Laxers Sweep the FHSAA Ronald N Davis Scholar of the Year Awards!
ESJ’s Kathryn Adams and Plant’s Hyatt Criser Named Ronald N. Davis Scholar-Athletes of the Year
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Kathryn Adams and Hyatt Criser were named the 2023 FHSAA Ronald N. Davis Female and Male Scholar-Athletes of the Year. Adams and Criser both maintained impressive GPA’s while participating in multiple sports. They each performed extensive amounts of community service and were recognized for many athletic and academic awards.
“The hardworking men and women of Florida’s dairy industry are honored to recognize the significant accomplishments of Kathryn and Hyatt,” Florida Dairy Farmers CEO Michele Cooper said. “They’ve demonstrated a work ethic and drive that is second to none and we’re proud to help them take the next step toward their amazing futures.”
Female-Scholar Athlete of the Year: Kathryn Adams
Kathryn Adams, Episcopal School of Jacksonville – Kathryn Adams owns a 4.0 GPA and ranks first in her senior class of 150 students. She is a National Merit Scholar, Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction, and received two Silver Keys at the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Throughout her high school career, she has participated in four varsity sports including volleyball, lacrosse, basketball, and beach volleyball. The Episcopal School of Jacksonville Female Scholar-Athlete received an Honorable Mention from the Florida Times Union for the All-First Coast Volleyball and Basketball teams. Kathryn has served as class president and Eagle Ambassador for the past three years. She has accumulated over 200 service hours through Dance Marathon and the North Florida School of Special Education Equestrian Therapy Program. Kathryn is the daughter of John and Ashley Adams and plans to study English and writing at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire this fall.
Male-Scholar Athlete of the Year: Hyatt Criser
Hyatt Criser, Plant High School (Tampa)– Hyatt Criser owns a 4.0 GPA and ranks in the top of his class. The Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction is a member of the National Hispanic Recognition Program, National Honor Society and Order of the Gold and Black. Hyatt earned varsity letters in lacrosse and swimming and diving all four years of high school. His senior year, Tampa Lax Report named Hyatt Player of the Week and Hillsborough County Public Schools named him High School Scholar-Athlete Winner. Hyatt serves as senior class president, Editor-in-Chief of his school newspaper, and co-president of his school’s student section, Gold Rush. He has earned over 430 hours of community service through his work with Teens in Action, Cornerstone, and Camp Terrapin. He is the son of Mark and Heather Criser and plans to study neuroscience in the fall at University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
About the Florida Dairy Farmers Academic All-State Team
Twelve male and female student-athletes from across Florida were honored for their exemplary achievements at the banquet. The recognition of the Florida Dairy Farmers Academic All-State Team is part of the organization’s ongoing mission of building leaders through teamwork, sportsmanship, and citizenship. These athletes exemplify all the values the FHSAA upholds.
The group was awarded a total of $50,000 in scholarships. Each of the 24 Florida Dairy Farmers Academic All-State Team members received a $1,700 scholarship from the FHSAA, with Moncrief and Squier receiving an additional $4,600 for a total of a $6,300 scholarship.
To be eligible for selection to the Florida Dairy Farmers Academic All-State Team, a student-athlete must be a graduating senior, have a cumulative unweighted GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and have earned a varsity letter in at least two different sports during each of his or her junior and senior years. Members were selected based on academic record, athletic participation, non-athletic activities, community service and an essay. The members distinguished themselves from 131 qualified nominees attending 700-plus FHSAA member high schools.
The FHSAA is the governing body for high school athletics in Florida, but its mission goes far beyond athletics. To the FHSAA, a student-athlete is most importantly a student first. The Florida Dairy Farmers Academic All-State Team embodies the organization’s commitment to recognizing student-athletes who have shown outstanding dedication not only to athletic excellence but also to academic achievement and service to the community.
Additional Members of the 2023 Florida Dairy Farmers Academic All-State Team
| Jayson Alford, Pace | Jack Bancroft, Out of Door (Sarasota) |
| Kenneth Barrett, Miami Country Day | Fisher Coleman-Sayer, Marathon |
| Ingrid Corpus, Benjamin (West Palm Beach) | Austin Edwards, Crystal River |
| Garrett Eisenhuth, Seacrest Country Day (Naples) | Presley Engelauf, Lemon Bay (Englewood) |
| Eric Feichthaler Jr., Oasis (Cape Coral) | Leah Finkelman, North Broward Prep (Coconut Creek) |
| Jace Grant, Aucilla Christian (Monticello) | Megan Griggs, Forest (Ocala) |
| Eve Hage, Bishop Moore (Orlando) | Alexa Hanssen, Jupiter |
| Anika Kinnear, Lake Mary | Matthew Lisman, Bishop Moore (Orlando) |
| Abigail Lofstead, Palm Beach Central (Wellington) | Jackson Mallick, Rocky Bayou Christian (Niceville) |
| David Om, Rocky Bayou Christian (Niceville) | Elizabeth Pruitt, Rocky Bayou Christian (Niceville) |
| Ava Ramos, Taylor (Pierson) | Bella Rosa, St. Stephens (Bradenton) |
About Florida Dairy Farmers
Florida Dairy Farmers (FDF) is Florida’s milk promotion organization, representing the state’s hardworking dairy farm families who locally produce more than 300 million gallons of fresh milk each year. FDF’s sponsorship of the Academic All-State Team complements the organization’s long history of supporting Florida’s student-athletes.
About the FHSAA
The Florida High School Athletic Association supervises and regulates interscholastic athletic programs for high school students at member public, private and charter schools. The organization also recognizes and honors academic achievement among student-athletes at over 800 middle, junior and senior high schools statewide. Headquartered in Gainesville, it is the official governing body for interscholastic athletics in Florida.
