Florida Christian’s Prieto, Palmer Trinity’s Bacardi repeat as Miami Golfers of the Year

Nicholas Prieto wasn’t just one of the best golfers in Florida this year -- he was one of the best in the country.

Remi Bacardi, meanwhile, continued her ascent to those sorts of heights by reaching the state championship for the third straight year as only a sophomore.

For the second straight year, they’re the Miami Herald’s Miami-Dade County Golfers of the Year.

Prieto, from Florida Christian, finished as the runner-up at the Class 1A championship last month, just after finishing tied for third at the Ping Invitational -- a national American Junior Golf Association event -- in October in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Bacardi, from Palmer Trinity, repeated as the District 16-1A champion and finished as Miami-Dade’s top performer at the state championships for the second straight year, shooting a 74 in the lone round at the weather-shortened 1A final in Howey-in-the-Hills.

The also in September both won titles at the Miami-Dade County Fair and Exposition, which typically features the biggest collection of Dade County golfers every year.

At every turn, they once again solidified their superiority.

Prieto, a senior, will continue his career at the college level after signing a national letter of intent with the Arizona State Sun Devils in November. Bacardi, a sophomore, has two more years to keep building on the spectacular start to her career in Miami.

Prieto, who grew up playing a slew of different sports before eventually settling on golf, came close to wrapping up his career with a state title. After finishing fifth in 1A last year, Prieto returned to Mission Inn Resort & Club as a senior, shot a 72 in the championship’s lone round and finished one stroke behind FAU High’s Jack Quinn.

Bacardi’s 74 placed her in a tie for 20th, eight strokes back of first place after qualifying for the 1A championship as an individual.