Athletics News

Senior Athlete Spotlight: Remi Bacardi

11/8/2024

After trying soccer and tennis at a young age, Remi Bacardi realized she still hadn’t found the sport that was right for her. At the age of five, during a family lunch at the Riviera Country Club, Bacardi walked past the golf bays and said that she “wanted to try whatever that sport was. That day my dad signed me up for the clinic they give to kids and it stuck. I started to take individual lessons and register for tournaments, and the rest is history.”

Bacardi’s golf career has taken her around the world, playing courses in Ireland, Wales, Spain, Australia, and all over the UK. Her favorite, however, are the courses in Maui due to both the conditions and the amazing views. Bacardi has reset the record books at Palmer Trinity. As a six-year Varsity player, Bacardi has been named to five consecutive All-Dade First Teams, set the record for lowest PTS 9 hole (31) and 18 hole (66) scores, won four consecutive Youth Fairs, led the Falcons to three District Championships, and been named the Miami Herald Golfer of the Year in 2021 and 2023, among other accolades. In recent weeks, she won both the District and Regional Championships. Her efforts have resulted in her commitment to continue her golf career at the University of Virginia.

To compete at the level Bacardi has been able to, takes a tremendous amount of time and hard work. Bacardi mentions that she normally practices 5-6 days per week plus plays at minimum 18 holes per week. Her training regimen consists of a lot of chipping and putting drills before heading to the range to hit with her wedge, hybrid, woods, and driver. Bacardi also credits Palmer Trinity, her teachers, and her coaches for always supporting her. “I feel extremely grateful and Palmer has been exceptionally generous.” Bacardi also credits Head Coach Traci Holstein for not only being an excellent coach, but being the spirit of the team. Coach Holstein calls Bacardi the most stoic, consistent, and dedicated student-athlete she has seen. “She leads by example and her teammates enjoy her company, her wit, and her mentorship,” notes Holstein.

Among the lifelong friends and memories, Bacardi’s favorite memory as a Falcon is the bus ride up to states with her teammates. Thinking back to all of her time spent around golf, going to the US Kids Championship at Pinehurst with her dad every year is one of her favorite memories as well as competing in her first professional tournament.

Off the course, Bacardi likes to be outside and travel, swim, hike, go sightseeing, and exercise. She is currently the Co-President of the Twenty Little Working Girls Club, a community service initiative that is very close to her heart as her sisters, mother, and grandmother were all a member of the club. Bacardi doesn’t have a favorite food, but lists American, Mediterranean, and French as her favorite cuisines – as long as no fruit is used as she will not eat any fruit. Her favorite movie is Southpaw and favorite artist is The Weekend. Bacardi looks forward to following her dad’s path and studying Business once she gets on campus at UVA.

Be sure to wish Remi luck as she heads to the State Championships at Mission Inn next week.

Go Falcons!

Senior Athlete Spotlight: Emil Infante

10/25/2024

When Emil Infante’s dad encouraged him to play football when he got to Palmer Trinity in the 6th grade, he didn’t hesitate. “My father always encourages me to take advantage of any opportunity that I come across because you never know what could happen,” Infante recalls. Six seasons and a position change later, Infante has become a huge part of a Palmer Trinity Football team that just won its first District Championship since 1980. Head Varsity Football Coach Mark Reese describes Infante as “a great young man who is a tremendous teammate and leader.”

While Infante initially began as a quarterback and played the position throughout his time in Middle School, he switched over to tight end when he joined the Varsity team. Instead of focusing on arm strength, Infante has committed himself to the weight room and the physical change that he needed to go through in order to block defensive linemen while also maintaining his speed and agility when catching passes. Despite missing two games due to injury, Infante is third on the team in both receptions and yards while tied for second in touchdown receptions. Infante also believes his time as a quarterback has helped him as a receiver. “I have a better understanding of why I am running certain routes and what I need to do as a tight end to make my quarterback’s job easier.”

Infante’s experience as a quarterback has been helpful as he has seen action on the Varsity squad as a quarterback when the starter has gone down with injury. In fact, he can’t pick his favorite memory as a Falcon, naming a tie between his first touchdown reception and his first
touchdown pass which went for 70 yards. When reflecting over his time at Palmer Trinity, he
encourages younger student-athletes to give football a try and to take advantage of the time you have because it goes by very fast. “I would tell them to train consistently as early as possible,” Infante adds.

Off the field, Infante volunteers heavily within the sports realm. He has volunteered at Palmer Trinity’s Summer Basketball camp, served as a course director at the annual St. Thomas 5k, and coached younger athletes with special needs. His favorite food is French Dip from Hillstone, favorite movie is Shutter Island, and favorite artist is Disclosure. He looks forward to studying Business in college and names Florida State as his favorite school that he is applying to.

