FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 18, 2006


Nine valedictorians, 14 three-sport athletes top 2006 FHSAA Academic All-State Team

GAINESVILLE – The Florida High School Athletic Association is pleased to announce the 2006 FHSAA Academic All-State Team, which features nine valedictorians and 14 three-sport athletes, including three four-sport and two five-sport athletes.

This year, twenty-four student-athletes are being honored from the more than 300 qualified nominees from the Association’s 636 member high schools. To be eligible for selection to the team, a student must be a graduating senior, must have a cumulative unweighted grade point average of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, and must have earned a varsity letter in at least two different sports during each of his or her junior and senior years.

Each honoree will receive a $500 award, as well as a commemorative medallion, from the FHSAA for being selected to the team. From among the 24 recipients, two Scholar-Athletes of the Year, one boy and one girl, will be announced at the 12th Annual FHSAA Academic All-State Awards Banquet to be held Thursday, June 1 at the Sea Turtle Inn in Jacksonville Beach. The Scholar-Athletes of the Year, the most prestigious honors conferred on a student-athlete by the Association, will receive an additional $2,500 each, as well as a trophy.

The members of the 12th Annual FHSAA Academic All-State Team are:

Girls

• Morgan Anderson, Benjamin (North Palm Beach) – Morgan is the daughter of Robert and Nancy Anderson. She has a 4.0 grade point average and is ranked fourth in a senior class of 101 students. Morgan earned varsity letters in cross country and track & field all four years of high school, as well as swimming her junior year. She will attend Duke University in Durham, NC and study pre-medicine.

• Sarah Beck (Naples) – Sarah is the daughter of Ed and Beth Beck. She has a 3.96 grade point average and is ranked eighth in a senior class of 296 students. Sarah earned varsity letters in soccer all four years of high school and in golf for three years. She is undecided on her choice of college, but plans to study history.

• Michelle Heck, West Shore (Melbourne) – Michelle is the daughter of Howell and Oksana Heck. She has a 4.0 grade point average and ranks first in a senior class of 146 students. Michelle earned varsity letters in volleyball and soccer for three years, as well as track & field her junior year. She plans to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville and study pre-medicine.

• Aimee Juan, South Dade (Homestead) – Aimee is the daughter of Antonio and Patricia Juan. She has a 4.0 grade point average and ranks first in a senior class of 537 students. Aimee earned varsity letters in basketball all four years of high school, as well as track & field for three years, volleyball for two years, and one each in cross country and swimming. She plans to attend Yale University in New Haven, CT, where she will study biomedical engineering.

• Caroline Kovaleski, Bay (Panama City) – Caroline is the daughter of Charles and Christina Kovaleski. She has a 4.0 grade point average and ranks fourth in a senior class of 277 students. Caroline earned varsity letters in cross country, soccer and tennis all four years of high school, and plans to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville and study biology.

• Anne Langhorne, Westminster Christian (Miami) – Anne is the daughter of Richard and Trent Langhorne. She has a 4.0 grade point average and ranks first in a senior class of 103 students. Anne earned varsity letters in track & field all four years of high school, as well as cross country in her sophomore, junior and senior years. She plans to attend Baylor University in Waco, TX and study biochemistry.

• Kathryn Maxson, Jupiter – Kathryn is the daughter of Chester and Jill Maxson. She has a 4.0 grade point average and ranks third in a senior class of 569 students. Kathryn earned varsity letters in cross country and track & field all four years of high school. She plans to attend Harvard College in Cambridge, MA and study American history and political science.

• Jessica Overmeyer, Trinity Prep (Winter Park) – Jessica is the daughter of Jeffrey and Debra Wahl. She has a 4.0 grade point average. Jessica earned varsity letters in tennis all four years of high school, as well as basketball her freshman, junior and senior years and bowling her junior and senior years. She plans to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville and study pre-medicine and Spanish.

• Rebecca Rowley, Coral Springs – Rebecca is the daughter of Charles and Mary Alice Rowley. She has a 3.85 grade point average and ranks eighth in a senior class of 690 students. Rebecca earned varsity letters in swimming and water polo all four years of high school, as well as flag football her junior and senior years. She plans to attend the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and study sports medicine.

• Veena Vaidyanathan, Southeast (Bradenton) – Veena is the daughter of Uma Vaidyanathan and Vaidy Nathan. She has a 3.94 grade point average and ranks ninth in a senior class of 326 students. Veena earned varsity letters in volleyball her sophomore, junior and senior years and soccer her junior and senior years. She plans to attend Washington University in St. Louis, MO and study pre-dentistry.

