PrepZone: Joe Lang, Yasmeen Chang nab top honors at SWFL Sports Awards
As the Southwest Florida Sports Awards drew to a close Wednesday evening at Barbara C. Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers, the participants raved about the proceedings.
“It was like a local version of the ESPYs,” Gulf Coast junior Gabrielle Curran said after accepting her volleyball player of the year award. “The people who put this event on did a great job of making us feel special. It’s a night I won’t forget.”
The best athletes in Lee and Collier counties were honored by The News-Press and Naples Daily News, with each sport crowning its top athlete, with voting by area coaches and research by the respective papers' sports staffs.
Community School of Naples senior football player Joe Lang and Gulf Coast sophomore basketball player Yasmeen Chang were the top winners, each bringing home an award for their individual sports and also grabbing overall athlete of the year honors.
“They did a really nice job with this whole production,” Lang said. “It was a really awesome night to be here with all my friends and coaches.”
It was a nice family night for Lang, as his cousin Zach was honored as Collier County’s top baseball player.
“That was so awesome, both being able to get up here and take home awards,” he said.
Keeping with the family theme, Barron Collier junior Allie Sutherland won the softball award, one year after twin sister Tori brought it home.
Allie Sutherland won the award on the strength of an excellent hitting season, and also her ability to play anywhere on the field.
"We'd have girls sick, and I'd have to move around so we wouldn't lose much," she said. "Anything to help the team, I'll do it."
Chang, who averaged just over 20 points a game for a Gulf Coast team that reached the Final Four for the first time in school history, didn’t quite know how to react after receiving the female athlete of the year award.
“This is really surprising,” Chang said. “I did not expect this. It’s crazy. I didn’t know I was going to get this one. I’m speechless.”
Gulf Coast soccer and tennis coach Mark Voorhees was honored as the Naples Daily News coach of the year after guiding the Sharks to a state championship in tennis and a 13-4-2 season in soccer.
“What an awesome night, there was great energy in the room,” Voorhees said. “It was nice to see the area athletes and coaches honored. I’m just proud of the school, look at how many awards we had in all the sports. (Gulf Coast had a county-best seven awards). When it comes down to it, I’m not on the field, I’m not on the court, it’s the players that make it happen, and I love all my tennis players and all my soccer players.”
Ashleigh Baker of First Baptist Academy won the I AM SPORT Award presented by Nike for service to the community.
Southwest Florida Sports Awards
NAPLES DAILY NEWS WINNERS
FALL
Football Offense
Joe Lang
Community School, Senior
Football Defense
Joe Sparacio
First Baptist, Junior
Football Broxson
Jacquez Carter
Lely, Junior
Boys Cross Country
Josh Wagner
Lely, Senior
Girls Cross Country
Jillian Dempsey
Naples, Freshman
Boys Golf
David Morgan
Seacrest, Junior
Girls Golf
Vasy Montague
Gulf Coast, Senior
Boys Swimming
Matthew Limbacher
Naples, Junior
Girls Swimming
Emma Feehery
Community School, Sophomore
Volleyball
Gabrielle Curran
Gulf Coast, Junior
WINTER
Boys Basketball
Trent Buttrick
Community School, Senior
Girls Basketball
Yasmeen Chang
Gulf Coast, Sophomore
Boys Soccer
Ulises Soto
Senior, Immokalee
Girls Soccer
Sierra Rincon
Junior, Barron Collier
Wrestling
Colby Singletary
Palmetto Ridge, Freshman
SPRING
Baseball
Zach Lang
Gulf Coast, Senior
Softball
Allie Sutherland
Barron Collier, Junior
Boys Lacrosse
Connor McGraw
Barron Collier, Senior
Girls Lacrosse
Jaclyn Berry
Barron Collier, Senior
Boys Tennis
David Vilys
Gulf Coast, Junior
Girls Tennis
Viva Laas
Gulf Coast, Junior
Boys Track
Kane Aldrich
Community School, Junior
Girls Track
Laura Liberiste
Lely, Senior
COACH OF THE YEAR
Mark Voorhees
Girls Track/Girls Soccer, Gulf Coast
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
John Scanlon
Swimming
Naples, Senior
I AM SPORT AWARD
Ashleigh Baker
First Baptist Academy, Senior
MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Joe Lang
Football/Baseball/Track
Community School, Senior
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Yasmeen Chang
Basketball
Gulf Coast, Sophomore