Category: Athletic News

This spring was an outstanding season for Cardinal Newman Athletics and a great way to close out the school year. Across our spring sports programs, our student-athletes and coaches achieved several historic firsts and continued to raise the standard for Crusader Athletics.

Our beach volleyball team had a remarkable season, finishing with a 14-2 record, winning the district championship for the first time in school history, and advancing all the way to the regional final — also a first for the program. Coach Joy was named Coach of the Year, while Ava Castro and Lyla Buser earned Player of the Year honors.

Our boys lacrosse team also made history by winning the district championship for the first time ever and earning a regional playoff victory. Girls flag football advanced to regionals for the first time in school history, continuing the theme of historic accomplishments throughout the spring.

Girls track and field won the district championship for the first time in 25 years, while several track and field athletes advanced to the state meet. Boys weightlifting was also represented at the state level, with Zach Tuma advancing all the way to the state meet.

Softball had an incredible turnaround season, defeating the No. 1 seed and advancing to the second round of regionals for the first time in many years. Baseball, girls lacrosse, and tennis also had extremely competitive seasons.

In addition to the success on the field, our baseball bleacher project has officially been completed and looks outstanding. Final details are also continuing to be worked on for our new indoor-outdoor sports facility, with more updates expected as we move into next school year.

Overall, it was an absolutely outstanding spring season filled with growth, success, and many historic firsts for Cardinal Newman Athletics.

SUN SENTINEL

First Team: Liam Magun (Baseball), Ella Strong (Lacrosse), William Stumm (Lacrosse), Reese Khanna (Softball), Sydney Mahoney (Softball), Elle Perrotto (Softball), Tessa Brown (Track), Girls 4×800 Relay (Jada Alexander, Trae’Anah Boyd-Lucas, Isabel Dawkins, Lily Wesley), Joe Licata, Zamarii Sanders, Zion Brown, Boys 4×100 Relay (Cyrus Gantt, Ethan Holland, Leslie Mosley, Zamarii Sanders) Boys 4×400 Relay (Kahlil Gabaud, Joe Licata, Zamarii Sanders, Tristan Stephenson), Boys 4×800 Relay (Liam Alexander, Joe Licata, Tristan Stephenson, Kenneth Wagner)

Second Team: Anabella Peralta (Flag Football), Grace Molina (Lacrosse), Gavin Chandler (Lacrosse), Maddie Horner (Softball), Trae’Anah Boyd-Lucas (Track), Lucy Burkly (Track), Isabel Dawkins (Track), Imani Taylor (Track), Lily Wesley (Track), Girls 4×100 Relay (Heidi Alcime, Jada Alexander, Isabel Dawkins, Trae’Anah Boyd-Lucas), Tristan Stephenson (Track), Akim Thelemaque (Track)

Honorable Mention: Brady Heminger (Baseball), Gianluca Luciano (Baseball), Cameron Portilla (Baseball), David Zitnik (Baseball), Sophia Correa (Flag Football), Jalyn Escobar (Flag Football), Stacy Jean Claude (Flag Football), Parker Bruneau (Lacrosse), Chloe Castro (Lacrosse), Nick Coniglio (Lacrosse), Kevin Kasnic (Lacrosse), Micahel Lenz (Lacrosse, Cady Levy (Lacrosse), Chase Lufurno (Lacrosse), Michael Polgar (Lacrosse), Izza Luna (Softball), Juan Hernandez (Tennis), Morgan McBay (Tennis), Vicky Burkly (Track), William Hart (Track), Chris Labode (Track), Michael Louidort (Track), Carter Newby (Track), Zachary Tuma (Weightlifting)

PALM BEACH POST

First Team: Ava Castro (Beach Volleyball), Lyla Buser (Beach Volleyball), Dayana Acevedo (Beach Volleyball), Coach of the Year Joy VanDyke (Beach Volleyball), Ella Strong (Lacrosse), Chase Lofurno (Lacrosse), William Stumm (Lacrosse), Reese Khanna (Softball), Sydney Mahoney (Softball), Isabel Dawkins (Track), Joe Licata (Track), Zamarii Sanders (Track)

