Doral’s Puppo, Gulliver’s Mulligan, Palmetto’s Gibson are Miami-Dade tennis coaches of the year
Once again, Doral Academy’s Justin Puppo and Gulliver Prep’s Kelly Mulligan saw their girls’ tennis teams celebrating at the end of the season. Palmetto’s Kelly Gibson’s boys’ team was a few breaks away from a celebration of its own.
The three teams represented a small sample size of Miami-Dade’s dominance on the courts this year, and the three who led the way are the Miami Herald’s Miami-Dade Tennis Coaches of the Years for it. Puppo and Mulligan are splitting the girls team honors after their teams won the Class 4A and Class 2A team state titles, respectively, while Gibson wins the boys’ honor for getting her team the farthest out of anyone in the county.
Leaving the Orlando area with a team title has become commonplace for Puppo’s Firebirds as of late. Doral has won four consecutive team titles, the first three coming in Class 3A in 2018, 2019 and 2021 (there were no state championships in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) before moving up to Class 4A this season. The Firebirds cruised through their first two matches, sweeping St. Johns Creekside and Parkland Stoneman Douglas 4-0 before handling Vero Beach 5-1 in the title game.
“I believe this is the greatest girls’ tennis team ever,” Puppo said after the state meet.
Mulligan led Gulliver Prep to its ninth girls’ team title, including its fifth since 2013. Like Doral in 4A, the Raiders dropped just one point in their march to the 2A crown once they got to state. Gulliver trounced South Walton 6-0 in the quarterfinals, Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest 4-1 in the semifinals and Bishop Verot 5-0 in the title match.
And while Gibson’s team fell short in its bid to be Miami-Dade’s lone boys’ team to win a state title, Palmetto capped a dominant season with its fourth consecutive top-two team finish after winning it all in 2018 and 2019 and finishing as runner-up in 2021. The Panthers, who also won the GMAC championship earlier this season, beat Spruce Creek 5-0 in the quarterfinals and Cypress Bay 4-1 in the semifinals before falling 4-2 to Lake Nona in the championship.