Meet the 40 Lee County seniors selected by the 36th Annual Rotary Scholar Athlete program
For each of the past 36 years, the Rotary South Scholar Awards has honored 40 seniors nominated by Lee County high schools for their academic and athletic accomplishments.
The organization set a record in awarding scholarship money, awarding $29,000 to athletes from 20 high schools. Last year, it was $22,000.
Three $5,000 winners were named: Riverdale's Brayden Hipp, South Fort Myers' Jahlenn Huffman, and Dunbar's Demetrie Morgan. There were 14 additional $1,000 Rotary Service Above Self Scholarship winners as well.
Here are the 40 Rotary South Scholar Athletes from the 2021-22 academic year:
Dekarai Allen
School: Island Coast
GPA: 4.28
College: Allan Hancock
Highlights: Allen was a multi-sport athlete at Island Coast, playing football, basketball, as well as track and field. He was solid in the classroom, finishing with a 4.28 GPA. Allen took part in the Global Ambassadors at Coast, while also serving in the National Honor Society. Allen has hopes of going to college for business management and will receive his culinary arts degree upon finishing his bachelor's, and wants to open a pastry shop.
2021: Meet the 40 Lee County seniors selected by the 35th Annual Rotary Scholar Athlete program
2020: Rotary Club names North's Emily Hauser and Riverdale's Jesse Martinez top scholar-athletes
Olivia Bentley
School: Ida Baker
GPA: 5.27
College: Florida
Highlights: Bentley was a four-year varsity soccer player for the Bulldogs, serving as the team's captain. She was Ida Baker's valedictorian and earned her AA as a senior in high school through dual enrollment. Bentley served 500 hours of community service at the Cape Coral Animal Shelter. Her future goals are to own a dental office, with hopes of obtaining a dental doctorate within the next 6-8 years.
Jacob Bilancione
School: Cape Coral
GPA: 3.2
College: Thomas University
Highlights: Bilancione swam for Cape Coral for four years, serving as a team captain. He also qualified for the state meet in three seasons. Bilancione racked up over 350 community service hours and hopes to swim in college and complete his bachelor's degree in sports science or criminal justice.
Marina Bunyatova
School: Gateway Charter
GPA: 4.24
College: FGCU
Highlights: Bunyatova was a three-sport athlete at Gateway Charter, partaking in tennis, volleyball, and cheerleading. She was the MVP on the tennis team as a junior and senior. She plans on starting at FGCU, where she'll study computer information systems, before going to Florida and studying chemical engineering.
Will Cajuste
School: Estero
GPA: 4.5
College: FSW
Highlights: Cajuste was a member of the Estero football team that won its first district title in 20 years. He also played basketball as a freshman and sophomore. Cajuste finished with a 4.50 weighted GPA and received his AICE Diploma. After high school, he'll look to give children an equal opportunity with hopes of making a major impact in society.
Lydia Coggins
School: SFCA
GPA: 3.86
College: Warner
Highlights: Coggins was busy during her time at SFCA, playing volleyball, soccer, and softball. In the classroom, she was the yearbook editor as a sophomore, junior, and senior, and on the principal's list as a junior and senior. In the community, Coggins was a bible school leader as a freshman and sophomore, as well as a club volleyball assist as a sophomore and junior.
Viktoria Fahnemann
School: Oasis
GPA: 5.50
College: Georgia Tech
Highlights: Fahnemann was the top scholar in her class, ranking first out of 140 students with a 5.50 weighted GPA. She played soccer, track and field, as well as cross country for the Sharks. In the community, she was an assistant soccer coach, as well as a volunteer at Kiwanis. She'll head to Atlanta and study at Georgia Tech, to pursue a bachelor's degree in applied mathematics.
Rowen Fricke
School: Riverdale
GPA: 5.3
College: Florida
Highlights: Fricke was a three-sport athlete with the Raiders, playing soccer, cross country, and track and field. He was a part of the Raiders team this season on the pitch that won 15 games, the most in program history. He wrote letters for first responders with his church as a junior. Fricke looks to work in the film editing industry.
