Athletes of the Week April 5

April 5, 2019

Sonja Friend-Uhl

Friend is the perfect name for this 48-year-old, well-balanced woman who graduated 30 years ago from Cape, where she was a state champion 800-meter runner and all-state jazz band member. She excelled at William and Mary as a middle distance runner. If Sonja was your friend anywhere along the way, she is your friend today. Last week in Poland, she won the World Masters Athletics Indoor Championship in the 800 meters with a time of 2:17.14 and placed second in the 1,500 meters in 4:44:10. Sonja won several USLA soft sand two-mile run world titles when she was a member of the Rehoboth Beach Patrol. She was an Olympic trials qualifier in the 1,500 in 2000 and is the current masters record holder on the indoor mile, and American masters record holder in the 1,500 and the 3,000. Sonja lives with her husband Brad and daughters Brianna and Alexa in Boca Raton, Fla.

Julian Roach

A junior sprinter on the Sussex Tech track team, this young man can flat-out fly ... he walks away from fast people. On a cold day in Milford April 2 versus the Bucs and Cape, Julian won the 100 meters in 11.4, 200 meters in 23.7, long jump at 20-feet-10-inches and blew open the 400 relay won by the Ravens in 44.9. On March 28 versus Dover, he won the 100 in 11.1, 200 in 23.1 and anchored a 4-by-200 that ran 1:31, which is really fast for March. Julian also ran a 10.7 100 at CR March 26. Julian’s goal is to win the conference and state meets in three events, and go on to earn a Division I college scholarship for track.

Lilly Short

A Sussex Tech sweet striker and only a freshman, Lilly plays with her head on a swivel while many backline defenders do that quick 180-degree rotation, “‘Where did that ball go? Don’t tell me!” The Ravens are off to a 5-0 start, outscoring opponents 26-2. Lilly had 16 goals in those five games, and the freaky factoid is 13 of her goals have come in the first half. Lilly did have two second-half goals in the first game of the season versus Appoquinimink. The first was to tie the game and the second to win it. As a Sussex Academy eighth-grader last year, she scored the only goal in a 1-0 win at Cape. “She shoots! She scores!” That’s the Short version.

Lindsey Swontek

A senior captain on the Cape soccer team, this honor society student piled up seven goals in the team's three shutouts. She hit the twine for a hat trick in the Vikings' 8-0 win over Woodbridge April 1. "Lindsey is a fantastic soccer player with a high IQ and excellent vision on the field," said Cape coach Patrick Kilby. "She has the ability to combine with her teammates at a high level. She is unselfish and has an uncanny ability to set her teammates up for success.” She is a member of the Leo Club and is vice president of Cape's Best Buddies organization. When not playing soccer, she can be found hanging out on the beach with her friends or playing for the Henlopen Soccer Club.