Mike Ridaught
Today’s senior spotlight is on Payton Bumgarner of Gainesville High School.
Bumgarner was a four-year varsity player for the GHS girls’ tennis team. She is a natural right hander who has played left-handed for the last few years due to a significant wrist injury.
Her favorite high school sports moment came in 2018 when the Hurricanes won their regional match to get into the state tournament.
Bumgarner, who was a district runner-up in 2017, ended 2018 with a 12-1 record as the Hurricanes’ No. 5 player. GHS defeated Tallahassee Chiles in the Class 3A state semifinals two years ago and finished as state runners-up, marking Gainesville’s best finish since winning the 3A title in 2006.
Bumgarner also excelled in the classroom. She finished Top 18 among the 2020 Gainesville High School graduates. She was a member of the National Honor Society and was also a member of the Spanish Honor Society. After GHS, Payton Bumgarner will attend the University of Florida.
If you or someone you know is a graduating senior who participated in spring sports this season, we want to hear from you. You can either send us an audio shout out which we will play on the radio, or send us your bio and I will voice it for you. For more information, please email mike@ThePrepZone.com.
Mike Ridaught is the founder and publisher of ThePrepZone.com, the foremost website for high school sports in northeast Florida.