Top Sarasota sports moments of the year

10 — Sarasota's Adam Bradtmueller wins gold medal in 3,200 meter race

Sarasota then-senior Adam Bradtmueller capped off his high school track and field career with a gold medal in the 3,200 meter run at the May 6 Class 4A state championships.

He ran with the pack for most of the race, before slowly moving up and eventually pulling away in the final 10 meters.

Bradtmueller crossed the finish line at 9:26.39. It was a fitting end for Bradtmiller, the Sailors track and field star who is now running for East Tennessee State University.

9 — Sarasota Crew wins fifth-consecutive title

The Sarasota Crew won its fifth-consecutive title at the Florida Scholastic Rowing Association Sculling Championships on April 16 and 17 at Nathan Benderson Park.

The team won seven gold medals and 16 medals overall during the championships, which featured 34 teams from across the state.

8 — Riverview football gets playoff win since 2004

What a way to get your first postseason victory in over a decade.

The Riverview football team lead Olympia 49-0 at halftime of their Nov. 11 contest, and would go on to win 56-25.

Senior quarterback Mike Welcer ran for 137 yards and sophomore running back Ali Boyce added 88 more. The Rams’ starters played just one possession in the second half, capped by a 40-yard Welcer touchdown scamper.

The Riverview defense forced Olympia quarterback Joe Milton into three interceptions.

The Rams would be eliminated by Dr. Phillips in the next round.

7 — Cardinal Mooney girls soccer wins fourth district title in five years

The Cardinal Mooney girls soccer team beat rival DeSoto County 4-0 on Jan. 14 to capture the Class 2A District 11 championship.

It was the Cougars’ fourth district title in five year, an impressive feat.

Then-junior Skylar Jungers scored two of the Cougars’ goals, and then-sophomore Tatum Weishaar and then-freshman Emily Brusco added an assist.

Cardinal Mooney would fall in the next round to Cape Coral Oasis.

6 —UCI BMX Supercross World Cup comes to Sarasota

Sarasota’s Youth Athletic Complex hosted the 2016 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup on Oct. 8 and 9.

It was a big deal for the county, according to Nicole Rissler, the deputy director of operations with Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources. The BMX track at the complex went through a complete overhaul and the World Cup was the first chance to show it off to the world.

USA BMX bikers Brooke Crain and Corben Sharrah, who competed in the World Cup, both compared the track favorably to the one they rode in Rio de Janeiro at the Olympic Games.

Sharrah ended up winning the men’s division, while Laura Smulders, of the Netherlands, won the women’s division.  

5 — Riverview volleyball wins first district title since 2006

Riverview coach Craig Wolfe had "district champion" T-shirts made for his team prior to its Oct. 20 Class 9A District 6 title match against Newsome. That is how much confidence he had in his team breaking the program’s 10-year title drought.  

It started a bit shaky for the Rams, but Riverview did ultimately win 3-1 and end the drought.

Riverview junior Kayla Walker had 33 assists, and her freshman sister Riah Walker finished with 20 kills.

The Rams would make it all the way to the state semifinals before losing to Oviedo.

4 — Shorthanded Booker baseball team wins first district title since 2004

The Booker baseball team had just 11 players on its roster for much of its season.

That number seemed to be a bit of a recurring theme for Booker.

Those 11 players led the team to the Class 5A District 11 championship, the program’s first since 2004.

The Tornadoes defeated Lakewood 11-2 on April 21 to do it. They had 11 hits in the victory.

Then-senior pitcher Hunter Johnson allowed just three hits in a complete game.

Jake Underhill, the team’s then-senior catcher, had two doubles, and then-junior centerfielder Nick Terzian had two RBI.

Booker would get as far as the Class 5A Region 3 final before losing to Melbourne Central Catholic.

3 — Riverview boys swim team wins third-straight Class 4A state title

The Riverview boys swim team is now officially a dynasty.

The program won its third-straight Class 4A title on Nov. 5.

Seniors Keanan Dols, Austin Katz and Tyler Carmichael and sophomore Brett Riley took first place in the 200-yard medley relay (1:33).

Katz, Riley and juniors Brendan Firlie and Nicholas Hernandez-Tome also took first place in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:05).

Dols took second place in the 100-yard backstroke (50.28) and the 200-yard individual medley (1:49).

As a team, the Rams medaled in eight different events.

2 — Riverview boys basketball reaches state title game for first time ever

The Riverview boys basketball team had its best season ever last winter, culminating in a 64-63 overtime victory over South Miami on Feb. 26 in the Class 8A semifinal round.

Then-junior Brion Whitley led the Rams with 24 points, and then-senior D.J. Bryant had 17.

The Rams’ dream season would come to an end in the state finals, as they fell to Coral Springs. Still, claiming the first-ever championship game appearance in program history is plenty to be proud of, and the Rams are well on their way to matching the feat this season.

1 — Cardinal Mooney's Annie Shaw has unforgettable Senior Night

The top Sarasota sports moment of 2016 does not involve winning a championship, or setting a record, or hosting a major event, or any other reason a moment usually ends up on lists like this one.

Instead, it involves a mother going above and beyond to make sure her daughter didn’t feel alone.

Chris Shaw spent 18 years in the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, working the last eight as a narcotics detective. He was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2005 and fought it for 18 months before passing away on Oct. 3, 2006.

His daughter, Annie Shaw, was a senior volleyball player for Cardinal Mooney. During her final season, she confided in her mother, Laurie Shaw, that she was worried about being the only senior to be walked out without a father on Senior Night, which was scheduled for Oct. 10, seven days after the 10-year anniversary of Chris Shaw’s death. Laurie Shaw was not going to let her daughter feel anything but love.

Laurie Shaw recruited Chris Shaw’s former coworkers at the Sheriff’s Office, many of whom have kept in touch with the family since Chris Shaw’s passing, to surprise Annie Shaw on Senior Night and walk with her. They agreed.

“When I walked out, my mom was like, ‘there’s so many people here for you,’” Shaw said at the time. “I said, ‘Really, like family?’ and she said, ‘Family and a lot of special people.’

“I broke down when I realized what was happening. It was so special, and I’m so grateful for all the people who made this happen. I’m just overwhelmed with love and happiness.”

Cardinal Mooney would go on to beat North Port 3-0.

Some moments are simply bigger than sports. Laurie Shaw’s love for her daughter was one of those moments, and that is why it is No. 1 on our list.