Athletes of the Week Jan. 24

January 24, 2020

Luke Bender

Bender is the perfect name for Cape’s 138-pound freshman wrestler. Wingspan Gumby is just too many words. Luke (23-7) was tournament champion last weekend at the Grapple at the Brook tournament, and Jan. 22 at Sussex Central he scored a 10-0 major decision over Cole Jester. Earlier this season, Luke reached the finals of the Battle at the Beach tournament at Indian River High School and the Southern Slam in South Carolina. “He’s still learning how to approach matches against the better high school guys,” said coach Chris Mattioni. Luke takes all honors and AP classes. Luke, who also plays baseball, is a tough out for anyone.

Tia Jarvis

A fleet-footed sophomore speedster on Cape’s indoor track team, Tia went off at the New Balance Invitational in New York last weekend, posting an anchor leg of 26.5 in the 4-by-200 and coming back with a 59.8 anchor in the 4-by-400. “The Armory in New York is the Mecca of track and field,” said Cape coach Tim Bamforth. Tia established a new Cape sophomore record in the long jump, going 16-feet-11-inches after soaring over 17 feet on a barely scratched jump. Tia followed up her weekend by playing in a Sunday field hockey tournament. “When her skills catch up to her speed, she is going to be unstoppable,” said field hockey coach Kate Austin. Tia is an honors and AP student.

Diana Nauman

Basketball is her sport, and Jan. 17 Diana hit the three-pointer heard around the JV world as the Vikings came from behind to beat Woodbridge 29-27. The win was the 25th straight over two years for the Vikings. “A group of us were sitting on the bench and we said, ‘Let’s get out there and work together and win this game,’” Diana said. “We have great chemistry on this team.” Diana is a baller and a brawler who plays AAU ball with the Lady Warriors, coached by Isaiah Robinson, and Phenoms, coached by Jordan Thomas. She is a solid student. “We all look up to the older players here,” Diana said. “Cape is a really exciting place to play.”

Akira Perry

Akira is connected to Cape across generations; the late Lib Stewart (last holdout at Shipcarpenter) was her great-great-grandmother. Coach Steve Perry (Sussex Tech-North Caroline) is her grandfather. Akira is a baller for the Cape JV basketball team and considers herself more of a shooting guard than a point guard. She is also in the paint going for offensive rebounds when the ball is live. Akira dropped 20 in a win at Stephen Decatur and had 17 in a win at Milford. In the big 29-27 win over Woodbridge Jan. 17, her quickness and defense kept Cape in the game.