Doral Academy and Gulliver Prep excel at volleyball events. Plus BCAA golf and more
The Doral Academy girls’ volleyball team placed second at the Battle of the Beach Tournament at Venice High School.
The Firebirds went 4-1, including victories over some top competition, i.e. 2022 FHSAA 7A state champ Venice and 2022 North Carolina state champ McMichael.
For the tournament, Melissa Gonzalez had 127 assists, 7 kills, 9 digs, 3 blocks and 7 aces. Ainhoa Molleja totaled 40 kills, 4 blocks, 8 digs and 7 aces. Erin McMullen had 34 kills and 13 blocks, and Angelin Vazquez added 39 digs, 114 receptions and 6 aces.
Doral improved to 15-5.
Doral d. Venice 2-0; Doral d. McMichael (North Carolina) 2-0; Doral d. Ponte Vedra 2-0.
Gold Bracket Semifinal: Doral d. Gainesville 2-1.
Gold Bracket Championship: Lake Highland Prep d. Doral 2-1.
More volleyball
What a time for the Gulliver Prep volleyball team.
The Raiders (21-3) won the Bishop Moore Swing for a Cure Volleyball Tournament in Orlando. They went 5-0 in the two-day event.
Gulliver Prep d. Fort Pierce Central 25-19, 25-25, 15-10: Jackie Taylor 15 kills, 4 blocks; Hailey Brenner 8 kills; Kate Welty 6 kills; Julia Rose Rivera 5 kills; Maya Pace 27 assists; Sophia Wong 16 digs.
Gulliver Prep d. Holy Trinity (Melbourne) 25-21, 25-19: Jackie Taylor 8 kills; Julia Rose Rivera 6 kills; Kate Welty 4 kills; Maya Pace 13 assists; Ana Garcia 9 assists; Hailey Brenner 4 aces, 9 digs; Sophia Wong 3 aces, 4 digs.
Gulliver Prep d. Leon (Tallahassee) 25-13, 29-27: Jackie Taylor 11 kills, 4 blocks; Julia Rose Rivera 7 kills; Hailey Brenner 5 kills, 4 aces, 9 digs; Kate Welty 4 kills; Maya Pace 26 assists, 2 aces; Sophia Wong 12 digs.
Semifinal: Gulliver Prep d. Middleburg 25-17, 25-20: Jackie Taylor 19 kills; Julia Rose Rivera 7 kills; Maya Pace 24 assists; Sophia Wong 8 digs; Carolina Alfonso 8 digs; Catalina Palazio 4 aces, 6 digs.
Championship: Gulliver Prep d. Bishop Moore (Orlando) 25-21, 25-21: Jackie Taylor 12 kills; Julia Rose Rivera 10 kills, 6 blocks; Maya Pace 21 assists, 3 aces, 10 digs, 3 blocks; Sophia Wong 14 digs; Micaela Navarro 5 blocks; Hailey Brenner 7 digs, 2 aces. Carolina Alfonso 7 digs, 1 ace.
Prior, Gulliver Prep defeated host Pine Crest in straight sets to win the Palm League Championship for the second consecutive season. The Raiders also beat St. Brendan in four sets in regular season play and placed third at the C-M Cares Volleyball Invitational in Hollywood.
Palm League Championship: Gulliver Prep d. Pine Crest 25-23, 29-27, 26-24: Jackie Taylor 23 kills, 6 blocks; Hailey Brenner 7 kills, 12 digs, 3 aces; Julia Rose Rivera 6 kills, 5 blocks; Sophia Wong 15 digs, 7 assists; Maya Pace 41 assists, 5 blocks, 7 digs; Catalina Palazio 10 digs. GP (15-3).
Gulliver Prep d. St. Brendan 25-11, 25-22, 24-26, 25-19: Jackie Taylor 19 kills, 9 blocks; Julia Rose Rivera 12 kills; Hailey Brenner 11 kills, 12 digs, 3 aces; Sophia Wong 22 digs; Maya Pace 40 assists, 12 digs, 3 blocks; Catalina Palazio 6 aces, 7 digs, Carolina Alfonso 3 aces, 10 digs. GP (16-3).
Cross-country
The Belen Jesuit boys’ cross-country team traveled to Cary, North Carolina for the Great American Cross-Country Festival at Wakemed Park.
The long trip was well worth it.
Belen earned the boys’ title, scoring 65 points in a field of 44 teams. It marked the first time in the event’s 24-year history that the Wolverines finished first.
