Sarasota summer sports news you may have missed

With the official arrival of summer on June 20 came a national heat wave.

Here in Florida, we're used to the heat. 

Not only is the sun out in full force, but so is our sports news. Even though sports competitions are fewer and farther between in the summer, there's always things to discuss. 

Here's three items of note that you may have missed regarding local athletes: 

Ilardi comes up short in Paris Olympics qualification

Based on the rest of his qualification performances, Sarasota skateboarder Jake Ilardi would have needed a massive showing at the final Olympic Qualifier Series event in Budapest, Hungary, held June 20-23, to make the U.S. roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics next month. 

Ilardi, who represented the U.S. at the 2020 Tokyo games, entered the Hungary event as the sixth-ranked American skater in the men's street event; the top-three skaters at the end of qualifying would head to Paris. There was a chance, as the event counted for one-third of the total qualification points, and Ilardi did indeed perform better than he has at other events in this run, finishing with the second-best American performance. 

Ultimately, it was not enough. Ilardi reached the event's semifinals but finished 12th in them, missing the cut for the finals, where the most points could have been made up. His performance did bump him to fifth in the men's street event, but it will not be enough to send him to Paris. The Americans in the event will be Jagger Eaton, Nyjah Houston and Chris Joslin. 

While this result is disappointing for Ilardi, Sarasota will still be well-represented at the Olympics next month. Swimmer Emma Weyant just qualified for her second Olympics in the women's 400-meter individual medley over the weekend. Rifle shooter Mary Tucker has been qualified for the games in the Women's Air Rifle and Smallbore Rifle since January. Both Weyant and Tucker won silver medals at the Tokyo games. Rower Clark Dean also qualified for his second Olympics, even if he feels like it will spiritually be his first; Dean will row in the U.S. men's eight. 

Throw in Sarasota Crew Head Coach Casey Galvanek coaching with the U.S. men's rowing team, and Sarasota Sharks Head Coach Brent Arckey coaching with the Canadian women's swim team — alongside Canadian star Summer McIntosh, who is not from the area but trains with the Sharks — and Sarasota will be in line for plenty of recognition in Paris. 

Cardinal Mooney's McCorkle opens his recruitment

Courtesy image

As recently as June 7, Cardinal Mooney High rising senior cornerback Chris McCorkle was keen on the idea of joining the Indiana University football program. 

McCorkle had committed to the Hoosiers in April, and he had kind words to say about the job new Hoosiers Head Coach Curt Cignetti has done in a short amount of time when he spoke with the Observer earlier this month. 

Now, it appears McCorkle believes there may be a better fit for his services elsewhere. 

McCorkle posted a note on social media June 16 announcing his decommitment from Indiana and the reopening of his recruitment. The announcement came the same day McCorkle posted pictures and videos from a trip to Michigan State University. That may or may not be a coincidence, but it is worth nothing that former Riverview High wide receiver Jaron Glover and former Riverview/Venice High defensive back Charles Brantley play for the Spartans, so the school has connections to the area. 

McCorkle will have no shortage of suitors. According to 247Sports, the three-star recruit has 30 offers. The 6-foot-1 McCorkle is the No. 50 cornerback in the national class of 2025 according to the 247Sports Composite. 

Sailors alum Brown struggles at AA-level Richmond

Former Sarasota High baseball outfielder Vaun Brown turned a lot of heads when he burst onto the minor league scene in 2022. 

Drafted in the 10th round by the San Francisco Giants organization out of Florida Southern College in 2021, Brown hit .346 with a 1.060 OPS in 2022, moving up the ladder to the AA-level Richmond Flying Squirrels by the end of the season. His dominance put him on a host of Giants top prospect lists and experts projected his MLB arrival to be some time in 2024. 

Courtesy image

Two years later, Brown is still in AA ball, and his struggle to hit that level of pitching is becoming hard to ignore. This season, Brown is hitting .120 with a .425 OPS. He also had a case of the flu in May that caused him to lose so much weight, the team placed him on the injured list. 

Earlier this month, the Giants decided to hit the reset button. The team placed Brown on the development list. Each team uses the development list differently, but the result is the same: players on the list do their daily training away from their assigned teams, and can't play in games until coming off the list. Often, this is used to give pitchers rest at the end of seasons, or to rework their grip on a specific pitch away from the pressures of game scenarios. 

With hitters, it is less clear. Maybe the Giants want to tinker with Brown's swing, or maybe they wanted to give him a mental reset. Teams don't have to release an official reason, nor is there a timeframe for players to stay on the list. 

It's not where Brown wanted to be, but if it helps him regain his 2022 form, it will be worth the effort. But the clock is ticking: At 26, Brown is one of the team's oldest prospects, and they won't wait forever for him to figure it out. Here's hoping the rest of his 2024 turns things around, and he can fulfill the tantalizing promise his bat has shown in the past.

This story has been updated to include the name of Sarasota Sharks Head Coach Brent Arckey.