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.
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Atarah Robinson
School: Venice
Year: Senior
Highlights: Robinson 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 and the fastest time in the state this season. She also placed second in the 800 meters at state. Atarah, who is committed to the University of Hawaii, also ran the state’s fastest time in the outdoor mile.
FIRST TEAM
Naeha Akella
School: Saint Stephen’s Episcopal
Year: Senior
Highlights: Akella was second in the Manatee County meet, third in district, fifth at regional, and seventh at the Class 1A meet in the 3200. She added a second at district, fifth at regional, and a 10th at state in the 1600.
Kiki Bullas
School: Lakewood Ranch
Year: Junior
Highlights: Bullas won Manatee County and district championships in the javelin before placing fifth at the regional and 16th at the Class 4A meet.
Keymani Dillingham
School: Saint Stephen’s Episcopal
Year: Senior
Highlights: It was a gold-filled finale for Dillingham, who won the Class 1A state 100 hurdles in 13.98 seconds and 400 hurdles in 1:00.27. Those were both PRs with her 400 time being ninth best in Florida and 100 time 11th best for the season.
Bianca Grindo
School: Parrish Community
Year: Senior
Highlights: Grindo took seventh in both the shot put and discus at the Class 4A meet. She won district and regional (12.24 meter PR) titles in the shot put and placed second in district and won regional in the discus.
Malia Hambrick
School: North Port
Year: Senior
Highlights: In the 800, she placed second in the district, fifth at regional and 10th at the Class 4A meet in Florida’s 29th fastest time of 2:14.30. She also added a third at district and sixth at regional in the 1600.
Grace Hroncich
School: Cardinal Mooney
Year: Senior
Highlights: Hroncich won the District 2A-10 title, was second in the region, and placed 15th in Class 2A in the pole vault. Her personal record of 3.36 meters was good for 26th overall for the state this season.
McKayla Kvapil
School: Parrish Community
Year: Sophomore
Highlights: She won the District 4A-11 800-meter run, was second at regional, and fifth at the Class 4A meet with a personal record 2:11.92, which was 15th best in the state for the season. She also won the Manatee County 3200 title.
Madison Muller
School: Riverview
Year: Sophomore
Highlights: Muller set a personal record in the 3200 at the Pepsi relays with a 10:24.72, third fastest in Florida, before winning the district title and placing second at regional and the Class 4A state meet. She won the Sarasota County title in the 1600, finishing second at district, fourth at regional, and ninth at state.
Jaida Milburn
School: Saint Stephen’s Episcopal
Year: Junior
Highlights: Milburn took fifth at the Class 1A meet in the high jump after winning the Manatee County title in a personal best 1.57 meters and placing second at the district and regional meets. She also made it to regionals for the 400 hurdles and triple jump.
Alana Price
School: Parrish Community
Year: Junior
Highlights: Price won the Manatee County 100-meter dash, was second in district and regional before placing fifth in Class 4A with a personal record of 11.67 seconds. In the 200, she was second at county and district, fourth at regional, and ninth at state with a PR of 24.31.
Shamari Roundtree
School: Bayshore
Year: Sophomore
Highlights: Roundtree took third in Manatee County in the shot put, won the District 3A-10 title, set a PR of 11.48 meters to take fourth at regionals, and placed 13th at state.
Sanii Shield
School: Bayshore
Year: Junior
Highlights: Shield won the Class 3A 100-meter title after winning the regional crown in a PR and the state’s 10th fastest time of 11.56 and the district title. She won Manatee County and district titles in the 200 before placing second at regional and third in Class 3A with another PR of 23.86, 19th fastest in the state.
Gabriella Smith
School: Saint Stephen’s Episcopal
Year: Sophomore
Highlights: Smith was consistent in the 400-meter hurdles, taking third at district, regional, and in the Class 1A state meet. She won Manatee County titles in the 200- and 400-meter sprints.
Maisy Smith
School: North Port
Year: Junior
Highlights: The pole vaulter won the Sarasota County and District 4A-12 crowns, the latter with a PR of 3 meters, was third at regional, and ninth in Class 4A.
Noelle Tenaglia
School: Riverview
Year: Senior
Highlights: The 800 runner took third at district and sixth at regional before setting a personal record of 2:17.17 to finish 12th at the Class 4A meet. She also took second in Sarasota County in the 400.
SECOND TEAM
Zoe Buller, Out-of-Door Academy
Annabella Cicilioni, Sarasota
Demi Dunbar, Manatee
Alanna Duque, North Port
Jenna Jahn, Lakewood Ranch
Gabrielle Louty, North Port
Jaylyn Mendenhall, North Port
Emma Murray, North Port
Layla Obaseki, Riverview
Alexa Reed, Venice
HONORABLE MENTION
Bradenton Christian: Niya Pierre, Ava Stanley
Cardinal Mooney: Isabel Smithers, Sophia Steele
Lakewood Ranch: Sophia Malbran, Addison Shear, Mackenzie Walker
Manatee: Dallas Dunbar, Athian Early
North Port: Amiah Lafaille, Deja Sanford-Holmes, Kali Williams
Parrish Community: Gamar’Riya Howell
Riverview: Evelyn Saxton
Saint Stephen’s: Olivia Fessler, Mak Owens
Sarasota: Marley Bowen, Jasmine France
Venice: Serena Roberts, Jamie Sweiderk
COACH OF THE YEAR
Nikki McCareins
School: Saint Stephen’s Episcopal
Highlights: McCareins led the Falcons to a second-place finish at the Manatee County Championships with just 11 girls on the roster, took fourth in District 1A-11, fifth in Region 1A-3, and to a fifth-place finish at the Class 1A meet with only five athletes.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: 2026 Herald-Tribune All-Area Girls Track & Field Team, Athlete of the Year
Reporting by Ed Reed, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ed Reed, Sarasota Herald-Tribune | USA TODAY Network