This is one of the largest meets in the country with more than 4,000 athletes competing in a two-day running festival.
Belen ran this meet to help prepare for the Nike Cross-Country Southeast Regional Championships, which will be at the same venue in November.
Belen broke the team time average meet record, clocking 15 minutes 14 seconds. Belen’s Marcelo Mantecon led the team with a third place finish in 14:48 in this 5K (3.1 miles), marking his fastest time of his career and the fastest ever for a freshman.
Senior teammate Joshua Ruiz was 11th of 375 runners in a 14:59, making the third time he broke the 15-minute barrier this season. Joshua was followed by his two brothers, Joseph and Justin, in third and fourth, respectively for Belen. Senior Evan Torres rounded out as the team’s fifth runner in a personal best 15:34.
The race times by Mantecon and Torres helped lower the team’s overall U.S. leading season best average to 15:09.
Senior Noah Valyo of Athens Drive (Raleigh, North Carolina) won the race in 14:42.60. Junior Tommy Latham of Marist (Brookhaven, Georgia) was second in 14:44.70.
Columbus was 12th in the team standings with 418 points. Senior Alejandro Romagosa was 26th overall in 15:29.80, and senior teammate Mario Sueiras was 97th in 16:17.40.
Belen will compete in Stuart at the Fleet Feet Invitational on Oct. 21.
Golf
St. Thomas Aquinas won the BCAA Damien Huttenhoff Girls’ Golf Championship at Coral Springs Country Club. Stoneman Douglas was 14 strokes back for runner-up honors.
BCAA Damien Huttenhoff Girls’ Golf Championship at Coral Springs Country Club (18 holes, par 71): 1. St. Thomas Aquinas 324; 2. Stoneman Douglas 338; 3. Cardinal Gibbons 354; 4. Cypress Bay 400. CG: Sofia Ehret 85; Elizabeth Smith 88; Kate Mackie 89; Fiona Manelas 92; Lily O’Connor 118.
More golf
BOYS: Florida Christian 150, Ransom Everglades 153, MAST Academy 159 at Crandon Park at Key Biscayne (par 35): Medalist Kalani Centeno (FC) 35; Hugo Stenstrom (RE) 36; Kevin Corzo (FC), Matteo Bloom (RE), Eros Razuri-Hoyos (FC) and Cipriano Montoya (MA) 38; Borja Friend (MA), Nick Viana (RE) and Matthew Hernandez (FC) 39.
Football
True North 34, St. Brendan 15: The Titans took a commanding lead, scoring the first four touchdowns to lead 28-0 in the 3rd quarter.
QB Zac Katz (Fr) 20-of-23 passing, 302 yds, 1 TD, 3 car, 27 yds; Jonathan Bueno Jr. (Fr) 8 car, 58 yds, 2 TDs, 4 rec, 42 yds, 125 all-purpose yds; Jasen ‘J-Roc’ Lopez (So) 6 rec, 127 yds; 2 car, 47 yds, 2 TDs; Reed Ramirez (Sr) 2 rec, 64 yds, TD; Josh Reyes (Sr) 5 rec, 74 yds; Micheal Solomon (Sr) 11 tkls, 1 1/2 sacks (-8 yds); George Harris Jr. (Fr) 12 tkls; Ben Bileca (Sr) 11 tkls, 1 sack; Steven Moore (8th) 8 tkls, 2 pressures; Stephen McCloud (Sr) 8 tkls, 2 pressures; Camaul King (Fr) 5 tkls, 3 pass def; Andrew Rodriguez (So) 3 tkls, 4 pass def. TN (6-0), StB (5-2).
The Titans play undefeated Bradford (Starke) on Friday at 3:30 p.m. at Tropical Park.
Swimming
GIRLS: St. Brendan 72, Hialeah Gardens 67: StB: Isabella Salazar 1st in 100 back.
BOYS: Columbus 90, Hialeah Gardens 40, St. Brendan 32: StB: Andriy Huertas 1st in 200 IM; Richard Navarro 1st in 100 free.
Submit sports info
For high schools in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, if you have varsity results and top performers (with stats), email hssports@miamiherald.com.
They will run in the newspaper and online. Photos accepted, too. No deadline. Send after the game, the next day or weekly. You will be alerted when it will appear in the newspaper and online.
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Roundup compiled by Jim Varsallone
jvarsallone@miamiherald.com
This story was originally published October 12, 2023 at 12:10 AM.
