Hillsborough County Public Schools honored fall sports student athletes for individual awards and team GPA awards at its Fall Sports Awards in January.
Newsome Football (3.4 GPA), Newsome Boys Cross Country (3.7 GPA), Bloomingdale Girls Cross Country (3.9 GPA), Strawberry Crest Boys Swimming (3.9 GPA) and Lennard Girls Swimming (3.9 GPA) were all given team GPA awards.
Newsome High School star swimmer Tyler Stargardt earned the Henry Hicks Memorial Award for Outstanding Swimmer. He lettered all four years at Newsome and was a team captain. At the 2025 4A FHSAA State Finals, he placed fourth in the 100 butterfly and fifth in the 200 individual medley. This season, Stargardt won both events at the county championship, breaking the county championship records in each. He currently holds three school records at Newsome (50 freestyle, 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley) and has been named Newsome’s Male Swimmer of the Year in all four years of his high school career.
“This award means something special for two reasons,” said Stargardt. “First, just seeing all the other names of people who have received this award and having my name next to the best swimmers in the county of all time is remarkable. Second, some of my hardest practice and fastest meets were at the Bobby Hicks pool (the pool named after Henry Hicks). So, it feels like a complete circle. I worked hard, swam hard and got rewarded all with Henry Hicks in mind.”
Stargardt has committed to the United States Air Force Academy, where he will continue his swimming career while pursuing a degree in engineering.
“I just want to thank my friends, coaches and family for supporting me through my four-year high school journey that allowed me to earn this award,” said Stargardt.
Bloomingdale High School’s Keely Finan earned the Henry Hicks Memorial Award for Outstanding Swimmer. She lettered for three years in girls swimming and competed at the 4A FHSAA State Championship, where she placed sixth in diving and qualified for the 200 freestyle relay as the anchor.
“I was honestly shocked and extremely grateful,” said Finan. “When I first joined swimming and diving, I didn’t expect much because I started the sport as a sophomore to try something new and have fun. To receive this award as a senior feels incredibly meaningful because it shows how far I’ve come.”
Finan was also a state qualifier in both 2023 and 2024. She served as the team’s diving captain and was named Athlete of the Week multiple times during her career. She plans to attend the University of Florida, where she will major in biology.
“I am very thankful for my coaches, past and present, who have believed in me no matter what and pushed me to keep improving,” she said. “I’m also grateful for my teammates who made the sport so meaningful. This award motivates me to carry the lessons I learned from swimming and diving into everything I do moving forward.”
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