Gina Garcia
School: Lehigh
GPA: 5.32
College: FIU
Highlights: Garcia played volleyball for the Lightning, serving as a four-year varsity letterman while also being a team captain as a junior and senior. She worked with Read Across America at three different schools: Sunshine Elementary, Tortuga Preserve Elementary, and Manatee Elementary. She intends to go to school at Florida International to study medicine.
Kendal Gargiula
School: Bishop Verot
GPA: 3.73
College: FGCU
Highlights: Gargiula was dominant on the soccer field for the Vikings throughout her four-year career, totaling 89 goals and 49 assists, including 33 goals and 20 assists as a senior. Gargiula is signed with FGCU for women's soccer, where she hopes to become an impact player while studying construction management.
Natalie Handzlik
School: Cape Coral
GPA: 4.54
College: FSW
Highlights: The two-year captain of the girls' swim team, Handzlik was a four-year varsity letter winner at Cape. In all four years, she qualified for the state meet and medaled. She racked up over 150 service hours, serving as a Swim Florida volunteer coach, as well as a volunteer at the Cape Coral Hospital. After FSW, she intends to transfer to FGCU to major in biology to protect sea life in the future.
Brayden Hipp
School: Riverdale
GPA: 4.92
College: Tulsa
Highlights: Hipp was a Southwest Florida Volleyball Player of the Year finalist in 2021 after finishing with 859 assists as a senior and 2,350 for her career. A Tulsa signee, Hipp aims to major in biology, while also going to vet school in hopes of being a veterinarian. Hipp also was a two-year varsity weightlifter and a three-year tennis player with the Raiders.
MacKenzie Holappa
School: Bonita Springs
GPA: 4.85
College: FGCU
Highlights: Holappa played three sports (volleyball, weightlifting, softball) during her tenure at Bonita Springs. A dual-enrollment student, she made the Dean's List at FGCU, while graduating in the top 15 percent of her class. In college, Holappa intends on pursuing nursing.
Michelle Horan
School: North Fort Myers
GPA: 5.52
College: FAU
Highlights: A Southwest Florida Girls Soccer Player of the Year finalist in 2022, Horan netted 23 goals and 22 assists while finishing with 77 goals and 80 assists at North Fort Myers over four seasons. Horan hopes to receive a degree in business and marketing at FAU, where she'll play soccer on scholarship, as well as eventually play for the Irish National Team.
Jahlenn Huffman
School: South Fort Myers
GPA: 3.7
College: Alderson Broaddus
Highlights: Huffman played football and basketball for South Fort Myers, scoring Defensive Player of the Year honors from the Wolfpack on the court as a junior. In the community, he worked with Citygate Ministries, Crossover Community Outreach, and the Stars Complex. He hopes to major in sports management while becoming the first in his family to graduate from college.
Caden Jakacki
School: Mariner
GPA: 4.93
College: Navy
Highlights: Jakacki was a cross country runner, a wrestler, and a track and field athlete. Jakacki was also the team captain for two years on the wrestling and cross country teams. He compiled over 100 service hours by working the concession stands and partaking in school clean-ups every Wednesday throughout the year. Jakacki will enlist in the Naval Academy and serve as a Cyber Operations Officer.
Ethan Javedan
School: Canterbury
GPA: 4.85
College: Rice
Highlights: Javedan was a state champion for the Canterbury boys soccer team as a junior, while also winning four district championships. In his four years of high school, Javedan finished with 542 hours of community service. He also was a recipient of the Yale Book Award as a junior and senior. At Rice, he hopes to pursue a degree in an engineering field.
Lance Kammerlocher
School: Cypress Lake
GPA: 4.42
College: Oklahoma
Highlights: Kammerlocher was a standout on the baseball team while partaking in unified basketball from 2019-22. In the classroom, he was a part of the "Be A Buddy" program. Kammerlocher stayed on campus some nights until 7 p.m. working with unified athletes on the court. He hopes of being an architect or an athletic trainer at Oklahoma.
Ryan Kinney
School: Ida Baker
GPA: 4.40
College: FGCU
Highlights: Kinney was usually running, competing in cross country as well as track and field. In 2018, he was the Cross Country MVP while receiving the Track and Field Coaches Award in 2021. He was a part of the Young Life Youth Group for all four years. He will continue his cross country career at FGCU in the fall.