Second Team: Gianluca Luciano (Baseball), Liam Magun (Baseball), David Zitnick (Baseball), Anabella Peralta (Flag Football), Parker Bruneau (Lacrosse), Gavin Chandler (Lacrosse), Michael Lenz (Lacrosse), Elle Perrotto (Lacrosse), Tristan Stephenson (Track)

Honorable Mention: Dallas Reddoch (Baseball), Kevin Kasnic (Lacrosse), Michael Polgar (Lacrosse), Judson Redback (Lacrosse), Maddie Horner (Softball), Juan Hernandez (Tennis), Morgan McBay (Tennis), Jada Alexander (Track), Trae’Anah Boyd (Track), Tessa Brown (Track), Imani Taylor (Track), Lily Wesley (Track), Zachary Tuma (Weightlifting)

Congratulations to our Crusaders who earned awards at the Palm Beach County High School Sports Awards last week! The top athletes in Palm Beach County were celebrated at the SoFi on Thursday, May 28th…

Team of the year: Cardinal Newman Football

Football Offensive Player of the Year: Jyron Hughley

Football Defensive Player of the Year: Adam Balogoun-Ali

Beach Volleyball Players of the Year: Lyla Buser & Ava Castro

West Palm Beach, FL (May 18, 2026) — Cardinal Newman High School celebrated its historic 2025 FHSAA Class 1A Football State Championship season with a special Ring Ceremony on May 14, honoring the players, coaches, and legendary former Head Coach Sam Budnyk, whose 46-year tenure helped lay the foundation for the success of Crusader football.

Players and coaches received commemorative championship rings marking the program’s first football state title in school history. Family, friends, alumni, and supporters gathered for the ceremony as Coach Budnyk, now 93 years old, returned to campus to receive a State Championship ring of his own in recognition of his lasting impact on Cardinal Newman football and generations of student-athletes.

Widely respected as one of the most influential figures in Florida high school football history, Budnyk coached at Cardinal Newman for more than four decades, earning over 300 career victories while building a tradition of excellence that continues to shape Crusader athletics today. Members of the Budnyk family were also in attendance for the special presentation.

“This championship represents not only the hard work of this team and coaching staff, but also the generations of players and coaches who helped build this program,” said Ryan Partridge, Cardinal Newman’s Athletic Director. “Having Coach Budnyk there to share in this moment made the evening especially meaningful.”

The evening celebrated the Crusaders’ remarkable 2025 season, culminating in a 17-14 victory over Chaminade-Madonna to secure Cardinal Newman’s first football state championship. More than a celebration of a title, the ceremony reflected on the perseverance, discipline, and brotherhood that defined the team throughout the season.

The ring ceremony served as both a celebration of a championship season and a tribute to the tradition, leadership, and pride that continue to shape Cardinal Newman football.

Winter All-County teams have been announce and that’s a wrap on Winter 2025-26! It was an exciting season for our Cardinal Newman Crusaders Winter Sports with some exciting wins and impressive development throughout all of our programs. 

Congratulations to our Crusaders who were recognized as the best of Palm Beach County high school sports: 

Sun Sentinel:

First Team: Byrce Reed (Basketball), Jada Alexander (Soccer), 

Second Team: Eliana Almazán (Soccer), Jason Ciano (Wrestling)

Honorable Mention: Tyrece Campbell-Rollins (Basketball), Kingston Smith (Basketball), Ava Castro (Basketball), Katherine Kent (Basketball), Ella Strong (Basketball), Hernan Clavijo (Soccer), Mateo Duque-Gomez (Soccer), Martín Pinzon-Ospina (Soccer), Elias Sabido (Soccer), Evan Shaw (Soccer), Parker Sullivan (Wrestling)

Palm Beach Post:

First Team: Bryce Reed (Basketball), Jada Alexander (Soccer)

Second Team: Almahdi Dial (Basketball), Bella Truchan (Soccer), Elias Sabido (Soccer)

