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FLEMING ISLAND - For Fleming Island High, repeat state champions has kind of become a trend with three sports worth of athletes signing college scholarships while sitting in the Fleming Island gym with not one, but two state titles in their pockets.
For one, the possibility of a third or fourth is not a far stretch as two time Olympic state weightlifting champion Kevin Reyes is possibly a state wrestling contender as well as a three time state weightlifting champion.
For Reyes, the scholarship was going to be for football at Minot State University in North Dakota, an NCAA Div. II program that finished 5-6 last year.
Also from football, linebacker A.J. Whitt signed to play for West Point for the U.S. Army in one of the more prestigious appointments in school history. West Point had one of their best season's last year with a 12-2 record, first 12 win season, with wins over Air Force but losses to Navy and Notre Dame. Army finished ranked 19th in America and won the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl 27-6 over Louisiana Tech.
Football also signed offensive tackle Steven Franklin to Benedict College, Jayden Smith to Massachusetts Maritime Academy and Dehmir Jackson to University of North Carolina-Pembroke.
Back to the state champions, diver Ava Brinkman handled the effects of a season ending injury that kept her from a state title as a freshman to become state champion as a sophomore, finish second as a junior, then finish her illustrious career as a senior state champion. Brinkman has been under the training regimen at the University of Florida and will take her talent there next fall.
In golf, the two time team state champions were led by an underclassmen, but had stalwart upper classmen with seniors Emmet Kuhlehkamp and Dylan Frein keeping the steady hand while Tyler Mawhinney was battling for top three finishers; one a state title, one a second place with a possible second title coming to join the impressive track record at Fleming Island.
Kuhlenkamp will head to University of West Florida, a top NCAA Div. II program that won the NCAA Div. II national title last year, while Frein will go to Carson Newman University, also NCAA Div. II with a NCAA tournament individual last year.
In girls golf, state tournament qualifier Chloe Blanc signed with Palm Beach State College.
In cross country, Fleming Island landed two athletes with Ava Hendryx heading to Indiana State University and Jacob Campbell signing to Western Carolina University.
Indiana State finished their season at the NCAA Div. I Great Lakes Region race last year with a top time of 20:01.7 and an eighth place team finish. Western Carolina's mens team finished 23rd at the NCAA Div. I Southeast Regions with a top time of 23:11 for the mens 6K race.
In volleyball, coach Amy Yoder got four athletes into college with Emily Topp to West Florida, Savannah Jackson to University of North Carolina-Pembroke, Kaylee Kirkland and Bailey Montgomery both signing to St. Johns River State College.
For girls weightlifting, coach Sean Coultis landed Layla DeCristofaro to Warner University and Juliana Sosa to Mid-American Nazarene.
For soccer, senior Brodi Hoth finished a region semifinal season after signing to NCAA Div. III Ripon College in Wisconsin with the Ripon team scoring an astounding 56 goals last year with 45 assists both school records.
In softball, Lauren Abrams signed with national junior college champion St. Johns River State College, who is currently ranked number one at season start, with Olivia Sikes headed to Ivy League's Brown University in Rhode Island.