Heidi Kinsey
School: Fort Myers
GPA: 5.52
College: UCLA
Highlights: Kinsey was a three-year varsity player on the girls' golf team, where she improved her game and individual score every year. She also was a member of the weightlifting team as well as the starting goalie for the girls' lacrosse team. In the community, Kinsey collected food and supplies for the Gulf Coast Humane Society, as well as a counselor for the Sanibel Sea School. She'll attend college at UCLA with an environment-related major.
Samantha Lapkin
School: Island Coast
GPA: 4.0
College: Ave Maria
Highlights: Lapkin played softball for the Gators for all four seasons, receiving the team MVP award as a junior. She was a dual-enrollee at FSW, and also served as a tutor as a sophomore and junior. Since middle school, she was a Torah reader at Temple Beth El. She is committed to play softball at Ave Maria, where she'll hope to become a registered nurse.
Evan Meyer
School: Lehigh
GPA: 4.98
College: FSU
Highlights: Meyer was a finalist for the Southwest Florida Cross Country Runner of the Year in 2020-21. He owns school records at Lehigh in the 4x400, 4x800, 1500, 1600, and 5000. Meyer was a part of the Read Across America program, reading at Three Oaks Middle, Sunshine Elementary, Tortuga Preserve Elementary, and Manatee Elementary. He hopes to run at the collegiate level while majoring in political science and international law.
Isabelle Mitchell
School: Evangelical Christian
GPA: 3.9
College: FSW
Highlights: Mitchell did virtually everything for the Sentinels, involved in volleyball, basketball, cross country, and track and field. As a senior, she was the varsity basketball captain. After college, she hopes of being a mental health pediatric nurse, because mental health has always been something of interest to Mitchell. She hopes to help those in need.
Nancy Morales
School: South Fort Myers
GPA: 4.86
College: UCF
Highlights: Morales was a part of the track and field and cross country teams during her time with South, winning the Cross Country MVP award as a sophomore, while also being one of four girls to hold the 4x800 school record. She graduated in the top 10 percent of her class and intends to go to UCF to begin her career path as a homicide detective.
Demetrie Morgan
School: Dunbar
GPA: 3.4
College: McDougle Technical Institute
Highlights: Morgan was a nightmare for offensive linemen in 2021, tied for the team lead in tackles with 71, while posting a team-high 22 tackles for loss. Morgan also had 11 sacks and a forced fumble. He was involved in the community, participating in the Pumpkin Patch Drive, the Turkey Drive, the Bible and Basketball Drive, Comcast Cares Day, and the Lamplighters of Southwest Florida. He hopes to get a degree in business.
Albert Muniz
School: East Lee County
GPA: 4.26
College: Undecided
Highlights: Muniz was a three-year varsity letterman for the football team, while also doing weightlifting in the spring. He was a Kiwanis Club Athletic Scholarship award recipient, as well as a Harry Chapin Food Bank volunteer. He hopes of attending college to play football while focusing on engineering.
Brendan O'Connell
School: Bonita Springs
GPA: 4.97
College: FSU
Highlights: O'Connell was a three-year varsity letterman for the football and wrestling programs, and was a three-time regional qualifier on the mat. He was a part of the Dean's List at FGCU and is the top 15 percent of the graduating class. He intends to major in computer software engineering and actuarial science.
Maria Parra
School: East Lee County
GPA: 3.8
College: FGCU
Highlights: Parra played tennis and cross country, while also receiving the Coaches Award for cross country. In school, she was a part of the Culinary Arts Academy, the VP for the Spanish National Honors Society, as well as the team captain for both cross country and tennis. She hopes to earn a PhD in forensic psychology, while also creating a foundation for mental health and being an advocate for it.
Patti Patricca
School: Dunbar
GPA: 5.68
College: Florida Southern
Highlights: Patricca was Dunbar's varsity swimming MVP for all four years, holding every individual school record at the school. She was the first girls' swimmer to win a district title and the first to qualify for the state meet in school history. Patricca ranked first in her 419 student class with a 5.68 GPA. She will attend Florida Southern in hopes of preparing her for medical school to become an orthopedic surgeon.
