Athletes of the week Oct. 6
Katie Frederick
The senior was an all-conference starter in field hockey her sophomore season, scored 4 goals in her first game, and finished the season with 13 goals and on a state championship team with her sister Lizzie. “My season couldn’t have gone any better,” Katie said while holding the state championship trophy in 2015. This Tuesday, Katie scored a perfect placement goal with five minutes left in the first half for a 2-0 Cape lead over Sussex Tech, which was the final score. “It’s exactly one year since I tore my ACL against Lake Forest,” Katie said. Katie stayed with her 2016 team and last spring went to lacrosse practice and was on the team roster but did not play for the 2017 state championship. “I’m just glad to get a chance to play again,” she said.
Grace Lee
Sussex Tech first-year head field hockey coach Mia Paltrineri called senior goalie Grace Lee, “The best goalie I have ever gotten the privilege to coach,” referring to Grace as a “brick wall back there against Cape.” Cape managed two first-half goals against Lee by Annie Judge and Katie Frederick, both assisted by Alia Marshall, but 21 saves off 33 Vikings shots kept the game dangerously too close for comfort from the Cape sideline. Lee plays for the Gotta Love It! Oranje team in the off-season. The key to scoring versus Lee may be patience and the extra pass, which takes steely nerves when an aggressive goalie is coming after you and the ball at your feet.
Alison Palmer
A natural-born athlete now a sophomore at James Madison University, she played volleyball, basketball and lacrosse at Cape, and was also a dancer who had a middle school background in track, running the 400 meters and high jumping. Alison is going the smart route in college and is now playing club-level volleyball for the Dukes with team members who are equally fit women who don’t have to endure any “sports build character” speeches from coaches under contract. A big crowd for a college women’s volleyball game may break 100, and a scholarship is a nice incentive, but love of the game is the only reason to play.
Marcella Sabbagh
She’s a broad-shouldered junior defender on the Cape field hockey team who comes up on corners and is a big hitter who can also hit the penalty stroke. The last two wins over Padua and Sussex Tech, Marcella’s cellphone was hit with roaming charges, as she played both ends of the field and was a force in the middle. She has played for Delaware Shore since middle school and is also a product of the Beacon track program where she became a 5-foot high jumper, and she can run, too. “I played forward last season but my natural position is defense,” Marcella said after the win over Sussex Tech. “Big games are fun for the defense.”
