FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 6, 2007


Westminster Academy, Lake Brantley, First Academy, Pensacola, St. Andrew's, Brevard HEAT, Spruce Creek headline Inaugural FHSAA Academic Team Champion winners

GAINESVILLE – Westminster Academy (Fort Lauderdale) girls volleyball, Lake Brantley (Altamonte Springs) football, First Academy (Orlando) football, Pensacola girls soccer, St. Andrew's (Boca Raton) boys soccer, Brevard HEAT (Palm Bay) girls basketball and Spruce Creek (Port Orange) boys basketball made the grade as overall winners in the Inaugural FHSAA Academic Team Champion awards program.

The FHSAA Academic Team Champion awards program honors teamwork not only in competition, but in the classroom as well, recognizing teams in each of the Association's eight sanctioned team sports – baseball, boys and girls basketball, football, boys and girls winter soccer, softball and girls volleyball – naming an Academic Team Champion in each classification, as well as one overall winner in each sport. Two overall winners are awarded in football – one for the four larger classifications (6A, 5A, 4A, 3A) and one for the four smaller classifications (2A, 2B, 1A, 1B) – to compensate for the discrepancy in squad sizes.

To be eligible for nomination, a team must have committed to participate in FHSAA state series competition in its nominating sport and honored that commitment by participating in the district tournament (or all scheduled district games in football only). The team must have at least a 3.0 cumulative team grade point average on an unweighted 4.0 scale.

Each classification winner will receive a commemorative state championship trophy. In addition to the trophy, each overall winner receives a $3,000 award.

Nomination forms for baseball and softball are available on FHSAA.org, due by 5 p.m. Friday, April 20.

Here are the honorees in fall and winter sports:

Girls Volleyball
Class 6A – Osceola (Kissimmee), 3.647 cumulative team GPA.
Class 5A – Fort Myers, 3.710 cumulative team GPA.
Class 4A – Jensen Beach, 3.686 cumulative team GPA.
Class 3A / Overall Winner – Westminster Academy (Fort Lauderdale), 3.821 cumulative team GPA.
Class 2A – St. John Neumann (Naples), 3.682 cumulative team GPA.
Class 1A – St. John Lutheran (Ocala), 3.698 cumulative team GPA.

Football
Class 6A / Large School Overall Winner – Lake Brantley (Altamonte Springs), 3.096 cumulative team GPA.
Class 5A – (no submissions).
Class 4A – (no submissions).
Class 3A – (no submissions).
Class 2A – Trinity Prep (Winter Park), 3.143 cumulative team GPA.
Class 2B – (no submissions).
Class 1A – Jay, 3.359 cumulative team GPA.
Class 1B / Small School Overall Winner – First Academy (Orlando), 3.448 cumulative team GPA.

Girls Soccer
Class 6A – East Ridge (Clermont), 3.623 cumulative team GPA.
Class 5A – Niceville, 3.650 cumulative team GPA.
Class 4A / Overall Winner – Pensacola, 3.699 cumulative team GPA.
Class 3A – Berkeley Prep (Tampa), 3.687 cumulative team GPA.
Class 2A – Posnack Jewish (Plantation), 3.656 cumulative team GPA.

Boys Soccer
Class 6A – Spruce Creek (Port Orange), 3.460 cumulative team GPA.
Class 5A – Niceville, 3.525 cumulative team GPA.
Class 4A – Jesuit (Tampa), 3.502 cumulative team GPA.
Class 3A / Overall Winner – St. Andrew's (Boca Raton), 3.535 cumulative team GPA.
Class 2A – St. Francis (Gainesville), 3.442 cumulative team GPA.

Girls Basketball
Class 6A – Jupiter, 3.738 cumulative team GPA.
Class 5A – Gulf Coast (Naples), 3.496 cumulative team GPA.
Class 4A – Menendez (St. Augustine), 3.600 cumulative team GPA.
Class 3A – South Walton (Santa Rosa Beach), 3.712 cumulative team GPA.
Class 2A – First Academy (Orlando), 3.684 cumulative team GPA.
Class 1A / Overall Winner – Brevard HEAT (Palm Bay), 3.866 cumulative team GPA.

Boys Basketball
Class 6A / Overall Winner – Spruce Creek (Port Orange), 3.711 cumulative team GPA.
Class 5A – Venice, 3.258 cumulative team GPA.
Class 4A – Jesuit (Tampa), 3.562 cumulative team GPA.
Class 3A – Trinity Prep (Winter Park), 3.502 cumulative team GPA.
Class 2A – Freeport, 3.540 cumulative team GPA.
Class 1A – Circle Christian (Orlando), 3.646 cumulative team GPA.


Contact:
Robert Hernberger
Assistant Director of Communications, FHSAA
(352) 372-9551 ext. 190
roberth@fhsaa.org