Each week, our HomeTeam staffers nominate male and female Hot Shot athletes from each of the counties we cover. Then we turn the voting over to readers. These nominations span Saturday, May 3 through Friday, May 9. The winners get a T-shirt and bragging rights over every other school in the area. Read up on all of our nominees then vote until noon Monday.
Female nominees
Taylor Anderson, Mitchell track and field: The junior swimming standout won her first state title in the pole vault, clearing a personal-record 11 feet, 6 inches in wet conditions at the Class 3A meet in Jacksonville.
Darby Bernaldo, Bloomingdale softball: The senior was the Bulls’ most consistent hitter at Vero Beach, finishing the state tournament 4-for-6 with three RBIs and two runs scored to help Bloomingdale win the Class 8A state title — its first championship since 1993.
Janae Caldwell, Spoto track and field: The senior’s run of 55.50 seconds in the 400 meters gave her the 3A state championship — the first state title of any sort in school history.
Jen Kistemaker, Osceola track and field: The junior overcame a torn ACL in her left knee and battled wet conditions to finish as the 3A state runnerup in the pole vault with a mark of 11 feet, 6 inches.
Danielle Romanello, Canterbury softball: The freshman catcher had a memorable week at the plate, going a combined 7-of-9 with two home runs and seven RBIs in three games. She also hit the winning double in the Crusaders’ 1-0 win in the Class 2A state title game.
Male nominees
Omar Cala, Sunlake baseball: The senior second baseman had two RBIs in Sunlake’s 3-0 win over Pasco. He also got the last out of the game to send the Seahawks to their first region final.
Jack Guyton, Plant track and field: The junior sped to two state championships at the Class 4A meet, winning the 1,600 and 3,200 meters. His combined margin of victory in the two races was six seconds.
Devon Jerothe, River Ridge track and field: The senior won his first state title in the pole vault and was the one to clear 14 feet in the Class 3A meet. The title capped off his career in the event because he is attending West Florida, which doesn’t have a track team.
Dwayne Lawson, Hillsborough track and field: The three-star quarterback prospect showed his athleticism by winning the 3A triple jump at 47 feet, 6 3/4 inches. Not bad for a soggy runway in Jacksonville.
Andrew Llewellyn, Countryside track and field: The senior distance specialist was the Class 4A state runnerup in the 3,200 with a time of 9 minutes, 22 seconds, shaving 15 seconds off his previous personal best.
Andrew Monahan, East Lake baseball: The junior’s grand slam in the top of the ninth inning with two outs gave the Eagles a 7-3 win at Melbourne and a berth in the Class 7A state semifinals.