East County: Top 5 Moments of 2015

Draft Day 

Third baseman Desmond Lindsay grew up playing baseball, but it wasn’t until he attended The Out-of-Door Academy that he began dreaming of a professional career. 

On June 8, he didn't have to wait long to realize that dream. Lindsay was selected by the New York Mets with the 53rd overall pick in the 2015 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. 

On June 19, Lindsay signed a $1.1 million contract with the Mets, at Citi Field, giving up a full scholarship to the University of North Carolina. He became the first ODA baseball player to have been drafted. 

Lindsay, who has switched to the outfield, reported to Port St. Lucie June 22 to begin his professional career with the Mets in the Gulf Coast League. 

In his first minor league season, Lindsay appeared in 21 games, batting .304 with 21 hits, 11 walks, six RBI and a home run. On Aug. 26, Lindsay was called up to the Class A Brooklyn Cyclones where he appeared in 14 games, finishing with nine hits, seven walks and seven RBI. 

State Champ 

Senior Ryan Walker became the first Braden River High School student to win an individual state swimming championship on Nov. 14. 

In his final meet wearing a Pirates' swim cap, Walker dropped nearly two seconds off his personal best time to win the 100-yard breaststroke in 56.41 seconds at the Class 3A Swimming and Diving State Championships. He also finished sixth in the 100 freestyle. 

Walker followed his state championship performance with an appearance in the 2015 Speedo Winter Junior Championships Dec. 9-12 in Atlanta. 

On Dec. 17, Walker signed a national letter-of-intent to swim for Drury University in Springfield, Mo. 

Golden Girl

After dislocating her ankle and missing her sophomore season, The Out-of-Door Academy’s M’Balia Bangoura returned to form this past spring, winning the Class 1A-District 9 No. 1 singles title and earning an automatic berth in the state tournament. 

Making her first state tournament appearance in three years, Bangoura captured both the individual and overall singles titles at the Class 1A Tennis State Championships April 13-15 in Sanford. 

It was Bangoura’s first state title and ODA’s fifth girls individual state title. 

Following her state championship, Bangoura returned to the court two days later to compete in the Women’s Draw of the Sarasota Open for the first time. 

Bangoura advanced to the finals before falling to IMG Academy’s Fanny Stollar 6-1, 6-3. 

On Nov. 12 , Bangoura, who is ranked No. 11 in Florida and No. 51 in the nation among junior tennis players in the class of 2016, signed a national letter-of-intent to play tennis for the University of Nebraska. 

National Recognition 

Nathan Benderson Park has become a leading venue for hosting events within the rowing community, and in June, the park added its name to the venue circuit for the USRowing Youth National Championships. 

On June 12 through June 14, nearly 1,500 of the top youth rowers across the nation descended on Nathan Benderson Park for the United States’ premiere youth rowing event. 

It was the first time the event was held locally, allowing the Sarasota Crew and Sarasota Scullers to compete in their own backyard on the same course they spend hours training on during the week. 

On the final day of competition, the Crew Men’s youth 8+ took to the water, in the regatta’s premier race, and finished first in the B Final in 6 minutes, 1.073 seconds. 

The USRowing Youth National Championships marked the beginning of a series of international events Nathan Benderson will host over the next couple of years, including the 2016 USRowing Olympic Trials in April. 

Historic Run 

The Lakewood Ranch High girls basketball team put together its best season in school history in 2015 without winning a district championship. 

Led by leading scorer and rebounder LaDazhia Williams, Lakewood cruised past Northeast 62-47 in the Class 7A-Region 3 semifinals Feb. 10 to earn a berth in the regional finals for the first time in school history. 

On Feb. 14, the Lady Mustangs played for the program’s first regional championship, facing Fort Myers for the second time. 

The Lady Mustangs, who beat the Green Wave 58-46 in their first matchup during which Williams scored a career-high 34 points to go along with 17 rebounds, fell just short of a berth in the Final Four with a 55-51 season-ending loss. 

Lakewood's historic run to the regional finals set the tone for the beginning of the 2015-16 season. The Lady Mustangs returned to the court Nov. 10 and have since posted a 12-3 record, and a No. 3 ranking in Class 7A in the most recent Florida Association of Basketball Coaches/Source Hoops state rankings, heading into the second half of the season.