Athletes of the Week July 31

Mehkia Applewhite

A rising Cape junior on the basketball court, any defender accepting a charge from Mehkia at the end of a fast break will find their physical well-being going straight to the debit column. “Since the shutdown, she has been in the gym lifting and working out five to seven times per week,” said coach Pat Woods. “At The Factory she trains with high school/college players, and two to three times per week she practices for AAU for Team Durant out of DC, a team she tried out for and made the weekend before our Tatnall game. She is stronger, faster, and handling the ball better. Her decision-making and basketball IQ have improved as well. She used to just ‘get it and go,’ which usually works when you're the fastest and strongest player on the court, but now she is making better reads and picking her spots from playing against better competition.” 

Jenna Farmer

Jenna was the women’s winner at the Penn State Day 5K July 25 in Dewey Beach with a time of 19:49. Jenna is from Lewisburg, Pa., and graduated from Bucknell University in 2018, where she ran cross country and track for the Bison. Jenna ran 16:55 for the 5K while at Bucknell and also has a personal best 9:48 in the 3K. Jenna ran on a school-record distance medley team (11:48) and was on a blazing 4-by-800 relay that cranked a time of 8:47. She was second-team All-Patriot League as a junior in cross country and was Academic All-Patriot League. The 23-year-old graduate in cell biology/biochemistry is heading to LaSalle University to pursue a degree in optometry. Here’s looking at you, Jenna. Jenna ran a sub-five-minute mile in high school and is considered one of Lewisburg High’s all-time best distance runners. 

Mike McDonnell

A Michigan lacrosse face-off specialist for four years for the Wolverines who graduated in 2018, Mike was at open-field lacrosse July 22 at Legends Stadium doing what he does, taking face-offs and mentoring younger players like C.J. Fritchman. Like C.J., Matt was a high school wrestler. “I know C.J.,” Mike said. “We talk all the time. He is a great athlete. You know, there’s something about wrestling that translates to the face-off circle.” Matt was 36-for-74 for a .486 face-off percentage his senior season along with nine ground balls. Mike graduated from Middleburg Academy in Virginia in 2014, where he was Athlete of the Year. He played football and soccer and wrestled, and he was a Northern Region Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll Member. 

Kashmir Wise

Last basketball season playing for Milford Middle School, Kashmir led the Baby Bucs to an undefeated season including a win over powerhouse Woodbridge in the finals of the Capitol Classic. In an overtime win over Postlethwait in February, Wise scored 39 points in a 27-minute game. “A nice kid and an absolute beast on the basketball court. He's been working out and working hard here at The Factory all summer,” said Pat Woods. Wise only saw the fourth quarter three times last season and averaged 28 points per game. “He also wants to guard the best player,” his coach Tony Hazzard said. Woods said, “He’s fast. He’s athletic. He can handle it. He can shoot it. He can create his own shot. And he is willing to show up to get better at 7 a.m. on summer mornings.”