At the end of each season, The Herald-Tribune selects All-Area teams to honor the best athletes in every sport. Coaches from Sarasota and Manatee County schools are sent nomination forms and are asked to nominate and rate their athletes as well as those from other teams. That data, combined with our research, led to the selection of the All-Area team.
LIFTER OF THE YEAR
Payton Mangay-Ayam
School: Braden River
Year: Senior
Highlights: Mangay-Ayam was a double individual Class 2A champion, taking the 129-pound Traditional state title with a lift of 340 pounds and the Olympic title with a lift of 335 pounds, and helped the Pirates win the Olympic team title. She finished second in the Olympic Top Lifter ratings and third in the Traditional Top Lifter ratings at state. She ends her high school career with 3 silver and 3 gold medals.
FIRST TEAM
Dana Barber
School: Saint Stephen’s Episcopal
Year: Sophomore
Highlights: Barber was fifth in Class 1A 129-pound Olympic with a 260 and won the regional and district titles. She placed ninth in Traditional with a lift of 270 after winning the regional and district titles.
Brooke Decillis
School: Lakewood Ranch
Year: Senior
Highlights: Decillis tied for sixth in Traditional in Class 3A at 129 pounds with a lift of 310 and won the regional and district titles. In Olympic, she was third at regional and second in the district.
Shelly DiLorenzo
School: Cardinal Mooney Catholic
Year: Senior
Highlights: DiLorenzo was seventh in the 119-pound Class 1A Olympic lifts with a total of 270 after winning the regional and district titles. In Traditional lifts, she placed third at regional and second at district.
Emily Dowd
School: Saint Stephen’s Episcopal
Year: Junior
Highlights: Dowd captured gold at the Class 1A weightlifting championships in the 154-pound Traditional lifts with a 360-pound effort and was the Olympic runner-up with a lift of 305. She also swept regional and district championships.
Jeaniya Edwards
School: Braden River
Year: Junior
Highlights: Edwards was the 199-pound Class 2A Olympic runner-up with a lift of 350 and was ninth in Traditional. She was the district and regional Olympic champion.
Taylor Ford
School: Braden River
Year: Senior
Highlights: Ford was third in Olympic in Class 2A at 139 pounds with a lift of 315 while winning the regional title and placing runner-up at district.
Alliana Janeiro
School: Imagine Schools at North Port
Year: Junior
Highlights: Janeiro placed third at 110 pounds in Class A for the Olympic lifts with a 255-pound total and won the district and regional titles. She won the Traditional regional and district titles.
Sherrickia King
School: Manatee
Year: Senior
Highlights: King won the unlimited Class 3A Olympic title with a combined lift of 415 pounds, and set the state record for snatch (185) and total lift, while taking fifth in Traditional with a 395-pound lift. She also swept regional and district crowns.
Ellen Lehman
School: Braden River
Year: Sophomore
Highlights: Lehman was third in Olympic in Class 2A at 129 pounds with a lift of 290. She was the Olympic runner-up at regional and district.
Zoey Morelli
School: Parrish Community
Year: Junior
Highlights: Morelli won the Class 3A 110-pound Olympic title with a lift of 315 pounds and was second in Traditional with a lift of 300 pounds. She was the Region 3A-6 Olympic champ and the Traditional runner-up and swept the district titles.
Sutton Odegard
School: Riverview
Year: Senior
Highlights: Odegard took 10th for Class 3A in 119-pound Olympic lifts with a 260-pound total and won the region and district crowns. She was ninth at state in Traditional lifts with a 275 total and was runner-up at regional and district.
Emily “Alora” Parcells
School: Braden River
Year: Senior
Highlights: Parcells was fourth in class 2A for Olympic at 139 pounds with a lift of 315. She was the regional runner-up and district champion. She placed 10th in 2A for Traditional lifts with a 310 and was the regional and district champion.
Chloe Pogoda
School: Braden River
Year: Senior
Highlights: Pogoda was the Class 2A Olympic runner-up at 183 pounds with a lift of 345 and won the regional and district titles. In Traditional lifts, she was third at district and fifth at regional.
Carley Pomerleau
School: Venice
Year: Senior
Highlights: Pomerleasu was the Class 3A Traditional runner-up at 183 pounds with a lift of 370 pounds and was the regional and district champion.
Alexis Rissler
School: Lakewood Ranch
Year: Senior
Highlights: Rissler was fourth at Class 3A Traditional 183 pounds with a lift of 355 and was the state runner-up for Olympic lifts with a combined 395-pound effort after winning district and regional titles.
Shamari Roundtree
School: Bayshore
Year: Sophomore
Highlights: Roundtree placed fourth in Class 2A unlimited for Olympic with a lift of 335 pounds after winning the district and taking runner-up at regional. She was fifth at state in Traditional with a 365-pound lift.
Viviana Serrano
School: Venice
Year: Senior
Highlights: Serrano was the Class 3A runner-up at 119 pounds with a 330-pound Traditional lift. She won the Region 3A-6 and District 3A-11 titles.
SECOND TEAM
Ava Bennett, Braden River
Estanie Bornelus, Riverview
Hannah Braendel, Manatee
Adalae Caruso, Palmetto
Maya Crawford, Rivreview
Madison Darnell, Palmetto
Lila Dickey, Booker
Juliesha Ferguson, Southeast
Erika Garcia, Braden River
Payton Hirst, Braden River
Gabbie Hotaling, Lakewood Ranch
Grace Hullinger, Bradenton Christian
Elizabeth Lawson, Sarasota
Ulani Lino, Palmetto
Sophia Rosenthal, Palmetto
Emily Smalley, Cardinal Mooney Catholic
Dakota Van Eerdan, Bradenton Christian
Cecelia Velotta, Cardinal Mooney Catholic
HONORABLE MENTION
Bayshore: Alena Walton
Bradenton Christian: Emily Severino, Khloe Tassy
Braden River: Jazmin Ortega, Angelina Nguyen
Imagine Schools at North Port: Emma Cheney, Jen Tarasyuk
Parrish Community: Madeleine Frazzini, Maya White
Riverview: Chloe Catalfino, Hailee Ryan
Saint Stephen’s Episcopal: Makaila Hertzler, Leah Krzysiak
Southeast: Layla Holmbeck, Annabelle Kemper
Venice: Olivia Edwards, Delillah Phillips
COACH OF THE YEAR
Jordan Borges
School: Braden River
Highlights: The Pirates won the Class 2A Olympic State Championship, becoming the first program in Manatee County to do so, and helped guide Payton Mangay-Ayam to two individual state crowns. Braden River also won its third straight regional title and fourth straight district title.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: 2026 Herald-Tribune All-Area Girls Weightlifting Team, Lifter of the Year
Reporting by Ed Reed, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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