Wrestler Michael Mocco of Cardinal Gibbons qualified for U.S. U17 team. Plus baseball, tennis
Cardinal Gibbons wrestler Michael Mocco of ATT/Mocco Wrestling Academy qualified for the U.S. U17 national team by winning U17 freestyle nationals at 215 pounds during the Pritchard Companies U.S. Open at the South Point Arena in Las Vegas.
Mocco defeated Ryder Vincent of Juab Wrestling Club 10-0 in the Round of 16. He beat James Bechter of MVKWA Patriot Wrestling Club 11-0 in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, Mocco defeated Jacob Levy of Tar Heel Wrestling Club 11-3. He won the championship and qualified for worlds by beating Dean Bechtold of Steller Trained Wrestling 13-0 and 12-10.
Mocco, a Parkland resident, will represent the U.S. national team at the U17 World Championships in Amman, Jordan from August 19-25.
This will be his first international tournament.
Mocco, a junior in the Fall, is a two-time FHSAA state champion at Cardinal Gibbons and a third place finisher (his 8th grade year at Coral Springs Charter). He also won the U16 freestyle and Greco Roman national championships last year.
Younger brother, Peter, won an FHSAA state title this past season as an eighth grader at 190 pounds, going 17-0 for Coral Springs Charter. He was recognized by the City of Coral Springs during a city commisssion meeting at City Hall.
Both were named Miami Herald All-Broward first team in wrestling. Michael Mocco is a two-time first team selection.
College signings
Three more Archbishop McCarthy student athletes signed letters of intent to continue their athletic careers in college.
They are: Arhunsito Volmar (NAIA St. Thomas University/Miami Gardens) Track
Amari Lewis (NCAA Division III Wesleyan University/Middletown, Connecticut) Wrestling.
Amir Fairweather (NCAA Division II Lincoln University/Jefferson City, Missouri) Football.
Tennis
Tennis player Michelle Flyam of Hallandale Beach recently won the girls’ 14s title at the prestigious USTA Florida Bobby Curtis Junior State Championships for 14s and 12s.
Flyam, the top seed, dominated her first three matches, dropping just four games in six sets. In the quarterfinals, she won 6-1, 6-2. In the semifinal, she defeated Audrey Dussault (Kissimmee) 6-4, 6-2 to reach the finals, where she beat Melanie Constandache (Coconut Creek) 6-3, 6-2 for the title.
%201st%20Michelle%20Flyam%20(Right)%20Bobby%20Curtis%20G%2014s%20June%202024.jpg "Melanie Constandache 2nd (Left) 1st Michelle Flyam (Right) Bobby Curtis G 14s June 2024.jpg")
Paul Bower of Coral Springs was runner-up in boys’ 14s.
In his first three matches, he didn’t lose a set, winning 36 of 48 games. In the quarterfinals, Elliott Awomoyi (Pembroke Pines) gave him a battle. Awomoyi easily won the first set 6-1. Bower recovered to take a close set 2 at 6-4, forcing a 10-point tiebreaker. He won 10-5 to advance and then beat Satvik Santosh (Orlando) in the semifinals 6-1, 6-4. Top seed Mikaeel Alibaig (Boca Raton) won the title 7-5, 6-3.
%201st%20Mikaeel%20Alibaig%20(Right)%20USTA%20Bobby%20Curtis%20B%2014s%20June%202024.jpg "Paul Bower 2nd (Left) 1st Mikaeel Alibaig (Right) USTA Bobby Curtis B 14s June 2024.jpg")
Competitors from throughout the state competed in the annual five-day event at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona.
GIRLS: 14s: Champion: Michelle Flyam (Hallandale Beach). Runner-up: Melanie Constandache (Coconut Creek). Third Place: Braylen Michelsen (Fort Myers). Fourth Place: Audrey Dussault (Kissimmee). Fifth Place: Anastasiya Muravia (Boynton Beach). Sixth Place: Charlotte Ballarin (Boca Raton). Consolation Winner: Adriana Khomyakova (Port St. Lucie).
BOYS: 14s: Champion: Mikaeel Alibaig (Boca Raton). Runner-up: Paul Bower (Coral Springs). Third Place: Satvik Santosh (Orlando). Fourth Place: William Vainionpaa (Orlando). Fifth Place: Juan Benito (Weston). Sixth Place: Elliott Awomoyi (Pembroke Pines). Consolation Winner: Dylan Remedios (Miami).
GIRLS: 12s: Champion: Christina Li (Bradenton). Runner-up: Violeta Pisarczyk (Sunrise). Third Place: Adelina Iftime (Orlando). Fourth Place: Alsia Shifrin (Boca Raton). Fifth Place: Isla Amos (Melbourne). Sixth Place: Aimee Peng (Bradenton). Consolation Winner: Arianne James (Sunrise).
BOYS: 12s: Champion: Elias Harris (Pembroke Pines). Runner-up: Dmitriy Flyam (Hallandale Beach). Third Place: David Bender (Indian Harbour Beach). Fourth Place: Selwyn Olufemi-Owoeye (Boca Raton). Fifth Place: Michael Rybak (Palm Coast). Sixth Place: Oliver Zinaja (Bradenton). Consolation Winner: Tajesh Reddy Bomma (Wesley Chapel).
Baseball
Outfielder Jacob Gaynor, a 2024 Miami Beach High School grad, was a Miami Herald All-Dade second team selection in baseball.
He not only excelled on the field but also off it. His cumulative grade point average 5.320 (weighted) and 4.000 (unweighted).
Back to the field, Gaynor is spending the summer competing for the Blackjacks, an 18U Perfect Game team. He made a game-saving, diving catch in deep left centerfield and then reached base, stole second and third and scored the winner sliding under the tag at home as the Blackjacks edged Baseline Gray 3-2.
For the Fall school term, he will travel to Iowa to join the NCAA Division III Grinnell College baseball team.
Submit summer sports info
If you have summer sports results with local top performers (with stats) for high school or middle school-aged athletes in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, 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.
New athletic directors, coaches
For high schools in Broward and Miami-Dade, if you have new sports administration and/or coaching hires to announce, email hssports@miamiherald.com.
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Roundup compiled by Jim Varsallone
jvarsallone@miamiherald.com
