Athletes of the Week March 1

Connor Kugelmann

A Cape senior wrestler heading to the University of Charleston in the fall, Connor was pressed into the starting lineup for the Henlopen Conference Championships at 175 pounds after starter Jeffrey Rainier rolled his ankle on Sunday playing basketball. “I weigh 160 pounds,” he said. “The coaches asked me if I wanted the spot, and I said sure.” Eighth-seeded Connor wrestled five times over two days and won the fifth-place “blood round” match Feb. 24. He has qualified for states and is seeded 11th. “I didn’t wrestle my junior year, but I went to some tournament with Noah Diamond just for fun,” Connor said. “Coach [Matt] Graviet texted me and asked me to come back out, which motivated me to give wrestling another try.” “Connor is athletic and aggressive. All his matches are interesting,” said coach Chris Mattioni.

Gracie Maughan 

This Sussex Academy senior honors and AP student has continued to be a force in the pool, setting records in the 100 breaststroke and 100 butterfly at Henlopen Conference Swim Championships. Last weekend, she took gold in the breaststroke for the second year in a row at the DIAA Championships. She also garnered a bronze in the individual medley. "Gracie has been not only a great swimmer during her career at Sussex Academy, but she is also a great leader," said coach Tom Martiner. "We’re really going to miss her and wish her all the best as she continues her swimming at the collegiate level.” Gracie plans to participate in swimming at the University of Rhode Island. She swims in the off-season for the Sussex Family YMCA squad in Rehoboth Beach. She also will compete in the throwing events on the track team this spring.

Max Meadows

A junior at 132 pounds in the Cape wrestling lineup, Max is a tough out for any opponent. He has been winning crucial dual-meet matches for the Vikings all season. Last weekend in the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament, Max won two matches before falling to top-seeded Evan Cordrey in the semifinals. Max fought his way through the wrestlebacks and won two matches, including beating Warren Coates of Smyrna in the third-place championship match. “All wrestlers know that fighting back to get third is a real sign of grit and toughness,” said assistant coach Shane Jensen. Max is seeded seventh in the DIAA Individual State Tournament this weekend at Cape. If he beats Davonne Dallas of Milford, he will likely face Chris Foster, the No. 2 seed from Saint Mark’s.

Anna Mumford

An honors and AP student at Sussex Academy, this freshman has made quite a splash this year in the Delaware swim community. She recently broke records in the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle at the Henlopen Conference Swim Championships Feb. 10. She followed that feat with a gold-medal performance in the 500 freestyle at the DIAA Swim Championships last weekend at the University of Delaware. She also took the bronze medal in the 200 freestyle. "That’s really something, to win an event at states as a freshman," said Seahawks coach Tom Martiner. "It’s going to be a blast watching her get better each year. Beyond that, she is a great kid and a great teammate. If there was a record for most smiles during a season, she’d be a shoo-in." In the off-season, Anna swims for the Mako Swim squad.