Riviera Prep junior balances her skills in two fall sports

Alexandra Ragan has chosen passion over prodigy.

Ragan, a Riviera Prep junior who turns 16 on Oct. 12, has been golfing since the age of three, and she is the grand-daughter of a former USA Ryder Cup member and PGA pro player.

“If Alexandra spent more time as a golfer, I think she could be one of the top golfers in the state,” Riviera Prep coach Ben McCain said. “She’s powerful. She hits the ball a long way.

“She could be a scratch golfer and have scholarship offers to play college golf.”

That’s unlikely to happen, however.

Ragan prefers spikes over drives, digs over putts and aces over holes-in-one.

In other words, Ragan — who is 5-foot-10 — sees her future as a college volleyball player, likely as a setter and perhaps in the Ivy League.

“I probably have more natural talent in golf since I’ve been playing longer,” Ragan said. “But I love volleyball more.”

Ragan, who started playing volleyball at age 8 in a recreational league at the Coral Gables Youth Center, is a busy young woman, especially during the fall.

First of all, there’s her academic focus. She loves science and math and has a 4.8 grade-point average weighted, 3.95 unweighted. She is not sure about her college major, but something in medicine is quite possible.

Then there’s her devotion to volleyball, a sport she trains in for up to three hours per day.

Last, there’s golf. Unfortunately for Ragan, volleyball and golf are both played in the fall, and she is only able to devote about 90 minutes per week to the latter sport.

Riviera Prep volleyball coach Mauricio Diaz believes in Ragan’s talent, and he should know due to his extensive background in the sport. Diaz coached the Southwest High boys’ team to state titles in 2003 and 2008. Diaz also coached the Ransom Everglades girls’ team to a state title in 2013.

In addition, Diaz mentored his daughter, Aryanah, who is now a Division I college volleyball player at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.

“I can see Alexandra as a mid-major volleyball player,” Diaz said. “She can really jump, and she hits a heavy ball. She has a lot of body control, which is important at the net.

“Alexandra has strong hands to set and block. Since we have no seniors on this team, she is a leader, and we’ve expanded her role.”

Despite her devotion to volleyball, Ragan found time last month to compete in a major golf tournament, shooting an 81 and finishing in eighth place at the Dade County Youth Fair.

That golf talent should probably come as no surprise given her family history. The aforementioned Ryder Cup member was David Ragan Jr., who passed away three years ago at the age of 82. He won three PGA titles and finished second at the 1963 PGA Championship.

Alexandra’s father is David Ragan III, who is Ransom’s golf coach and one of the sport’s elite instructors, currently working as a pro at the Biltmore.

But the golf legacy goes even deeper. David Ragan III said that his maternal great grandfather, Carl Dann Sr., built what was just the second golf course ever in Orlando, back in 1923. In addition, Carl Dann Jr. won five Florida State Amateur golf championships.

“At a young age, Alexandra told me, ‘Dad, golf is in my blood’,” coach Ragan said. “But her passion is volleyball.

“I think the team aspect of volleyball is appealing to her. In golf, you are on your own, and it can be lonely.

“As a father, it makes me happy that she’s passionate about volleyball. But she will still be able to play and enjoy golf for the rest of her life.”

Walter Villa can be reached at wvilla07@yahoo.com