststroke in 1:57.94. She qualified for the event’s finals by finishing her heat in 1:58.42, good for third. She also swam in the 100 freestyle (1:31.35), 50 butterfly (45.90), 50 freestyle (41.14) and 200 individual medley (3:51.70).

Our Lady of the Lakes cross-country

Cross-country runners from Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic School in Miami Lakes opened the season with stellar results.

At the Belen Jesuit Invitational, the Primary boys’ team (first through fourth grade) finished fourth. Adam Magoulas and Michael Sanchez, the team’s top two runners, were second and third, respectively.