orlandosentinel • 10th May 2023

Winter Park’s inseparable volleyball triplets will go separate ways for college

For as long as Merrell, Cole and Dickson Colado can remember, their lives have intertwined.

The triplets’ bond came naturally, but it reached another level through volleyball. They shared the joy of a state championship for Winter Park High School and the memories of years as practice partners.

Cole and Dickson are senior captains on a Wildcats boys team that won the state championship last year and is back in contention as the 2023 playoffs unfold. Merrell was a captain for Winter Park’s girl

orlandosentinel • 19th April 2023

Thomas Castellanos hopeful to be UCF’s QB1 sooner rather than later

Questions about who the backup quarterback is for UCF seemingly got answered in its spring game.

Sophomore quarterback Thomas Castellanos took some first-team reps as John Rhys Plumlee was making his trek from baseball to football on Friday night, then took most of the second-team reps in the first half at FBC Mortgage Stadium.

But Castellanos has his eyes on something more as UCF heads into the Big 12 Conference this season.

“Hopefully, I do turn out to be QB1,” he said. “If not, I’m going t

NSM.today • 17th April 2023

‘This is a dream for me’: John Rhys Plumlee plays baseball and football on the same day

That’s all the time that separated John Rhys Plumlee from playing in UCF baseball’s game against Memphis to playing quarterback in UCF football’s spring game on Friday night.

And while those seven minutes were the difference between Plumlee playing two sports, it was also the culmination of his dream from when he was a kid coming to life.

“One of the coolest days of my life,“ Plumlee said. “I’m probably going to die with it being one of the coolest days in my life. This is a movie for me, this

orlandosentinel • 14th April 2023

Winter Park flag football improves along with Horizon as FHSAA playoffs approach

Winter Park High flag football’s ascent reached its pinnacle on Thursday with a 22-6 win over Freedom to claim the Metro Conference East Division championship.

The Orange County Public Schools title is among a bevy of firsts the Wildcats (12-0) have achieved in 2023. Their unbeaten regular season is also a first for the program.

“Everything that we accomplish is the first time it’s ever happened at Winter Park High School,” coach Johnny Miller said. “I always call them history makers. … It’s s

orlandosentinel • 23rd March 2023

West Orange water polo finds home at NTC, 20-1 entering FHSAA playoffs

Just over a week before the season began, the No. 1-ranked West Orange girls water polo team wasn’t sure where it would play home games.

Structural damage to the usual home site, Farnsworth Pool, forced 13-year head coach Jennifer Dailer to scramble in search of a place to play. The aquatics director at the National Training Center in Clermont, Mateo De Angulo, came to the rescue, allowing West Orange to play at the Lake County facility.

“I keep thanking him for saving our season,” Dailer said

Orlando Sentinel • 28th February 2023

Windermere Prep coach Brian Hoff meets mentor in FHSAA boys basketball semifinal

When Windermere Prep’s boys basketball head coach Brian Hoff takes the sideline on Wednesday for a 10 a.m. Class 3A state semifinal game at RP Funding Center in Lakeland, he’ll see a familiar face.

Before becoming the head coach of the Lakers, Hoff cut his teeth as an assistant for the Providence School, a Jacksonville power.

NSM.today • 17th February 2023

“It’s gonna be really rewarding:” John Rhys Plumlee set to return to the diamond

When John Rhys Plumlee suits up for UCF baseball on Friday, it will be the first time he's eligible to play on the diamond in 614 days.

The day is one that's been a long time coming for Plumlee, who became a Knight in January of 2022.

“It’s gonna be really rewarding,” Plumlee said. “It’s something that I’ve worked really hard for to get to this point. I came here with the mindset of playing both, and that’s what I wanted to do.”

Plumlee planned to play baseball for UCF in 2022, but was ruled

NSM.today • 9th February 2023

“Chip on their shoulder:” UCF softball aims to make more history in 2023

When the final out was recorded in UCF softball’s 7-1 loss on the road against Oklahoma on May 28, 2022, the most successful season in program history came to a close.

UCF went 49-14, won the American Athletic Conference Championship, and won the Orlando Regional to secure its first NCAA Super Regionals appearance in program history. Now, No. 15 UCF is back for an encore with its sights set beyond super regionals.

“Our goals are bigger this year,” junior infielder Jada Cody said. “Last year wa

NSM Today • 15th August 2022

'Used to hate my scars': Student's journey from overcoming surgical scars to UCF

As Aejah Xayarath lay in her hospital bed at Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville, she could feel her anxiety building up while the IV fluid slowly ran through her body.

