Athletes of the Week Jan. 20

Ryan Baker

Senior Ryan Baker has worked hard to make himself into one of Delaware’s finest distance runners, and at the Virginia Showcase Jan. 14, he rose to the occasion to become the best indoor two-miler in Cape Henlopen High School history, breaking the record held by the legendary Lance White since 1978. Ryan ran the 16-lap race in 9:25.06 to beat Lance’s 9:29 two-mile time. The 3,200-meter conversion puts Ryan at 9:21.78 for the school’s indoor record. Lance’s conversion would have been 9:26.32. The meet was held on a fast, banked 200-meter oval. Ryan was a first-team all-state selection in cross country last fall and is looking forward to taking a shot at the indoor 1,600-meter record of 4:26.06, which is also held by Lance White. Ryan will be attending Lehigh University, majoring in engineering.

C.J. Fritchman

C.J. notched his 100th career wrestling win Wednesday night, Jan. 18, at Polytech. His dad Todd was there, but C.J. was surprised when coach Chris Mattioni pulled a poster from his bag of tributes. And that is quintessential C.J. Fritchman, quietly excelling at whatever he is doing at the moment. “C.J. is a quiet leader. He works hard, does the extra to perfect techniques,” Mattioni said. “He’s a great kid who will do anything the team needs.” C.J. has a career record of 100-24 and 50 pins; his current-season record is 18-2 with 15 pins. He’s a three-time state placer, including sixth, second and second. “Pound for pound, he’s the strongest kid on the team,” Mattioni said. “He won the Governor Mifflin and Grapple at the Brook tournaments. He’s a smart kid with an A average taking all honors classes.”

Katie Kuhlman

Katie Kuhlman put together the best track & field week by a distance runner in Cape Henlopen history, as she broke the 1,600-meter record last week at the Ocean Breeze in New Jersey with a time of 5:15, then returned this past weekend in Virginia Beach, where she broke the 3,200-meter record with an 11:34.56 clocking. The meet was the Virginia Showcase, held on the banked 200-meter oval known to be one of the fastest in the country. The previous record of 11:56.67 was set by Marty Shue Broerman in 1986. The 37-year-old record was the only one left from the 1980s. Katie holds both indoor distance records, making her the queen of Cape distance running and the best indoor distance runner ever to wear a Vikings uniform. Katie is planning to major in pre-veterinary medicine. She’s considering Marshall, Virginia Tech and Penn State.

Andrew Schaen

Andrew is the soul with heart in the middle of the Cape wrestling lineup. Rolling low to high over 14 weight classes, he is at 150, or wrestler No. 8. He is a captain and a leader. Coach Chris Mattioni said: “Andrew has a career record of 78-49; his first two years were at Lake Forest. He was a state qualifier his freshman year.  Andrew was 25-19 last season and finished seventh in the state. His current record is 23-9 with four pins. Andrew is one of the most dedicated and hardworking wrestlers on the team this year. He is a vocal team captain who pushes those around him. He never misses practice and always puts in extra time after practice to improve techniques. He is an excellent student with an A average in honors and AP classes.”