Honorable Mention: Katie Kent (Basketball), Kingston Smith (Basketball), Grace Erickson (Soccer), Marisa Spilsted (Soccer), Miguel Rendon (Soccer), Jason Ciano (Wrestling) 

Fall 2025 has officially wrapped; here’s brief look at this historic season…

Football & Cheer

The Crusaders’ Fall Season ended with the Cardinal Newman Varsity Football team bringing home the FHSAA 1A State Championship in a thrilling 17-14 victory over four-time reigning champion Chaminade-Madonna. The Cheer squad was joined by four buses full of CN fans on the sidelines at Pitbull Stadium in Miami, cheering the Crusaders to victory. This was a historic moment as the first FHSAA football state championship in school history. Three Crusaders signed to play college football during the early signing period – Adam Balogoun-Ali (Auburn), Brayden Charney (Syracuse) and Jyron Hughley (West Virginia).

Palm Beach Post Recognitions: 

All County (Defense):

First Team: Ty Kirkpatrick, Adam Balogoun-Ali, Cooper Clark,Kahlil Gabaud

Second Team: William Hart, Kyrus Haston

Honorable Mention: Zion Brown, Ayden Elam, Chris Laborde

All County (Offense):

First Team: Jyron Hughley, Phoenix Donghia, Leslie Mosley, Brayden Charney

Second Team: Janarro Sumpter, Ignacio Zulaica

Honorable Mention: Ethan Holland

Coach of the Year: Jack Daniels

Sun Sentinel Recognitions:

Palm Beach 4A-1A Football Offensive Player of the year: Jyron Hughley

Palm Beach 4A-1A Football co-defensive player of the year: Adam Balogoun-Ali

Co-Coach of the Year: Jack Daniels 

All County (Offense):

First Team: Brayden Charney, Phoenix Donghia, Leslie Mosley, Iggy Zulaica

Second Team: Jasiah Thomas

Honorable Mention: Zion Brown, Cooper Clark, Aiden Elam, Sean Fleming, Kyrus Haston, Colt Hauser, Chris Laborde, Shangler Limage, Michael Loudort, Tresean McClellion, Janarro Sumpter

All County (Defense):

First Team: Ty Kirkpatrick

Second Team: Cooper Clark, Kahlil Gabaud

Cross Country

Cardinal Newman Boys & Girls Cross Country had successful seasons with deep post-season runs. The Girls team took 2nd at districts and 3rd at regionals, qualifying for the FHSAA 2A State Championship along with Kenneth Wagner from the boys’ team who qualified to compete individually at States.  At the district meet, Tessa Brown broke the school 5k record with a time of 19:21.3.

Sun Sentinel Recognitions: 

All County (Boys):

First Team: Kenneth Wagner

All County (Girls)::

Second Team: Tessa Brown

Palm Beach Post Recognitions:

All County (Boys):

Second Team: Kenneth Wagner

All County (Girls):

Honorable Mention: Tessa Brown, Lucy Burkly

Golf

Cardinal Newman Golf wrapped up an exciting season with the boys team qualifying to compete in the FHSAA 1A State Championship. Our 2025 season also introduced the inaugural Crusader Golf Invitational with five competing teams and a midseason commitment by Lawson Ford to the University of Florida.

Sun Sentinel Recognitions:

All County (Boys): 

Second Team: Lawson Ford

Honorable Mention: John Beebe, Hagen Bensel, Ethan Earley, Blake Quilleon

Palm Beach Post Recognitions:

All County (Boys): 

Second Team: Hagen Bensel, Lawson Ford

Swimming & Diving

Crusader Swimming & Diving concluded with Gia Euseppi qualifying to compete individually at the FHSAA 1A State Championship in Ocala. Both the boys and girls teams had strong showings in the district and regional meets. 

Sun Sentinel All County:

Honorable Mention: Gia Euseppi

Volleyball

Crusader Volleyball had an outstanding season, finishing 21-5 overall and holding the top spot in the Palm Beach County rankings for most of the season. After starting the season with 7 consecutive wins, the team earned the Baptist Health Orthopedic Care Sports Performance of the Week award. Three of our girls will be going on to play Division 1 volleyball – Ava Castro (Boston College), Olivia Peterson (Furman) and Lyla Buser (Providence). 

