Area athletes still generate pride in college

It’s a funny thing, covering high school sports.

We cover athletes extensively for four years, then wave them goodbye and only check in periodically afterward. Then the cycle continues. I wish we could talk to them more often, but the nature of the business makes it difficult.

This is one of those check-ups though, and a necessary one, because area athletes crushed the collegiate scene in 2017-2018.

Two of Lakewood Ranch’s most prolific track and field athletes had strong freshman seasons. John Rivera, at the University of Mississippi, was one of just eight freshmen to qualify for the men’s 800 at the NCAA East Preliminary meet on May 24. Rivera finished 45th overall in 1:51.69, approximately four seconds off winner John Lewis of Clemson University's time of 1:47.81. Rivera also had five top-10 finishes in the event throughout the year, and helped the Rebels’ 4x400 team win the event at the Spec Towns Invitational on April 7 (3:17.33).

On the women’s side, Sophia Falco ended her freshman year at Vanderbilt University with a good showing at the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 11-13, finishing 12th in the long jump (19 feet, 10.75 inches) and 16th in the triple jump (40 feet, 9.5 inches). She also finished 13th in the long jump at the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships on Feb. 24-25 (19 feet, 1.25 inches), and had five top-10, triple jump finishes and eight top-10 long jump finishes throughout the year.

Many area athletes found success on the diamond. Former Braden River softballer Myah Moy, a freshman second baseman at Rutgers University, finished her season hitting .284 with three home runs, 20 RBI and eight stolen bases. Another former Pirate, catcher Sarah Crawford, hit .272 with two home runs and 22 RBI during her freshman season at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

A pair of former Mustangs topped everyone though: Princeton University freshman Mackenzie Meyer and University of Central Florida freshman Denali Schappacher were named to the Ivy League and America East rookie teams, respectively. Meyer hit .326 with seven home runs and 18 RBI, and struck out just five times. Schappacher, who was also named to the America East All-Conference First Team, hit .340 with 12 RBI and nine stolen bases from the leadoff slot.

On the tennis court, The Out-of-Door Academy graduate Maria Ross, a freshman at Boston College, spent the season as the Eagles’ No. 5 singles player and got her first Atlantic Coast Conference win on April 15 against Georgia Tech’s Nami Otsuka, 6-4, 1-6, 1-0 (10-8). The Eagles overall finished 13-11.

Let’s end with perhaps my favorite stat of any area college athlete.

There aren’t many area players on the collegiate gridiron yet, but one, Braden River grad Ryan Neuzil, made his time to shine count. A freshman at Appalachian State University, Neuzil made a midseason switch from center to left guard and entered the starting lineup as a result. It’s sometimes hard to measure the impact of an offensive lineman, but it’s easy in Neuzil’s case. Before he entered the lineup on Nov. 4 against the University of Louisiana-Monroe, the Mountaineers averaged 184 rushing yards per game (eight games). In the five games after, including a 34-0 thumping of the University of Toledo in the Dollar General Bowl on Dec. 23, they averaged 286. He’s what football pundits would call a “road grader,” meaning a savage run blocker. I wouldn’t want to mess with him.

There are dozens more area athletes playing at the Division II and III levels. If I had the space to shout them all, I would. Going through the stat books for these studs has made me realize, once again, how lucky we are to witness all this athletic talent in its infancy. There’s more success to come, too. Some grads, like former Mustangs girls basketball player LaDazhia Williams, were stuck behind prolific seniors this season, and will look to have break-out campaigns in 2018-2019.

Some of these people — and probably a few from this year’s graduating class, too — will make it pro, or represent their country at an international event. You’ll be able to tell the next generations you saw these players in high school, and that’s a pretty cool thing.