All-Area Athletes & Teams
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Page 16 www.yoursun.com THE SPRING ATHLETES OF THE YEAR STAFF REPORTS The 2023 spring sports season proved to be wide open and unpredictable across all sports at all schools in the Sun Preps region. Parity seemed to reign, and any team could be any other on any given day. From such an environ- ment, perhaps it is no sur- prise the last team standing from area schools was an unheralded softball team that snuck into the regional playoffs by the skin of their collective teeth but went on to make school history. Lemon Bay's magical run to softball's Class 4A state semifinals put a bow on another remarkable school year for the area schools. Their run was that of a classic Cinderella team that caught fire at the right time. While the Manta softball team closed out the year with a splash, the Manta boys weightlifting squad began the spring post- season with style points, behind strong performanc- es from a trio of lifters – two-time state champion Landon Spanninger, Owen Tannehill and double state champion Alexander Truisi. Charlotte's boys weight- lifting team also had a state champion in Zach Anderson, though its two-year reign as a state champion came to an end with a bump up to Class 3A. As a school, Charlotte's success carried over from a successful winter season as the Tarpon softball team won its first district title in nearly three decades and the beach volleyball team advanced to the state tournament in the sport's second year of existence. Last, but not least, we would be remiss if we didn't mention the con- tinuing dominance of the tennis programs at Venice and Lemon Bay, both of whom were well represent- ed come state tournament time. On to this past spring's players and athletes of the year: BOYS WEIGHTLIFTING ALEXANDER TRUISI LEMON BAY After injuring his shoul- der early on at the state meet, Truisi gritted his way to victories in the Olympic and Traditional. Competing in the 129-pound weight class, Truisi's snatch of 185 out- distanced his competition by 15 pounds. His 225 clean tied for the best in that lift and gave him an Olympic total of 410, 15 pounds better than second place. For good measure, Truisi lapped the field with a 250-pound bench for a Traditional total of 475, good for first place by 35 pounds. Truisi said the challenge for him with the shoulder injury came during the clean-and-jerk. "I was nervous, so I missed my first one and I was a little hesitant," he said. "But I was able to get my second and third. I panicked for a moment, but I knew I had it." As the area's lone double champion at this year's state meet, he was an easy choice for Lifter of the Year. GIRLS TENNIS NIKA DELONG VENICE Venice girls tennis has been on a heck of a run over the past couple of years and Nika DeLong is responsible for a lot of that recent success. After helping lead her team to the 4A state quar- terfinals in 2021, DeLong's effort this past season pushed the Indians all the way to the 4A state finals. For the second consecu- tive year, DeLong has been named the Sun Preps girls tennis Player of the Year. DeLong bounced around a bit within the lineup but stayed consistent through- out this past season. Overall, DeLong went 13-2 in singles matches and 13-1 in doubles matches. At singles, DeLong split time at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, going 6-1 and 7-1 respectively. At doubles, DeLong went 13-1, splitting time with teammates Nicole Ciernak and Christine Wu. With Ciernak graduated, DeLong will be the team's top returner in 2024. Parity reigns as a Cinderella take the stage Upstarts and perennials alike shine during spring SUN FILE PHOTO BY TIM KERN Venice's No. 1 singles player Nika DeLong and the girls' tennis team built on last year's state appearance by reaching the state championship match this season. SEE SPRING, 17A