Area's top athletes, teams honored at Sarasota-Manatee-Charlotte Florida Sports Award Show

The Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte High School Sports Awards Show returned as a live show again Wednesday night as it presented 31 total awards to athletes and coaches in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune coverage area.

Award nominees, family and friends, filled the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center in Sarasota. Player of the Year winners were named along with premier award recipients such as the overall Boys and Girls Athlete of the Year, Coach of the Year, Team of the Year, and the Courage and High School Spirit Awards.

The show, which featured 12-time Olympic medalist Dara Torres, was produced with support from Lakewood Ranch and Sarasota Ford and is part of the USA Today High School Sports Awards program, the largest high school sports recognition program in the country. 

Meet the nominees:See all fall nominees for Sarasota, Manatee, and Charlotte High School Sports Awards

Winter nominees:See all winter sports nominees for the Sarasota, Manatee, and Charlotte High School Sports Awards

Spring nominees:See all spring sports nominees for the Sarasota, Manatee, and Charlotte High School Sports Awards

It was a busy spring for Riverview High’s Susan Lowther and a perfect winter for Braden River High’s Jessey Colas who won the Girls and Boys Athlete of the Year Award.

Lowther excelled on both the lacrosse field and on the track. The junior alternated between scoring 112 goals, dished off 56 assists, along with 172 draw controls, 22 takeaways and picked up 35 ground balls. On the track, she finished second in the discus with a personal-best fling of 137 feet, 4 inches and fifth in the shot put with a put of 39-6 ½  at the Class 4A State Meet. 

All this occurred during the spring sports season, when Lowther was named first-team in both girls lacrosse and track and field.

For her efforts, Lowther was named the Herald-Tribune Girls Athlete of the Year.

The junior already has committed to play lacrosse at Ohio State.

“I'm just really honored and humbled," Lowther said after wining the award. "I couldn't have done it without my family and coaches and all my teammates, so I just thank them as well. Next year, hopefully we can win districts. Hopefully make it further than we did last year."

Herald-Tribune Boys Athlete of the Year winner Colas’ success was on the wrestling mat, where he went 71-0 capped by a state championship in the Class 2A 182-pound weight class. 

After a seventh-place finish a year ago at the state meet, Colas defeated Michael McCarthy of Satellite, 5-3, in this year’s 2A 182-pound title bout to cap an undefeated season.

What does it mean to go undefeated?

“I remember freshman year my goal was to be undefeated,” Colas said. “Whatever-and-oh, 50-0, 70-0.”

He had a close bout in the semifinals, winning 6-5 in the final seconds. 

“Being a senior, my last ride,” Colas said. “I’ve been wanting this since I was a freshman.”

It was only the third year Colas has wrestled after not getting much playing time as a freshman football player.

“It's kind of a lot to take in," he said after winning the award. "After hearing my name, I knew that I had worked for it, so it wasn't like a surprise or a shock that I won. This is a different kind of award (from a state title). I'll probably hang it in my room somewhere. I may make a mural, I don't know."

The Venice High volleyball team was named Team of the Year after winning the Class 7A State Championship by defeating Hagerty High in Oviedo, 3-1. This is the sixth state title spanning four decades for Venice High and the first since 2017.

Along those lines, Venice High volleyball coach Brian Wheatley is the overall Coach of the Year. Wheatley, who has been coaching since 1994, guided Venice to its sixth state championship.

In 29 years at the helm, Wheatley has a 699-196 record. 

Wheatley has been voted 12 times as the Sarasota Herald Tribune "Coach of the Year.” He was voted into the Florida High School Hall of Fame in 2018, and the USA Volleyball Florida Region Hall of Fame in 2019. He was named overall Florida Dairy Famers Coach of the Year in Florida in 2022.

Wheatley’s teams have claimed 27 district titles — 21 in a row — 14 regional titles, 13 Final Four berths, and two state runners-up. He is also a member of the USA Volleyball Florida Region Hall of Fame, and is the youngest inductee into the Venice Sports Hall of Fame.