• Kristen Weaver, St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park) – Kristen is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Weaver. She has a 4.0 grade point average. Kristen earned varsity letters in soccer all four years of high school, as well as track & field her sophomore, junior and senior years and golf her junior and senior years. She is undecided on her choice of college.

• Lesley Wharton, Oak Hall (Gainesville) – Lesley is the daughter of Arthur and Jan Wharton. She has a 3.95 grade point average. Lesley earned varsity letters in volleyball and track & field all four years of high school, as well as basketball her sophomore year. She plans to attend either Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN or Washington and Lee University in Lexington,VA.

Boys

• Patrich Buenaventura, Crescent City – Patrich is the son of Marica Buenaventura-Parker. He has a 4.0 grade point average and ranks first in a senior class of 109 students. Patrich earned varsity letters in weightlifting all four years of high school, as well as football and soccer his sophomore, junior and senior years. He plans to attend Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL and study chemical engineering.

• Stephen Cardullo, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) – Stephen is the son of Steve and Kelli Cardullo. He has a 3.87 grade point average. Stephen earned varsity letters in baseball his sophomore, junior and senior years, and football his junior and senior years. He plans to attend either the University of Florida in Gainesville or the University of Miami and study business or sports medicine.

• Stephen Creighton, St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park) – Stephen is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Russell Creighton. He has a 3.55 grade point average. Stephen earned varsity letters in soccer all four years of high school, as well as three letters in tennis, two in basketball and one in track & field. He plans to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville and study engineering.

• Brandon Fremd, Coral Springs – Brandon is the son of Gary and Hope Fremd. He has a 3.93 grade point average and ranks fifth in a senior class of 660 students. Brandon earned varsity letters in cross country and track & field all four years of high school. He plans to attend either the University of Florida in Gainesville or the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and study engineering or pre-law.

• Ross Hughes, Land O'Lakes – Ross is the son of Terry and Donna Hughes. He has a 3.91 grade point average and ranks fourth in a senior class of 377 students. Ross earned varsity letters in football all four years of high school, as well as baseball his sophomore, junior and senior years and basketball his sophomore and junior years. He plans to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville and study business administration.

• Tyler McCullough, Taylor (Pierson) – Tyler is the son of Bill and Renee McCullough. He has a 3.92 grade point average and ranks first in a senior class of 96 students. Tyler earned varsity letters in football and weightlifting all four years of high school, as well as baseball his sophomore and senior years and basketball his freshman and junior years. He plans to attend either Duke University in Durham, NC or the University of Florida in Gainesville and study biology.

• Jake Mervis, Lake Highland Prep (Orlando) – Jake is the son of Matthew and Evelyn Mervis. He has a 4.0 grade point average. Jake earned varsity letters in football, track & field and weightlifting all four years of high school, and also lettered in wrestling his sophomore year. He plans to attend Washington University in St. Louis, MO.

• Anthony Nguyen Le, Rutherford (Springfield) – Anthony is the son of Hieu and Kim Le. He has a 4.0 grade point average and ranks first in a senior class of 366 students. Anthony earned varsity letters in swimming his sophomore, junior and senior years, soccer his junior and senior years, and tennis his senior year. He plans to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and study premedicine.

• Kevin Schenthal, Fort Walton Beach – Kevin is the son of Stephen Schenthal. He has a 4.0 grade point average and ranks first in a class of 415 students. Kevin earned varsity letters in cross country and track & field all four years of high school, and plans to attend Princeton University in Princeton, NJ and study mathematics.

• Peter Shekailo, Jensen Beach – Peter is the son of Victor and Lorie Shekailo. He has a 4.0 grade point average and ranks first in a senior class of 225 students. Peter earned varsity letters in soccer and baseball his junior and senior years. He plans to attend Yale University in New Haven, CT and study pre-medicine.

• Michael Stone, Bishop Moore (Orlando) – Michael is the son of Randy and Ann Stone. He has a 4.0 grade point average and ranks first in a senior class of 266 students. Michael earned varsity letters in baseball and football his junior and senior years. He is undecided on his choice of college, but plans to study business and finance.

• Michael Verbosky, East Bay (Gibsonton) – Michael is the son of Charles and Christine Verbosky. He has a 3.98 grade point average and ranks second in a senior class of 456 students. Michael earned varsity letters in soccer and track & field all four years of high school, as well as cross country his freshman year, swimming his junior year, and football his junior and senior years. He plans to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville and study pre-medicine.

About the FHSAA
The Florida High School Athletic Association is the governing body for interscholastic athletic competition in Florida. It has a membership of more than 700 middle, junior and senior high schools.

Contact:
Robert Hernberger
Assistant Director of Communications, FHSAA
(352) 372-9551 ext. 170
roberth@fhsaa.org