Athletes of the Week March 23

Hannah Bieler

This senior soccer player at Cape by way of Mariner Middle plays outside right midfield and sometimes striker for coach Pat Kilby’s boot scooters. “I was in a scoring slump last season, but this preseason I had two goals and two assists during the play day at Indian River, and I’m totally healthy,” she said. Hannah had ACL surgery her freshman year, adding, “I’ve had three knee surgeries over the last four years. Our team this year, we are ready to win some games.” Hannah will be heading to the University of North Carolina Wilmington this fall and will major in criminal justice. “I want to be a crime scene investigator,” she said. Hannah takes honors and AP classes.

Leah Marsh

Leah plays outside right back on the Cape soccer team and takes her job of protecting goalie Lucy Siranides very seriously, albeit aggressively. The junior came to Cape early in her sophomore year from Sussex Academy, where she played lacrosse as a ninth-grader before switching back to soccer. She also ran cross country in the fall. “There are too many rules in lacrosse; you can’t be violent,” Leah said with a smile. Leah takes honors and some AP courses. Leah’s dad is a marine biologist and her mom is a speech pathologist. “I love our coaches [Kilby and Gary Montalto], and feel we can go to the tournament this season,” she said.

Lucy Siranides

Lucy is a sophomore who is starting her second season in the goal for Cape. Her dad’s a retired Jersey City policeman and her mom a bartender at Touch of Italy. Lucy is athletic and fearless. She said she imagines two garbage cans behind the goal; inside one she throws goals she had no chance to stop, while the other is a recycle bin. “I look back and figure out what I needed to do to stop it,” she said. “My dad records every game. We review it when I get home.” Lucy is in the honors programs and wants to major in early childhood education. She is ranked sixth in her class. “I feel like this team is going to be the first at Cape in 12 years to go to the state tournament,” Lucy said. Lucy can go high and is dauntless as she slides into attacking strikes. “I got kicked in the eye socket last year,” she said. “That got my attention, but I stopped the shot.”

Madi Swontek

Madi is just a freshman who’s starting on the varsity midfield. “My sister Lindsey [a junior] is the best player on the team, but everyone says I’m more like my older brother, Billy.” Billy is a graduating senior at Neumann University who is athletically gifted and an aggressive energy style of player. “I’m an athlete, but I also take all honors classes  because that’s where the future is,” she said. “I don’t worry about being a freshman; I just go out and play. I know coach Kilby believes we can make it to the tournament. He’s a great coach; I just love him and coach Mont.” Amazingly, with three soccer siblings in the family, Madi’s dad was a baseball guy. Her mom works as a para at the Sussex Consortium.