The surgery was her third, and at the age of 7, Xayarath understood the totality of what she was fighting. Yellow fluorescent lights shined in her face while she clutched onto her stuffed animal, a monkey she named Mookie.

Her mother, Audrey Aviles, could see the emotion rising on her daughter’s face. When she wanted he

NSM Today • 22nd May 2022

UCF softball beats Michigan to win first regional in program history

After jumping out to an early 5-0 lead, UCF saw its lead dwindle to two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.

With the potential game-tying run on second base for the Wolverines, UCF senior Gianna Mancha struck out senior Hannah Carson and got senior Taylor Bump to pop out, escaping the jam.

That was the closest No. 24 Michigan got to tying the game as UCF went on to win 9-4 in the Orlando Regional on Sunday, advancing to its first NCAA Super Regionals in program history.

NSM.today • 21st May 2022

Orlando Regional Day Two: Maddie Bejarano's heroics lead UCF softball past Michigan in 11 innings

With UCF down to its final strike in the seventh inning, sophomore Maddie Bejarano came off of the bench and tied the game 2-2 with an RBI double.

In the 11th, Bejarano had another clutch at-bat with a walk-off base hit to right field as the Knights (48-12) beat Michigan 3-2 on Saturday, advancing to the Regional Championship.

“I feel super proud of my team,“ Bejarano said. “It’s a huge team win for all of us. I’m just glad I could contribute to that.”

NSM Today • 20th May 2022

Orlando Regional Day One: UCF softball and Michigan set for rematch in regional semifinal

In UCF softball's last matchup with Michigan, the Wolverines rolled to a dominant 6-0 win over the Knights at the St. Pete Clearwater Invitational on Feb. 18.

Now, the two teams are set to face each other again on Saturday at 11 a.m. in the semifinals of the Orlando Regional in the NCAA tournament.

“They’re a great team, but I also think we’re a great team,“ UCF head coach Cindy Ball-Malone said. “I think it’s going to be a great matchup, and I think they’re going to see a different team. We are definitely more seasoned than when we saw them in the second week of our season.”

NSM Today • 10th April 2022

Baseball freshman Andrew Sundean bounces back from rough summer, fall for red-hot series against USF

Things weren’t always sunny for Andrew Sundean when he first stepped foot at UCF.

The 2021 summer and fall proved to be a crash course on life as a student athlete at the collegiate level. After struggling to buy-in during his first few months on the team, the freshman catcher said he knew something needed to change heading into 2022.

NSM Today • 19th March 2022

From player to commentator: Former UCF point guard B.J. Taylor impacts basketball in new ways

B.J. Taylor knew that life as a basketball player would come to an end at some point.

“Playing the game on the court is obviously a special thing, a special feeling and a special opportunity,” Taylor said. "But you have to figure out other ways to use basketball to be successful in life because the ball stops bouncing for everybody at some point."

NSM Today • 31st January 2022

KnightMoves shows growth with new coaches, new history

Joyce Winter felt the uncertainty most coaches feel for their team.

The first-year head coach said she wasn't sure what to expect from KnightMoves when the team competed during nationals at ESPN Wide World of Sports at the Walt Disney World Resort.

“They’re a new team to me, so the only issue is I don’t know them in a competition scenario, so I don’t know if they would deliver or if they’d have stage fright, or what would happen," Winter said in a press conference with KnightMoves on Tuesday. "Now, I know they’re a team that definitely delivers if prepared properly."

NSM Today • 10th December 2021

Mo’ money, less problems? UCF IT to improve campus Wi-Fi with additional funding

Christina Fanfan was set to take her nursing final Tuesday at 2 p.m.; unfortunately, Webcourses had other plans.

Amazon Web Services experienced an outage that compromised the performance of online systems such as Webcourses, Respondus Lockdown Browser, and Honorlock, according to an email from UCF Information Technology. As a result, multiple classes had to reschedule their final exams. Although the issue was resolved that night by 8:35, Fanfan's final exam was rescheduled for Wednesday at 3 p.m.

NSM Today • 1st October 2021

Forever Knights: UCF alumni helped approve move to Big 12

Joining a Power Five Conference was something that Alex Martins, Tiffany Altizer and Michael Okaty could only dream of many years ago as UCF students.

That dream came true on Sept. 10 when UCF's Board of Trustees unanimously approved UCF Athletics joining the Big 12 Conference. The Big 12 approval held even more significance for Martins, Altizer and Okaty — who all now serve as BOT members. Martins said an approval of this magnitude is "gratifying," and its impact will be felt throughout the school.