Community sports | Monaghan, Derrick give Palmetto its first rowing state title
It was only five years ago that Palmetto bought the first boats for its soon-to-come crew program. On Sunday, the Tigers grabbed their fist state championship.
Colleen Monaghan and Lucy Derrick, PHS' girls varsity double team, claimed the 2015 FSRA state title in Sarasota this weekend, punching their title to the national championship in Camden, N.J., during Memorial Day weekend.
"This is the first time that our program has walked away with a state championship title," said Trish Jackson, the head coach at Manatee County Youth Rowing, "so this is pretty huge for Palmetto High School."
Palmetto is one of three schools with crews that train with Jackson at Manatee County Youth Rowing. Both Manatee and Southeast had teams that finished second at the state championships over the weekend.
Travelball championships
Lakewood Ranch, Braden River and Heritage Harbor were among the hosts of the Suncoast Travelball State Championships this weekend, and a pair of local teams took first place in their divisions.
The 11U Sarasota Vipers, which were playing at Heritage Harbor, toppled Clearwater's Bomb Squad in the championship to take the National division crown. Bradenton's Riverdawgs, who played at Braden River, shut out Brevard Aces Elite, 7-0, in the final to win the 10U American division.
Open-water swim
A 50-year-old Miami native won the first ever Swim Around Lido Key this weekend, completing the seven-mile swim around the key 2:29.37.
Ricardo Valdiva completed the open-water swim in 2:27.47 for the top male solo time. Heather Roka, a former collegiate swimmer and Olympic trial athlete, was the top solo woman, finishing in 2:50.23.
The race also had competitors competing in a relay fashion. Every swimmer in the race was accompanied by a kayaker, who could give his or her swimmer food and water throughout the race. For some teams, the kayaker and swimmer would switch places midway through the race. Madeline Rawls and Katie Taulbee, a pair of 14-year-olds from Tampa, posted the top relay mark with a time of 2:40.38.
David Wilson, prep sports reporter, can be reached at 745-7057 or via email at dwilson@bradenton.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DBWilson2.
This story was originally published April 14, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Community sports | Monaghan, Derrick give Palmetto its first rowing state title."