Winter Park High tennis coach Terri Bentley surprised a lot of friends when her smiling face popped up on television screens during the U.S. Open, which culminated last weekend with singles championship victories by world No. 1s Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz.
The United State Tennis Association used the 15 days of worldwide TV coverage to advertise the launch of a new USTA Coaching Serve Your Passion initiative, which aims to recognize and support coaches at every level.
The 30-second video, played during breaks in the action at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, spotlights Bentley in a huddle with teenage players and moments later doing her best Meryl Streep portrayal as a joyous coach celebrating a big point. She and several of her players were joined by some Lake Nona players in the July shoot at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona.
“We did makeup and wardrobe and the whole shebang,” Bentley said Monday. “The USTA is really recognizing the importance of high school coaches and players, and I’m so excited about that.”
Bentley, an Edgewater High grad, has long been an ambassador for the sport. She played intramural tennis at UCF and worked in the business at several country clubs and tennis facilities in her early 20s.
“I was totally bitten by the tennis bug,” Bentley said. “I was a club level player and I did start out teaching kids and ladies who wanted to play the game.”
She will play out her 34th and final high school season this spring as one of the most successful coaches in Orlando-area history. In 23 seasons as head coach of Winter Park’s girls and boys teams she has chalked up well over 600 wins. Her girls teams have advanced 15 times to the state tournament and 11 boys teams have reached the FHSAA finals. Only five times has Bentley not taken a Wildcats team to the state tournament.
She won a state coach of the year award in 2012, was later honored by the USTA for her no-cut policy, and served on the FHSAA Tennis Advisory Committee and as a vice president for the Florida High School Tennis Coaches Association.
“I’ll be 62 this year, and I think it’s just the right time,” she said. Bentley plans to continue teaching for at least one more year after this.
Terri Bentley has coached Winter Park High School’s boys and girls tennis teams for 23 seasons and will make it 24 this spring. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)
Bowling records
The South Lake boys team set Lake County and District 4 records in a win against Mount Dora at the Clermont Bowling Center. The Eagles eclipsed records that dated to 2013 with a two-game team total of 2,396 and a five-player single-game score of 1,223.
The state records, according to the U.S. School Bowling Foundation, are 2,434 by Astronaut in 2020 and 1,318 by Martin County in 2012.
Thomas Owen rolled a 277 game and Ryan Sapp had a 258 in the South Lake victory.
Windermere opened its season with a three-game 2,737 victory. That included a 643 series by Ryan Martin.
Apopka’s Bradyn Sowers rolled a 278 game in a tri-match win.
Boone junior Zachary Harvill posted a two-game 558 in a season-opening victory.
Winter Park’s boys and girls are both 4-0. Adriana Cabezas posted a 597 three-game series in a girls win.
Cross country
Hagerty’s boys cruised to victory at the 25-team Winter Springs Invitational for their third win in three meets. The Huskies, 4A state runners-up last season, put their five scoring runners in the top 14 — led by senior Ricardo Hernandez, who placed second with a time of 16 minutes, 41.3 seconds for 5,000 meters.
Hagerty hosts its own invitational on Friday night. JV races begin at 5:30, followed by varsity girls at 6:45 and varsity boys at 7:15.
Bishop Moore ninth grader Annabella Tomasic crushed another course record when she won the Florida Horse Park Invitational in Ocala with a 17:33.3 time.
Lake Nona senior Matthew Rutan clocked a big personal best 15:50.4 to set a boys meet record at the St. Cloud Invitational. Lions sophomore Arabella Duffell, who was the Metro East champion as a ninth grader, won the St. Cloud girls race at 18:36.4.
Olympia won boys and girls races at the South Lake Invitational.
Saturday’s schedule includes the SSG Hammond Invitational at East Ridge and the Lake Buena Vista Invite.
Golf
Lake Nona’s stellar sophomore, Alexandra Snyder, shot a 62 at par-70 Winter Pines Golf Club in a 265-288 girls win against Winter Park.
Aspen Bikowski carded a 3-under 33 in the Griffins 141-144 win against Windermere Prep at Orange County National Golf Club.
Bishop Moore’s standout sophomore boys, Jack Mokris and Noan Manly, excelled at the Lakewood Ranch Invitational. Mokris shot 68-67–135 (7-under-par) to win the individual title. Manly, a third placer in the Oklahoma state tournament last year, shot 66-76–142.
Two weeks ago, Mokris shot 70-66—136 to win a Florida Junior Tour 13-15 age group event at Reunion Resort & Golf Club.
Next Wednesday’s Sam Ryder Invitational, hosted by Bishop Moore at Dubsdread, includes the Circle Christian, Lake Highland Prep, Lake Mary Prep, Windermere High and Winter Park girls teams. Ryder is a PGA Tour pro and Bishop Moore alum.
Boone senior Elle Mottola (8) attacks against block attempts by The First Academy players Ella Vaughn (13) and Lauren Mikles (12) in a girls volleyball match. TFA won at Boone and remains unbeaten. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Volleyball
Bella Seals delivered 54 assists and Soraya Teston had 32 kills for East River (4-4) in a 25-19, 20-25, 25-22, 18-25, 15-13 nailbiter win against Cypress Creek (3-2).
The First Academy, under new head coach Amanda Serpa, is 7-0 a year after finishing 4-15.
Sophia Stallworth shined as state champ Winter Park (10-1) swept previously-unbeaten Olympia (8-1) by scores of 25-20, 25-15, 28-26. The state champ Wildcats, No. 1 in 7A, play at 2A No. 1 Orangewood Christian (9-2) on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Senior standout Isa Umpierre had 19 kills and 16 digs for Lake Highland Prep (8-2) in a 25-23, 26-24,18-25, 24-26,15-10 win against Tampa Plant (6-4). Paige Perkins added 13 kills and 20 digs in the win.
Innovation (7-1) rallied to beat rival Lake Nona 24-26, 25-18, 25-19, 25-22.
Horizon is 12-1 with its only loss coming against Rancho Christian (17-4*) of California in a Las Vegas tournament. Stefany Ortiz had 37 assists, 5 aces, and 6 kills for the Hawks against South Lake.
Foundation Academy, led by Geiliany Del Valle and Haley Higgins, is off to an 11-1 start.
The Lake Howell Invitational, Friday and Saturday, will be played at Orlando’s Game Point Events Center. Florida Christian (6-0*) of Miami is the top seed. The top-rated area entries are Innovation, Bishop Moore (4-3) and Lake Howell (6-2).
Extra points
• Lake Brantley alum Sinclaire Johnson is set to run her first round of the women’s 1500 meter run on Saturday at the World Athletics Championships (track & field) in Tokyo. She’s looking to advance to Sunday’s semifinals and a final set for Monday morning our time.
• Damian Moore is averaging 11.3 yards per carry (28 tries, 387 yards) for area No. 1 Edgewater (3-0) going into Friday night’s blockbuster home football game against Jones (2-1).
Edgewater athlete Damian Moore (7) leaps past defenders during the Edgewater at Bishop Moore Catholic varsity preseason football game in Orlando on Friday, August 15, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
(*does not count Wednesday match).
Varsity content editor Buddy Collings can be contacted by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.