Nekhi Perry
School: North Fort Myers
GPA: 5.12
College: Florida Southern
Highlights: Perry did three sports (cross country, track and field, baseball) for the Red Knights, and was the cross country MVP for his junior and senior seasons. Perry intends on studying exercise science at Florida Southern while competing for the cross country and track programs on scholarship.
Joel Reboton
School: Oasis
GPA: 4.07
College: FGCU
Highlights: Reboton, a two-sport athlete in track and field as well as cross country, finished with a regional appearance in the 110 hurdles. He also volunteered with Meals of Hope, Adopt-A-Road, and the Veterans Day Parade. He intends on studying exercise science in hopes of becoming an athletic trainer.
Grace Reese
School: Estero
GPA: 5.12
College: FSU
Highlights: Reese was a two-year letterman on the volleyball team and a one-year letterman on track and field. She was a part of the 4x100 relay team that set a new school record. She intends on attending Florida State to pursue a degree in biology or psychology before applying to medical school.
Justine Robbins
School: Cypress Lake
GPA: 4.56
College: Geneva
Highlights: Robbins was a part of three varsity teams at Cypress Lake, including softball, weightlifting, and volleyball. She did volunteer work at Fort Myers American Little League, as well as multiple programs in and out of the classroom. She'll be playing college softball at Geneva with the intention of majoring in law and political science.
Jason Thomas
School: Gateway Charter
GPA: 4.08
College: FGCU
Highlights: Thomas was a two-sport athlete for the Griffins in basketball as well as cross country. As a senior, he was the team captain while also receiving the Most Improved award. He intends on majoring in business.
John Vadyak
School: Fort Myers
GPA: 5.53
College: Duke
Highlights: Vadyak was on the swimming team as well as the wrestling team, where he was a three- and four-year varsity letterman, respectively. Within the Lee County School District, he was ranked in the top 2 percent of nearly 8,000 seniors. He was involved in the Relay for Life, beach clean-ups, and the Greenies Give Back program. He has intentions of attending Duke before being commissioned as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army.
Ryan Van Diver
School: Evangelical Christian
GPA: 4.86
College: Rochester
Highlights: Van Diver helped the Sentinels on the field as well as the court, competing in basketball and football. He was the captain of the ECS football program as a senior and was a Sentinel Scholar as a junior and senior. He intends to go to the University of Rochester where he'll major in business while continuing his football career.
Josiah Velazquez
School: Bishop Verot
GPA: 3.70
College: FGCU
Highlights: Velazquez was a strong asset for the Vikings' baseball team in his final two seasons, where he finished 11-2 with a 1.12 ERA. The FGCU signee will play for Dave Tollett in hopes of playing baseball at the professional level. Velazquez's community involvement included umpiring at Fort Myers American Little League, packing meals for United Way, and completing over 100 hours of community service.
Jay White
School: SFCA
GPA: 3.5
College: Davis & Elkins
Highlights: White was the catalyst for the King's this season, averaging 13.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game. A 2021 Southwest Florida Boys Basketball Player of the Year finalist, White will continue his career at Davis & Elkins College, with hopes of playing professional basketball and moving his family out of Philadelphia.
Brooke Yount
School: Mariner
GPA: 4.86
College: Columbus State
Highlights: Yount helped lead the Tritons' soccer team to its first state title in school history, anchoring a back line that allowed 0.48 goals per game, including 16 shutouts in 25 games played. She was a two-time News-Press All-Area First Team selection and will look to graduate from Columbus State with a doctorate in physical therapy while also competing for a national championship.
Brenda Zhang
School: Canterbury
GPA: 5.19
College: Wellesley
Highlights: Zhang was a part of three teams at Canterbury (basketball, cross country, tennis). She was also a part of the jazz ensemble, wind ensemble, pep band, model United Nations, and more with the Cougars. She'll attend Wellesley College with the intention of majoring in English or political science.
Follow Southwest Florida Sports Writer Alex Martin on Twitter: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Meet the 40 Lee County Rotary South Scholar Athletes in 2022
