Recapping A Year Of Sports And Fun At Miami Dade College
As my time as editor-in-chief of The Reporter comes to an end—I have 34 days left but who’s counting—I’m getting a bit nostalgic.
So naturally, I’ve turned to something that has comforted me since I was a kid in Bogota, Colombia—sports.
Fútbol has always been my favorite sport.
Two weeks ago, Miami Dade College announced it will be adding men and women’s soccer to its sports lineup in the fall of 2024.
Although I’ll be a senior at Duke University in North Carolina by then, I’ll be cheering for them from afar.
Cheering is something I haven’t been able to do this year. As a journalist, I’m trained to remain neutral.
This school year, I’ve had the privilege of earning quite a few sports bylines. Softball, baseball and men’s basketball are some of the sports I’ve assisted in covering.
But volleyball is my favorite.
The game has an artistic flair. The athletes are a mix of ballerinas and powerlifters, exhibiting both power and grace.
On days when my duties as a student journalist have left me stressed, I’ve turned to the volleyball court for a brief respite.
The Lady Sharks have not disappointed.
Defensive specialist Kiaraliz Perez was the team’s spark plug. Despite suffering a posterior cruciate ligament injury that nearly derailed her season, she once again led the Lady Sharks in digs with 425.
Outside hitter Romina Cornelio dominated the competition. Cornelio led the squad in points (419) and kills (359) and for the second year in a row she was named Florida College System Activities Association Player of the Year.
The duo was a major reason why the Lady Sharks finished the season with a 24-9 mark and one win away from winning a National Championship.
In basketball, the men’s team finished with a 17-14 mark but two freshmen—Jamichael Stillwell and Tyriek Weeks—gave the team hope for next season.
Weeks was the team’s leading scorer with a 14.3 average per game and Stillwell led the squad in rebounds (8.4 per game average) while adding 13.9 points per game. Both players were selected to the Fab 50 JUCO Freshmen List.
The women’s basketball team suffered through a difficult season finishing with a 5-23 record, but they still had a few standouts.
Sophomore guard Jaya Nelson led the team’s offensive attack with 16.1 points per game while center Lianyi Becquer Leblanch, who joined the squad after defecting from the Cuban National Team, led the Lady Sharks with 8.6 rebounds per contest.
The softball team was 14-26 but despite the setback, the team had a breakout star—catcher Beatriz Narazaki.
Narazaki led the Lady Sharks with a .373 batting average, 26 RBI and four triples.
On the baseball diamond, it was another stellar season. The Sharks had a 34-16-1 record and made a deep run at the State Tournament.
Outfielder Wooyeoul Shin bashed 15 home runs to go with 47 RBI and a .407 batting average, all tops on the team.
Left-hander Herick Hernandez was a stud on the mound posting an 8-3 record with a 2.86 earned run average.
Freshman D’Angelo Ortiz, the son of Major League Baseball Hall of Famer David Ortiz, provided hope for the future.
Ortiz, who found a spot on the team after summer tryouts, had a .328 batting average and 38 RBI.
With my meager sports journalism career at the College ending, I can go back to being a fan.
As I attend basketball games at Cameron Indoor Stadium next season, I’ll keep MDC in my heart.
Go Sharks!
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