Be sure to come out and support Emil and the rest of the Varsity Football team as they have officially clinched their spot in the Regional Quarterfinals on Friday, November 15th. Senior Day will be held on Friday, November 1st at 4:00pm prior to kickoff against Florida Christian.

Go Falcons!

Varsity Girls Golf Rolling Towards District Tournament

9/26/2024

The Varsity Girls Golf team is on a roll in recent weeks. Dani Hernandez '28 won the Palm League Championship, with her score of 68 being the lowest amongst all boys and girls players. Remi Bacardi '25 placed second with a score of 69 en route to a 4th place team finish. Later that week, Hernandez had her first ever hole-in-one. To round out the month, Bacardi won her fourth-consecutive Miami-Dade Youth Fair Championship with a score of 67. To read more about Bacardi's four-peat, please see the link below.

The Varsity Girls Golf team continues their preparation for the State Series, beginning with the District Tournament on October 30th.

Remi Bacardi Youth Fair

Go Falcons!

Senior Athlete Spotlight: Natalia Reyes

9/13/2024

Natalia Reyes first joined the Varsity Track & Field team during her sophomore year as a way to stay in shape for the following soccer season. However, Reyes quickly realized that she actually had found a love for running, even more so than playing soccer. Reyes jumped at the chance to also join the Varsity Cross Country team the following fall and has become a leader on each team ever since. Varsity Cross Country and Track & Field Head Coach Tammy King believes Reyes has fit seamlessly into these teams due to how she carries herself and comes prepared. “Fun, high-spirited, and a hard-working individual,” Coach King describes of Reyes.

Reyes is committed to a strict training regimen both in and out of season as she works on continually improving. During the season, a week consists of five practices of varying distanced runs, and outside of the season she goes on long runs despite her involvement in other sports, and trains with coaches on campus, at Tropical Park or on Key Biscayne. “With the campus, equipment, and coaches, Palmer Trinity has helped me accomplish everything I have wanted and more athletically,” Reyes reflects on the past two years. She also believes that Coach King’s belief in her and ability to push her has led her to become the best version of herself. “While I am only one of many athletes that she trains, she gives me 100% every practice which has had a great impact.”

Reyes is quick to remember the 2024 Varsity Girls Track & Field team as she thinks about her favorite memories as a Falcon, insisting that finishing as the FHSAA State Runner-Up is a moment she will never forget. However, she believes that ultimately her favorite memories are just being around her teammates. “The girls and guys I run with became my family,” Reyes states.

Off the track, Reyes is active in the community through volunteer work. She works with the Special Olympics and raises money to build schools and buy school supplies for those in Haiti. She considers her favorite food to be sushi, favorite movie is Hunger Games, and favorite artist is Mora. This fall, she is excited to submit college applications to study Sports Nutrition. Reyes currently lists Clemson and FSU as her favorite schools.

Be sure to come out and support Natalia and the rest of the Varsity Cross Country team as they look to defend their 2023 District Championship. The Falcons will host the Palmer Trinity Invitational on September 28^th and the District Championship on October 29^th.

Go Falcons!

Senior Athlete Spotlight: Giovanna Colina

8/30/2024

As a child, Giovanna Colina wanted to try a little bit of everything. While she loved sports and had always participated, she never found the sport she wanted to stick to until she was 11 years old and first stepped on a volleyball court. “Immediately, I fell in love and have stuck with the sport ever since,” Colina recalls.

Now a senior on the Varsity Volleyball team, Colina reflects back on the path volleyball has taken her. In fact, it led her straight to Palmer Trinity. When Colina was younger, one of her club coaches had previously played for Head Varsity Volleyball Coach William Gonzalez. “I wanted to be as good as her, so my parents contacted Coach Gonzalez for training. Coach Gonzalez basically created the athlete that I am today. He’s the reason I love the sport and the reason I am at Palmer Trinity.” Coach Gonzalez, having seen her grow both on and off the court, is impressed by her strong sense of commitment and sacrifice to continue to improve. Gonzalez also described Colina as a “leader in her club and high school team, not only for her outstanding athletic abilities, but also for her discipline and respect towards her teammates and coaches.”

When Colina first transferred to Palmer Trinity in the 8^th grade, she immediately made the Varsity Volleyball team. The team was in the midst of a rebuild, after winning four consecutive District Championships from 2015-2018 and finishing as State Runner-Up in 2015. Colina put her head down and worked, quickly becoming one of the best players on the court as an Outside Hitter, despite being one of the youngest on the team. The team’s efforts paid off with a District Championship in 2022, a feat the team hopes to accomplish and more this year. Through the years, however, it is the team bonding events, such as team sleepovers, that Colina remembers as her favorite moments, noting the intense bonds and connections those moments formed.