Sun Sentinel All-County:

First Team: Ava Castro

Second Team: Dayana Acevedo, Lyla Buser

Honorable Mention: Olivia Peterson

Palm Beach Post All-County

First Team: Ava Castro

Second Team: Dayana Acevedo, Lyla Buser, Olivia Peterson

Congratulations to all of our fall athletes on a phenomenal 2025 season! Go Crusaders!

Summer is here and all Spring All-County honors have been released! Here’s a quick recap from our Spring 2025 seasons…

BASEBALL

Baseball had a stellar season, advancing to the regional semifinals and battling through three hard-fought games. Coach Joe Russo was inducted into the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame and celebrated a monumental career milestone—his 600th win as a head coach. We are proud to have nine seniors continuing their baseball careers at the next level.

Palm Beach Post Recognitions:

Baseball Player of the Year: Blake Anderson

First Team: Gabriel Acevedo, Blake Anderson, Finn Duran, Max Gonzalez

Second Team: Carl Calixte, Dominic Demarzo

Sun Sentinel Recognitions: 

First Team: Gabriel Acevedo, Blake Anderson, Finn Duran, Max Gonzalez

Second Team: Dominic Demarzo

Honorable Mention: Carl Calixte, James Elliot, Alex Thompson

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Beach Volleyball continued its upward momentum with another strong season, growing to 15 student-athletes—a testament to the increasing interest in this emerging sport.

FLAG FOOTBALL

Flag Football had a breakout year and has quickly become one of the largest girls’ sports on campus, expanding to 40 players in just its second year.

Sun Sentinel Recognitions: 

Honorable Mention: Sophia Correa, Lily Donnell, Stacey Jean

LACROSSE

Boys Lacrosse made history with a deep postseason run, earning the program’s first-ever regional victory and reaching new heights.

Girls Lacrosse also had a successful season, continuing to build on a strong foundation and showing consistent improvement.

Palm Beach Post Recognitions:

First Team: Will Stumm

Second Team: Chase Lofurno, Luke Wheeler

Sun Sentinel Recognitions: 

First Team: Will Stumm

Second Team: Ella Strong, Chase Lofurno

Honorable Mention: Parker Bruneau, Gavin Chandler, Adriano De Cardenas, Gary Felsher, James Molina, Charlie Moran, Charles Stumm, Luke Wheeler

SOFTBALL

Softball demonstrated competitive growth throughout a great season.

Palm Beach Post Recognitions:

First Team: Reese Khanna

Sun Sentinel Recognitions: 

First Team: Elle Perrotto

Second Team: Sydney Mahoney, Karis Taleff

Honorable Mention: Annabelle Walsh

TENNIS

Our Boys & Girls Tennis teams had competitive seasons advancing deep into district play including Jenna Delmarsh earning district runner-up

Palm Beach Post Recognitions:

First Team: Jenna Delmarsh

Honorable Mention: Logan Ray

Sun Sentinel Recognitions: 

Second Team: Jenna Delmarsh

Honorable Mention: Logan Ray, Juan Hernandez, Camden Sevald

TRACK & FIELD

Boys Track & Field made school history by winning the State Championship, along with multiple individual state titles—a monumental achievement for our program. The Girls Track & Field team also showed significant growth and development this year.

Palm Beach Post Recognitions:

Boys Athlete of the Year: Zamarii Sanders

First Team: Joe Licata, Jake Kissel, Zamarii Sanders, Jackson Miller

Second Team: Josh Flynn, Lucas Hernandez-Trujillo, Jyron Hughley, Brennan King

Sun Sentinel Recognitions: 

Track & Field Athlete of the Year: Zamarii Sanders

First Team: Joe Licata (400/800), Jackson Miller (200/400), Kenneth Wagner (1600/3200), Boys 4×100 Relay (Jaylin Brown, Ethan Holland, Leslie Mosley, Zamarii Sanders), Boys 4×400 Relay (Joe Licata, Lucas Hernandez-Trujillo, Jackson Miller, Jyron Hughley), Boys 4×800 Relay (Josh Flynn, Jake Kissel, Joe Licata, Lucas Hernandez-Trujillo)

