The best athletes from Manatee and Sarasota counties were honored at The Herald-Tribune High School Sports Awards.
Award winners, family and friends gathered at The Ora Ballroom in Sarasota on Tuesday, May 26, as 34 awards were given, honoring male and female athletes in categories such as Player of the Year, Boys and Girls Athlete of the Year, Coach of the Year, Team of the Year and the Courage award. The Herald-Tribune produced the Herald-Tribune High School Sports Award show as part of the USA TODAY Network.
Venice’s Atarah Robinson took home Girls’ Athlete of the Year honors, while Bogdan Zverev won the boys.
Robinson, who was also named the Girls Track & Field Player of the Year on Tuesday, won the 1600 meters, running a 4:46.50, two seconds faster than the second-place finisher at the Class 4A Track & Field State Championships. It was the fastest time in the state this season.
She also placed second in the 800 meters at state. Robinson also ran the state’s fastest time in the mile. The senior is committed to the University of Hawaii, where she’ll attend next fall.
“I’m excited, and I didn’t expect it, especially the second one,” Robinson said. “There are other good players, and I know because I raced one of them that was on the finalists’ lists. I’m excited.”
Zverev, an Alabama signee, finished the season ranked as the No. 1 high school swimmer in Florida per Swimcloud and won individual district, regional, and state championships, both in personal-best times, in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard butterfly.
He also swam legs on the Sailors’ state runner-up 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays.
“I’m feeling very accomplished with myself because it took four years to finally get to this point,” Zverev said. “And the first year of my high school career, I didn’t even make finals. And in my events now, I’m like first in the state and it’s overwhelming. It’s really, really exciting.”
Venice baseball won the Boys’ Team of the Year after playing a national-level schedule, compiling a 32-2 record. The Indians spent time at No. 1 in the national high school polls, including Baseball America, Rivals, Sports Illustrated and Perfect Game. They reached the Class 7A title game for the first time since 2019, falling 2-1 to Stoneman Douglas.
Riverview girls’ swimming took home Girls’ Team of the Year, after the Rams claimed their fifth straight team title. They won five gold medals at the 4A State Championship.
Scott Paravicini, Lakewood Ranch’s head football coach, won the Courage Award. Paravicini was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer that spread to his lymph nodes in January. The Mustangs coach has been battling the disease and the effects of chemotherapy all while still guiding his team through workouts and spring football.
The head coach is also working with his doctor to become a vocal advocate for earlier screenings, helping to prevent colon cancer.
Braden River softball coach Keith Jans was also honored on Tuesday, helping his team to a Class 5A Final Four appearance after only winning four games in 2025.
The Pirates went 23-4, earning district and regional titles with only one senior on the roster and seven new freshmen. Jans said his program is built on belief, which guided the Pirates this season.
“I always say, ‘I don’t want any negative talk,'” Jans said. “I don’t care if you don’t think it out loud, but you’re going to believe that everything we talk about is positive and believing in yourself. Eventually, it’s going to get through. These girls had no problem buying into that.”
Sarasota boys’ basketball coach B.J. Ivey won the boys’ coach of the year honors, leading the Sailors to district and regional titles. He pushed Sarasota to its first Class 7A state title in the program’s 104-year history, where the Sailors fell 53-50 to Miami Columbus. Sarasota finished with a 25-7 record.
“When I ended up taking this job, I was very curious to see does the process work and can it work?” Ivey said. “And at a school like Sarasota that hasn’t been good. But I think last year’s success kind of really validated that the process does work. So, I think if anything, as a coaching staff, we made a decision just to double down on the process and just be even more intentional.”
Award winners
Baseball Player of the Year: Carter Cox, senior, Venice
Boys Basketball Player of the Year: Johnny Lackaff, junior, Sarasota
Girls Basketball Player of the Year: Paisley Binswanger, senior, Sarasota
Beach Volleyball Players of the Year: Kinsey Judge and Ana Villamajor, freshman and sophomore, Venice
Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year: Kevin Gyurka, senior, Out-of-Door Academy
Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year: Madison Muller, sophomore, Riverview
Defensive Football Player of the Year: Asharri Charles, senior, Venice
Offensive Football Player of the Year: Connail Jackson, junior, Cardinal Mooney
Flag Football Player of the Year: Jayna Bowen, junior, Parrish Community
Boys Golfer of the Year: Eddie Gu, junior, Saint Stephen’s
Girls Golfer of the Year: Avery Banfill, junior, Parrish Community
Boys Lacrosse Player of the Year: Easton Miller, sophomore, Manatee
Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year: Gabby Ulrich, sophomore, Cardinal Mooney
Boys Soccer Player of the Year, sponsored by Sarasota Paradise: Louka Coue, senior, Lakewood Ranch
Girls Soccer Player of the Year, sponsored by Sarasota Paradise: Avary Shirley, junior, Lakewood Ranch
Softball Player of the Year: Emmaline Van Beck, junior, Parrish Community
Boys Swimmer of the year: Bogdan Zverev, senior, Sarasota
Girls Swimmer of the Year: Taylor Schwenk, senior, Riverivew
Boys Tennis Player of the Year: Ariston Spanos, junior, Pine View
Girls Tennis Player of the Year: Koreena Hickey, junior, Venice
Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year: Riley Michaud, junior, Parrish Community
Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year: Atarah Robinson, senior, Venice
Volleyball Player of the Year: Tien Murray, senior, Venice
Boys Weightlifterof the Year: Ronin Dangler, senior, Manatee
Girls Weightlifter Player of the Year: Payton Mangay-Ayam, senior, Braden River
Wrestler of the Year: Blake Roulund, senior, Cardinal Mooney
Power Play Award, Presented by Florida Power and Light: Evans Roberts, Parrish Community
Courage Award winner: Scott Paravicini, Lakewood Ranch head football coach
Girls Coach of the Year, sponsored by Sarasota Ford: Keith Jans, Braden River softball
Boys Coach of the Year, sponsored by Sarasota Ford: B.J. Ivey, Sarasota Boys’ Basketball
Boys Team of the Year: Venice Baseball
Girls Team of the Year: Riverview Swim team
Boys Athlete of the Year: Bogdan Zverev, senior, Sarasota
Girls Athlete of the Year: Atarah Robinson, senior, Venice
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota-Manatee Awards: Bogdan Zverev, Atarah Robinson win Athlete of the Year
Reporting by Emma Moon, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