Colina has also been an active club volleyball player throughout her time at Palmer Trinity, traveling frequently to compete at a national level. While her training regimen was hard, both physically and mentally as it consisted of long hours of weight training, conditioning and technique work, Colina believes in the end, it was all worth it. When not practicing, Colina enjoys 3D art and baking. Colina is also an active member of Breaking Through Society, a club on campus that works with special needs students. “I enjoyed it so much because seeing the impact a little kindness has on people is an amazing feeling.”

Colina loves sushi and tries new rolls whenever she has the chance. She is also a fan of house music and names her favorite movie as Monsters Inc., wishing that she could experience an adventure with Sully and Mike. Her fun fact is that her dad used to own a farm and she used to have a pet chicken named Chichi follow her around everywhere she went. Colina is excited to apply to schools this fall to study architecture, listing Penn State and San Diego State as her favorites.

Be sure to come out and support Giovanna and the rest of the Varsity Volleyball team as they open up their season. Palmer Trinity will host Dig Pink Night on Monday, October 7^th with games at 3:00pm, 4:00pm, 5:00pm, 6:00pm, and 7:30pm.

Go Falcons!

Sadler, Stark Win FHSAA State Championship; Girls Track & Field Finishes as State Runner-Up

5/16/2024

For the first time in over 30 years, the Varsity Girls Track & Field team finished as the FHSAA State Runner-Up with Tammy King, a star on that 1991 team, now serving as head coach. Noelani Sadler '24 led the Falcons by winning the Individual 100m Hurdles State Championship with a time of 14.63. Also earning points for Palmer Trinity was Maria Camposano '24 (2nd Place 100m Hurdles, 4th Place High Jump), Mariana Mendoza '27 (4th Place Pole Vault), Daniella Perez-Cartaya '24 (6th Place 1600m), and Cailyn Sullivan '24 (6th Place 800m). Perez-Cartaya, Sullivan, Sadler, and Eloise Miles '26 also earned points in the 4x800m relay, finishing in 5th place.

For the Varsity Boys Track & Field team, Henry Stark '24 captured two FHSAA Individual State Championships in the 1600m (4:16.76) and 3200m (9:18.02). This now marks Stark's third FHSAA State Championship of the year, also having won the FHSAA Class 1A Cross Country State Championship.

In total, five members of the Varsity Track & Field team will continue with the sport at the collegiate level. We wish Camposano (Brown University), Perez-Cartaya (Amherst College), Sadler (Bucknell University), Stark (Appalachian State University), and Gregory Tindle (Duquesne University) the very best in their future competitions.

Congratulations to all student-athletes and coaches on the conclusion of an amazing season!

Go Falcons!

Twelve Seniors Honored During Signing Ceremony

4/29/2024

Palmer Trinity hosted its College Signing Ceremony for the Class of 2024 where 12 Falcons signed to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level. The 12 signees ties Palmer Trinity's record, set in 2019. We wish the Class of 2024 the best of luck in their future endeavors and can't wait to see what they accomplish next!

Brayden Benesch - Tufts University, Sailing

- Instrumental in starting the Sailing program at Palmer Trinity

- Competed locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally representing the USA, ILCA Sailing, C420 Sailing, and Optimist Sailing

Maria Camposano - Brown University, Track & Field

- Four year runner on the Varsity Track & Field team and two years on the Varsity Cross Country team

- School record holder in the 100m Hurdles (14.84), 100m Dash (12.45), and 200m Dash (25.81)

- Represented Guatemala in international competition, holds national record for U18, U20, and Adult 100m Hurdles and was Central American Champion in 2023

- All-Dade Track & Field Honorable Mention 2021, 2022, 2023

Michael Kourakos - Northeastern University, Rowing

- Broke Novice 2k record for his club team

- Holds 4 State Championship Titles

- Competing for a spot on the national team to compete on a global landscape

Jade Leon - Colorado School of Mines, Basketball

- Five year starter on the Varsity Girls Basketball team

- School record holder for points in a career (1,552)

- All-Dade Basketball First Team in 2024, Second Team in 2022 and 2023, and Third Team in 2020 and 2021

Mackenzie Metka - Suffolk University, Soccer

- Four year member of the Varsity Girls Soccer team

- Competed at the club level for Pinecrest and Prime

Daniella Perez-Cartaya - Amherst College, Cross Country/Track & Field

- Four year varsity runner on both Cross Country and Track & Field teams

- School record holder in the 1600m (5:12.25), 3200m (11:16.45), 5k (19:08.20) and a part of school record 4x800m relay team

- All-Dade Cross Country First Team 2023, Honorable Mention 2021 and 2022

- All-Dade Track & Field Honorable Mention 2021 and 2023

Noelani Sadler - Bucknell University, Track & Field

- Four year varsity runner on Track & Field team

- School record holder in the 400m Hurdles (1:05.93)

- All-Dade Track & Field Honorable Mention 2021, 2022, 2023

Henry Stark - Appalachian State University, Cross Country/Track & Field

- Four year varsity runner on Cross Country and Track & Field team.