Second Team: Tessa Brown (800/3200), Madeline Horner(Javelin), Lucas Hernandez-Trujillo (800), Jyron Hughley (Long Jump), Brennan King (Discus), Jake Kissel (1600)

Honorable Mention: Josh Flynn, Dylan Frechette, Michael Luuidort, William Tuma, Kenneth Wagner

BOYS WEIGHTLIFTING

Sam Almazan became a State Champion, as the program continues to strengthen and gain momentum.

Palm Beach Post Recognitions:

First Team: Sam Almazan

Second Team: Jason Ellis, Zachary Tuma, Andres Valdivieso

Sun Sentinel Recognitions: 

First Team: Sam Almazan

Honorable Mention: Zachary Tuma, Andres Valvidieso

CNHS Athletics’ Winter 2024-25 Season has officially wrapped! Here’s a quick recap from each varsity sport:

BASKETBALL

Both Boys & Girls Basketball teams had great seasons including a first place finish for the boys varsity at the D5 Alive tournament at St. Edwards School. Congrats to Izzy Joseph for winning MVP at D5 Alive and to Cam Rogers for winning the 3-point contest! 

Sun Sentinel Recognitions: 

Second Team: Noelle Coyne

Honorable Mention: Ava Castro, Katie Kent, L.T. Noegel

DANCE

Our Dance team kept spirits high all season at games and pep rallies,  and joined the CNHS Band for a Disney parade performance in February!

SOCCER

Crusader Soccer was looking sharp all season with some impressive wins from both the boys and girls teams. 

Palm Beach Post Recognitions:

Second Team: Lola Cannova, Hayden Patten, Mateo Duque-Gomez

Sun Sentinel Recognitions: 

First Team: Jada Alexander, Lola Cannova

Second Team: Hayden Patton, Mateo Duque-Gomez, Elias Sabido

Honorable Mention: Winnie Patton, John Sheptak

GIRLS WEIGHTLIFTING

Congratulations to our inaugural Crusader Girls Weightlifting Team! The first season of this program is in the books and the future is looking bright!

Sun Sentinel Recognitions: 

Honorable Mention: Madelyn Horner

WRESTLING

It was an exciting season for Crusader Wrestling! The team finished 5th overall at Districts with several podium finishes including Nathan Lang who took first in his weight class at districts, second at regionals and finished with All-State honors after placing 5th overall in the State Championships. 

Palm Beach Post Recognitions:

First team: Nate Lang

Sun Sentinel Recognitions: 

First Team: Nate Lang

We’re Crusader proud of all of our athletes that participated in the Winter 2024-25 season!

Note: The Palm Beach Post First Team All-County selections are automatically nominated for Player of the Year at The Posts’s High School Sports Awards presented at the end of the school year. 

Recognition Links:

Palm Beach Post

Sun Sentinel

Follow along on the success and activities on our athletes on instagram @cnhs_athletics

CNHS Athletics’ Fall 2024 has officially wrapped! Here’s a quick recap from each varsity sport:

CROSS COUNTRY

Boys Cross Country had an extraordinary season, making history as District Champions and Regional Champions for the first time ever. They capped off an unforgettable journey with a 3rd place finish at the state championships. The team also earned a remarkable 3rd place finish at the Nationals Tournament in Huntsville, Alabama.

On the girls’ side, Tessa Brown ended the season as the #1 ranked freshman in the county and 9th in the state, marking a stellar debut season.

Palm Beach Post Recognitions:

All-County Honorable Mention: Tessa Brown, Josh Flynn, Lucas Hernandez-Trujillo, Jake Kissel

Coach of the Year: Coach Baron Barber

Sun Sentinel Recognitions:

First Team All-County: Lucas Hernandez-Trujillo

Second Team All-County: Jake Kissel, Tessa Brown

Honorable Mention: Josh Flynn, Andrew Stanek, Kenneth Wagner

GOLF

Golf teams also performed admirably, with both Boys and Girls Golf advancing to Regionals. Lawson Ford and Hagen Bensel made history, representing Cardinal Newman as the only school with two individual golfers at the State Championships.

