ORLANDO\, Fla. — There were plenty of newsworthy sporting events that happened in the Central Florida and Tampa Bay areas that made 2024 a year to remember.

The past 12 months saw championships won, records broken, and we said goodbye to some familiar faces.

In August, Lake Mary won the Little League World Series, the first Little League team from Florida to be world champions. In November, the Orlando Pride won the National Women's Soccer League Shield, which goes to the team with the best regular-season record. That led the team to winning its first NWSL championship by defeating the Washington Spirit, 1-0.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Orlando Magic and Orlando City all had successful regular seasons, as all made the playoffs. Clearwater's Bobby Finke, meanwhile, won gold in the 1500-meter freestyle swim at the Paris Olympics and set a world record in the process.

Also in 2024, we said goodbye to some big names in the sporting world.

Former Pride and U.S. Women's National Team forward Alex Morgan called it a career on the pitch. The Lightning's all-time leading scorer, Steven Stamkos, signed with the Nashville Predators in July, ending a 16-year career with the Bolts. In July, Magic co-founder Pat Williams passed away at the the age of 84. He spent 30 years with the Magic. And in October, USF men’s basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim passed away at the age of 43.

The year 2024 gave us a lot to look forward to the future as well. The Tampa Bay Rays remain hopeful for a new stadium, and USF broke ground on an on-campus football stadium that is set to open in 2027.

In December, fan favorite Scott Frost returned to be the head coach of UCF football.