Aquinas junior, Lourdes senior dominate Class 3A state golf championship
It was a great two days on the golf course for St. Thomas Aquinas’ Brett Roberts and Lourdes’ Daniela Spillert.
Roberts, a junior, took home the boys’ individual title at the Class 3A state championship at the Mission Inn Resort at Howey-in-the-Hills near Orlando with a two-day score of 9-under 135. Spillert, a senior, finished as runner-up in the girls’ tournament at 4-under 141.
Overall, the St. Thomas Aquinas boys’ team tied Boca Raton for third place in the 16-team field with a team score of 33-over 609. They were six strokes behind state champion Winter Park for the crown and one stroke behind second place Gulf Coast. It was Aquinas’ first top-two finish since 2001.
The rest of the Raiders’ team following Roberts went as follows: DJ Francey and Chase Caterbone tied for 27th with identical 12-over 156 scores; Ryan Dever placed in a tie for 52nd at 18-over 162; and Jake Goodstate ended the tournament tied for 78th with a 28-over 172.
Columbus (68-over 644) finished 12th as a team, while Western (107-over 683) finished 16th. Palmetto’s Justin Rabin finished tied for 35th as an individual with his 14-over 158. Cooper City’s Ruan De Villiers tied for 39th at 15-over 159. Stoneman Douglas had a pair of individuals: Tyler Le carded a 27-over 171 to tie for 75th and Kody Finn posted a 36-over 180 to finish 87th.
In the girls’ tournament, Doral Academy (111-over 687) led local teams with a ninth-place finish, followed by Cypress Bay (112-over 688, 10th).
In addition to Spillert, three players finished in the top 30 of the 94-competitor field: Coral Gables’ Kayla Holden (2-over 146, T-7th), Cypress Bay’s Agatha Alesson (10-over 154, T-21st) and St. Thomas Aquinas’ Erin Marcelino (14-over 158, T-30th)
Girls’ volleyball regional finals
▪ Region 4-9A: Southwest d. West Broward 3-2 (30-28, 18-25, 11-25, 25-23, 15-8): Kituala Morales 22 kills, 10 digs, 4 aces; Briana Leon 28 digs, 15 assists, 3 aces; Maria Rodriguez 13 kills, 5 aces, 10 digs; Denise Gonzales 42 assists, 8 aces; Mai-Lani Hernandez 5 blocks, 6 kills.
▪ Region 3-9A: Palm Beach Gardens d. Cypress Bay 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-20)
▪ Region 4-8A: St. Thomas Aquinas d. Mater Academy 3-0 (25-11, 25-16, 25-16)
▪ Region 4-7A: South Fork d. St. Brendan 3-0 (30-28, 26-24, 25-20)
▪ Region 4-6A: Merritt Island d. Archbishop McCarthy 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-20, 25-20)
▪ Region 4-5A: Cardinal Gibbons d. Westminster Christian 3-2 (20-25, 25-18, 20-25, 25-16, 15-12): Caitlyn Faber 36 assists, 13 digs, 6 kills, 15 service points, 2 aces, 1 block; Dylan Andrews 12 kills, 12 digs, 11 service points, 6 aces; Aubrey Worley 15 digs, 4 assists, 5 service points, 1 ace; Jeyhlen Thomas - 9 kills, 4 blocks, 1 dig.