Palm Beach Post Recognitions:

First Team All-County: Christiana Lee, Lawson Ford

Sun Sentinel Recognitions:

First Team All-County: Lawson Ford

Honorable Mention: Christiana Lee, Charlotte Moore, John Beebe, Hagen Bensel, Blake Quilleon 

FOOTBALL & CHEER

Football made a historic run this year, advancing further into the playoffs than ever before with our Crusader Cheer squad leading the crowd in school spirit and providing enthusiastic support for the team throughout this season. The team reached the Final Four, where they lost in a thrilling overtime battle. They were District and Regional Champions.  Five of our football players signed at the early signing period, with Max Redmon (Florida State), Xanai Scott (University of Illinois), Dylan Frechette (Illinois), Jaylin Brown (Pitt), and Brennan King (Southern Illinois) all securing their futures at the next level. Several other football players will be signing in the February period.

Palm Beach Post Recognitions:

First Team All-County: Jaylin Brown, Dylan Frechette, Jyron Hughley, Brennan King, Max Redmon, Xanai Scott

Second Team All-County: Ryan Coby

Honorable Mention (Coaches): Coach Jack Daniels

Sun Sentinel Recognitions:

Offensive Player of the Year: Jyron Hughley

Defensive Co-Player of the Year: Brennan King

First Team All-County: Jaylin Brown, Dylan Frechette, Max Redmon, Xanai Scott

Second Team All-County: Ignacio Zulaica, Ryan Coby

Coach of the Year: Coach Jack Daniels

Honorable Mention: Gage Coppersmith, Quinn Lundgren, Leslie Mosely, Zamari Sanders, Ashley Walker

SWIMMING & DIVING

Our Swimming & Diving team had a momentum changing year with victories over some perennial swimming powers. This momentum will launch the program into a new era and we look forward to more success in the seasons to come!

VOLLEYBALL

The Volleyball team concluded their season in the Regional tournament ending with an impressive 16-9 record. 

Palm Beach Post Recognitions:

First Team All-County: Ava Castro

Second Team All-County: Dayana Acevedo, Shay Pfendler

Sun Sentinel Recognitions:

First Team All-County: Ava Castro

Second Team All-County: Dayana Acevedo

Honorable Mention: Olivia Peterson

We’re Crusader proud of all of our athletes that participated in the Fall 2024 season!

Note: The Palm Beach Post First Team All-County selections are automatically nominated for Player of the Year at The Posts’s High School Sports Awards presented at the end of the school year. 

Recognition Links:

Palm Beach Post

Sun Sentinel

Follow along on the success and activities on our athletes on instagram @cnhs_athletics

The Cardinal Newman Crusader Baseball program held their 4th Annual Casino Night at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on Saturday, October 26th.

Family & Friends of Crusader Nation came together in support of Crusader Baseball for an evening of classic casino games, raffles and good times.

The Crusaders would like to extend a huge thank you to all attendees, sponsors and volunteers. Our Community wouldn’t be the same without your support!

On Saturday, October 5th, the Cardinal Newman High School Football and Boys Basketball teams celebrated their 2024-2025 seasons with a benefit event at Drive Shack in West Palm Beach, Florida. Crusader Nation came out in full support of these programs and everyone involved had a great Saturday at the Shack!

Leading up to the event, the Crusader Varsity Football team has remained undefeated in regular season play and Boys Basketball training is already underway in preparation for the upcoming season, tipping off in November.

Stay tuned on social media for updates throughout both seasons!

The teams would like to extend a special thank you to all who attended and to the event sponsors:

Title Sponsor: Bonded Lightning Protection

Bay Sponsors: Lighthouse Investment Partners, Shea D. Boys Stable, Dr. Roger Walker (Florida Orthocare)

Go Crusaders!