Fox, Goldenberg best in Florida in water polo. Plus lacrosse awards, baseball, softball nominees
Senior Dane Fox of Westminster Academy is the winner of the Florida Dairy Farmers 2026 Mr. Water Polo award, and senior Vivian Swain of Seminole High School is Miss Water Polo, after a final round of voting by a statewide panel of FHSAA water polo coaches.
In addition, Michael Goldenberg of St. Thomas Aquinas and Ryan Ackerson of Seminole were named the Boys’ Water Polo Coach of the Year and Girls’ Water Polo Coach of the Year, respectively.
Fox, who was the 2025 Florida Mr. Water Polo award winner, helped his team to a spot in this year’s FHSAA state Final Four with 125 goals, while adding 37 assists and 63 steals. Signed to play college water polo with NCAA Division I University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, he is also a member of the 2026 Boys’ ODP Youth National Team.
Swain helped her team to the FHSAA state championship with 121 goals, while adding 87 assists and 40 steals. The senior attack finished her four-year varsity career with 341 goals, 361 assists and 203 steals.
Goldenberg led his Raiders’ squad to a 26-4 record and the FHSAA boys’ state title. For Goldenberg, it was his seventh appearance in the state championship game since 2012 with two other title-game wins (2013 and 2023).
Ackerson led his girls’ squad to a 31-0 record and its second FHSAA state title in the past three years, after finishing as the state runner-up in 2025. In the past three years, Seminole has posted a 90-2 record with 31-0 seasons in 2024 and 2026.
State lacrosse honors
Senior midfield/attack Nick Testa of Boca Raton St. Andrew’s was selected the 2026 Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Lacrosse, and Ponte Vedra coach Chris Polanski is the 2026 Boys’ Lacrosse Coach of the Year.
Testa helped his squad to a 20-4 record and a FHSAA Class 1A state runner-up finish by scoring 52 goals and adding 100 assists. He completed his 95-game, four-year varsity career with 188 goals and 374 assists. He has signed to play college lacrosse at NCAA Division I Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Polanski led his squad to a 21-2 record and the FHSAA Class 2A state championship by defeating 2025 champion St. Thomas Aquinas 9-8 in a state-title game rematch. In five years at Ponte Vedra, he has posted a 90-23 record, including a 40-6 record the past two years.
Senior midfield Brooke McCoy of Episcopal School of Jacksonville is the 2026 Florida Dairy Farmers Miss Lacrosse.
McCoy scored 67 goals and added 18 assists for her 16-4 squad which advanced to the FHSAA Class 1A Final Four for the fourth time in the past five years. She completed her high school career with 217 goals and posted 78 assists and was selected for the New Balance All-America Senior Game. She will play lacrosse for NCAA Division I Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
First-year head coach Kara Koolage of Ponte Vedra was named the state Girls’ Coach of the Year, after leading her team to a 17-3 record and the FHSAA Class 2A championship, the school’s first girls’ state lacrosse title.
NOTE: The Florida Dairy Farmers Sports Awards program exemplifies Florida Dairy Farmers’ commitment to the state’s youth. This is the 34th year of these unique awards as we honor the state’s top athletes and coaches in FHSAA sanctioned sports. The program also emphasizes to young people the importance of keeping dairy products a primary part of their diet in their overall nutrition plan.
State softball nominees
Nominees in each FHSAA classification for the Florida Dairy Farmers state softball awards were announced:
They include some top local high school softball players and coaches.