- 2023 FHSAA XC Class 1A State Champion

- 2023 Miami Herald Runner of the Year

- School record holder in the 1600m (4:18.02), 3200m (9:15.22), and 5k (15:05.95) and a part of the school record 4x800m relay team

- All-Dade Cross Country First Team 2022 and 2023, Third Team in 2021

- All-Dade Track & Field Honorable Mention in 2022 and 2023

Stone Stroud - University of Miami, Football

- Three year player on the Varsity Football team

- Led team in Interceptions in 2023 despite missing second half of season due to surgery

Gregory Tindle - Duquesne University, Track & Field

- Four year member of the Varsity Track & Field team

- School record holder for Javelin (48.84m)

- All-Dade Track & Field Honorable Mention 2023

Ethan Vanzant - St. Thomas University, Football

- Three year member of the Varsity Football team

- All-Dade Football Third Team in 2023

Andres Williams - University of Miami, Football

- Four year member of the Varsity Football team

- School record holder for touchdowns in a career (30) and tied for touchdowns in a season (15)

- All-Dade Football Second Team in 2023, and Honorable Mention in 2022

- All-Dade Honorable Mention for Baseball in 2021 and 2022

- Florida Independent Football Conference Player of the Year 2023

Senior Athlete Spotlight: Augustine Schuitemaker-March

4/19/2024

For as long as Augustine Schuitemaker-March can remember, she has loved the game of baseball. With two brothers playing baseball and a family who loved attending Major League Baseball games whenever the opportunity arose, it was natural for Schuitemaker-March to transition into the game of softball. Schuitemaker-March began playing in 6^th grade while still living in New York, playing there through her freshman year of high school before making the move down to Miami and joining Palmer Trinity’s Varsity Softball team as a sophomore in 2022.

Schuitemaker-March calls her experience on the team “amazing”, noting how close the team is. “It feels more like a family than just a school team,” says Schuitemaker-March. “Our team is filled with younger players who continue to get better each year and encourage each other. I am very excited to see the team continue to improve and work together each season.” Schuitemaker-March is also quick to point out the impact that Varsity Head Coach Jen Cerda has had on the team. Schuitemaker-March believes that Coach Cerda’s understanding and care allows the team to both play to the best of its ability and have fun while doing so. She also believes Coach Cerda is a terrific leader who has not only improved the team significantly on field, but has helped them grow off of it as well.

Something that makes the Varsity Softball team unique is that it is a team mixed with both Middle School and Upper School student-athletes, including two sixth graders. While this dynamic could result in a separation amongst the team, Schuitemaker-March loves the opportunity to be a role model to the next generation of Falcons. Through words of wisdom and encouragement, Schuitemaker-March wants to inspire the younger players to be confident and resilient. “I tell them that mistakes are okay and unavoidable, so all we can do is work on our challenges and try to do better next time.” In fact, if you ask Schuitemaker-March her favorite memory of being on the team, it was when the team did Bigs & Littles where each younger student-athlete was showered with posters and gifts from an upperclassmen buddy who then became a mentor. Coach Cerda also sees the leadership that Schuitemaker-March brings to the team. “She is source of energy and intensity and keeps the team motivated, even after a tough inning or game,” Cerda speaks of Schuitemaker-March.

Off the field, Schuitemaker-March is an active participant in The Symphonettes, an all-girls community service initiative dedicated to benefitting youth performing arts in Miami. She also tutors Ukranian students to expand their English fluency. In her down time, Schuitemaker-March enjoys spending time with family and friends. One of her favorite activities is going swimming in the ocean with her dogs.

Schuitemaker-March, whose favorite food is sushi, favorite movie is Mamma Mia!, and favorite artists are Morgan Wallen and Zach Bryan, is excited to attend Tulane University in fall where she plans to double major in Philosophy and Neuroscience.

Be sure to come out and support Augustine and the rest of the Varsity Softball team in their road up to the District Tournament, beginning the week of April 29^th.

Go Falcons!