“I'm just so blessed to have so many great people around me," he said after winning the award. "Our players and our parents and my administration, my assistant coaches. They're the best and they've been with me for years. This is definitely a school and community award. It never gets old. I'm just so honored and blessed."

Swimming coaches Andrew Eckhart from Sarasota High and Riverview High's Terri Leap were Coach of the Year finalists.

The other Team of the Year finalists were the Sarasota High boys swimming team and the Riverview High girls swimming team. Both easily won Class 4A State titles. 

Parrish Community High softball team also won a state championship. In only its fourth year, the Bulls defeated Deltona, 5-0, behind the shutout pitching of University of Central Florida commit and Herald-Tribune Softball Player of the Year Isabella “Isa” Vega for the Class 5A State championship.

Parrish Community finished 24-3 under Herald-Tribune Softball Coach of the Year Erin Spivey.

The Courage Award winner is Andrew Feduccia, who was the student athletic trainer for the Riverview High football team.

Back in 2018, 15-year-old Andrew Feduccia expressed a desire to help out the Riverview High football team. His mother, Karen, approached Ram head coach Josh Smithers, who was 100% behind the idea. From that point on, Andrew, born with Down syndrome, became the team’s student athletic trainer.

His responsibilities during practice, as well as home and road games, include putting ice in the coolers, loading the coolers onto a cart, and making sure the player water bottles are full.

Now 20, Andrew wants to keep helping out his beloved Rams for as long as he can.

“It’s one of his greatest joys,” Karen said. “He’s learned the value of being part of a team. It’s given him an opportunity for learning teamwork, and an opportunity for inclusion. That has gone a long way toward building his confidence.”

A new award handed out this season was the School Spirit Award which went to Sarasota High. Sarasota County director of athletics James Slaton accepted the award for the Sailors.

Herald-Tribune High School Sports Award winners:

Baseball: Jack Hobson, The Out-of-Door Academy

Boys Basketball: Jason Jackson, Riverview High School

Girls Basketball: Olivia Davis, Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School

Beach Volleyball: Helena Hebda, Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School

Boys Cross Country: Alec Miller, Sarasota High School

Girls Gross Country: Addison Dempsey, Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School

Defensive Football: Damon Wilson, Venice High School

Offensive Football: Brooks Bentley, Venice High School

Boys Golf: Aksel Moe, Riverview High School

Girls Golf: Lauren Hosier, Lakewood Ranch High School

Boys Lacrosse: Sean Laureano, Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School

Girls Lacrosse: Sienna Cassella, Saint Stephen's Episcopal School

Boys Soccer: Aquiles Gonzalez, Saint Stephen's Episcopal School

Girls Soccer: Hayden Lepley, Parrish Community High School

Softball: Isabella Vega, Parrish Community High School

Boys Swimming & Diving: Liam Heary, Sarasota High School

Girls Swimming & Diving: Gracie Weyant, Riverview High School

Boys Tennis: Max Pettingell, Saint Stephen's Episcopal School

Girls Tennis: Nicole Cierniak, Venice High School

Boys Track and Field: Caleb Bradley, Sarasota High School

Girls Track and Field: Malia Hambrick, North Port High School

Volleyball: Jordyn Byrd, Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School

Boys Weightlifting: Alexander Truisi, Lemon Bay High School

Girls Weightlifting: Madison Atwood, Imagine School of North Port

Wrestling: Jessey Colas, Braden River High School

Team of the Year: Venice High School Volleyball Team

Coach of the Year: Brian Wheatley, Venice High School

Courage Award: Andrew Feduccia, Riverview High School

High School Spirit Award: Sarasota High School

Boys Athlete of the Year: Jessey Colas, Braden River High School

Girls Athlete of the Year: Susan Lowther, Riverview High School