They are: 7A: Cheyanne Chaffin, Jr., Western; Eva Zambrano, Sr., Coral Reef; Coach John Bradshaw, Western; Coach Zach Segal, Coral Reef. 6A: Anabella Abdullah, Sr., Doral Academy; Emily Cancio, Sr., Braddock; Coach Phil Schmalz, Cooper City; Coach Willie Viruet, Doral Academy. 5A: Destiny Ortega, Jr., Pembroke Pines Charter; Coach Gaddy Nunez, Pembroke Pines Charter. 4A: Brianna Brenner, Jr., Key West; Valeria Portuondo, Sr., Lourdes; Lyric Rodriguez, Fr., American Heritage Plantation; Coach Sam Banister, American Heritage Plantation; Coach Jason Garcia, Key West. 3A: Lydia Berent, Sr., Cardinal Gibbons; Taylor Rehban, Sr., Somerset Silver Palms Miami; Ava Stevens, Jr., Somerset Silver Palms Miami; Courtney Wahlbrink, Jr., Coral Springs Charter; Coach Emily Estroff, Cardinal Gibbons; Coach Mark Montimurro, Coral Springs Charter; Coach Eugene Rebhan, Somerset Silver Palm Miami. 2A: Kim Danbee, Sr., Florida Christian; Coach Stephen Hager, Florida Christian. 1A: Angelly Benitez, Jr., Schoolhouse Prep; Coach Henry Laurido, Schoolhouse Prep.
State baseball nominees
Nominees in each FHSAA classification for the Florida Dairy Farmers state baseball awards were announced:
They include some top local high school baseball players and coaches.
They are: 7A: Misael Batista, Jr., Barbara Goleman; Ethan Lindor, Sr., West Broward; Gio Rojas, Sr., Stoneman Douglas; Orisjoe Valdes, Sr., Southwest; Coach Todd Fitz-Gerald, Stoneman Douglas; Coach Howard Stein, West Broward. 6A: Jonathan Paniagua, Sr., Southridge; Francisco Rodriguez, Soph., Doral Academy; Nico Sabatino, Sr., St. Thomas Aquinas; Coach Manuel Ojeda, Southridge; Coach Ralph Suarez, Doral Academy; Coach Joey Wardlow, St. Thomas Aquinas. 5A: Robert Kerns, Sr., Archbishop McCarthy; Yodelkis Quevedo, Sr., Mater Academy; Jay Sobrino, Sr., Hialeah; Coach Humberto Bencomo; Coach Mike Fiers, Archbishop McCarthy; Coach Camilo Vazquez. 4A: Christian Lezama, Sr., Mater Lakes Academy; Jon Mora, Sr., Somerset Academy Pembroke Pines; Donovan Thiery, Sr., Key West; Coach Bruce Aven, American Heritage Plantation; Coach Ralph Henriquez, Key West; Coach Ralph Jiron, Mater Lakes Academy; Coach Juan Mora, Somerset Academy Pembroke Pines. 3A: Taylor Anchets, Jr., Miami Springs; Andres Hernandez, Jr., Monsignor Pace; Jack Rostock, Sr., North Broward Prep; Alex Smith, Jr., North Broward Prep; Coach Brian Campbell, North Broward Prep; Coach Corey Estrada, Miami Springs; Coach Charles Lyman, Monsignor Pace; Coach Rey Gonzalez, Gulliver Prep. 2A: Mikey Cuenca, Sr., True North Academy; Trey Hollandsworth, Jr., Westminster Academy; Spencer Krasner, Sr., Chaminade-Madonna; Joshua Martinez, Jr., Palmer Trinity; Coach Jerry Albert, Chaminade-Madonna; Coach Howard Cuervo, Palmer Trinity; Coach Adrian Neto, True North Academy; Coach Dan Rovetto, University School; Coach Jason Stettner, Westminster Academy. 1A: Karl Heron, Jr., Miami Christian; Braeden Seculer, Sr., Highlands Christian; Coach Chris Cuadra, Miami Christian; Coach Pedro Guerra, Brito; Coach Rodney Husey, Highlands Christian; Coach Carlos Rodriguez, Schoolhouse Prep.
Submit sports results
If you have spring and summer sports results (with stats) on high school-aged athletes or middle school-aged athletes -- who are from Broward or Miami-Dade counties -- email hssports@miamiherald.com.
They will run in the newspaper and online. Photos accepted, too. No deadline. You will be alerted when it will appear.
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Compiled by Jim Varsallone
jvarsallone@miamiherald.com
