Several local high school student athletes and teams were recognized by Hillsborough County and given awards for their outstanding performances this past winter.
Lennard girls basketball, Bloomingdale girls wrestling, Newsome boys wrestling and Bloomingdale cheerleading were all recognized for their overall GPAs.
Brandon wrestler Alecsander Rego was the Hillsborough County Male Wrestler of the Year. The two-year varsity wrestler had a 78-18 record with 43 pins. He capped off his senior year with a 46-5 record, a fourth-place state finish and victories in six individual tournaments. He helped lead his team to top performances both on the mat and in the classroom. He has a 3.4 unweighted GPA and a 5.1 weighted GPA and plans to attend the Merchant Marine Academy in Maine.
Bloomingdale girls basketball player Noelle Mengel was awarded the Dottie McGahagin Girls Basketball Award. The four-year letterman and team leader excelled as a guard for Bloomingdale High School. She averaged 14.3 points per game on 62 percent shooting from two-point range, 31 percent from beyond the arc and 89 percent from the free-throw line. She owns the school record for most points in a career.
“I was surprised because my coaches and team tricked me because I thought we were coming for a coaches award,” said Mengel. “I was really confused, and they started reading accolades and statistics and I thought, ‘Hey, that’s weird, those are my exact accolades,’ and then it clicked.”
Mengel was a key contributor in Bloomingdale’s dominant 106-15 four-year run, which included four district titles, three regional championships, a state runner-up finish and a state championship. Mengel holds a 4.0 unweighted GPA and a 5.88 weighted GPA and will attend the University of Tampa on a full athletic scholarship. She plans to major in medicine.
“Winning the award meant a lot because my family and team were there to support me,” said Mengel. “It means a lot too because it feels like another achievement I get to add to my career.”
Strawberry Crest wrestler Ariel Goble was the Hillsborough County Female Wrestler of the Year. Goble finished her high school wrestling career with an 89-29 record and 54 pins. She’s a two-time state qualifier and three-time county champion, and she has earned titles at multiple major tournaments.
“To me, this award demonstrates that my hard work does not go unnoticed, and it helped me realize that I gained a good community and connections with my sport,” said Goble. “It’s a symbol for every night I would do double and triple practices during the season while still somehow getting my homework done and working a part-time job. This award is a representation that everything is possible, and it keeps pushing me to work hard.”
Goble accomplished all of this while taking care of her mother when she was sick with cancer. She is an IB student with a 3.4 unweighted GPA and a 5.5 weighted GPA. She is considering a major in criminal justice or law.
“A special thanks to all my amazing coaches for supporting me and helping me throughout the way,” said Goble. “Wrestling has helped me become the person I am today, and I couldn’t have done it without their help. ‘A good coach can change a game, a great coach can change a life,’ — John Wooden.”
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