Athletes of the Week July 6
Will Bullock
An 18-year-old distance runner from Kennesaw Mountain High School in Georgia, Bullock ran a very fast time of 16:25 at the Beach Paper Firecracker 5K June 30 to place second behind Erick Westog (15:48), who also hails from Georgia. The two met for the first time after the race. Bullock ran a personal-best time of 9:25 in the 3,200 last spring and has earned himself a track scholarship to attend Division I Eastern Illinois University, where he will run cross country and track. Bullock also ran a 4:30 mile and numerous fast times on relay splits.
Connor Coulbourne
A rising eighth-grader at Mariner Middle School, this 10-12 Milton All-Star pitcher went the distance in the championship of the District 3 Pat Knight Tournament, throwing the maximum of 85 pitches and taking home a 2-1 victory. He struck out seven Georgetown batters, while not allowing an earned run. "It was my best pitching performance,” said the Mariner honor roll student. "I just felt great and wanted to keep it going. I set up the batters with my fastball, and when I had two strikes on them, I came at them with the curve." He not only gives it his all on the diamond; he also delivers through community service with Mariner’s Advancement Via Individual Determination program, volunteering at many local events. When he’s not playing baseball, you can find him swimming at his family pool.
Alivia Heers
At just 11 years old, this rising sixth-grader at Beacon Middle School plays like a stellar veteran behind the plate for the Cape Major League softball team. She has been playing the catcher position for just one year. Cape manager Debbie Benton credits her with being the leader on the squad. "She is the catcher you want back there," Benton said. “She's hard, but she's patient with the girls on the field. She slows the game down when she needs to and gives her teammates confidence to make the plays. When she sees the team getting nervous, she takes control and makes everybody play better." When not playing on the Cape squad, she plays for the East Coast Explosion travel squad out of Laurel.
Kevin Lauer
This 19-year-old out of Mount Laurel, N.J., was warming up before the July 4 Red, White and Blue 5K wearing a T-shirt that read Navy. Those shirts are sold in the campus bookstore and in shops all over downtown Annapolis. Lauer smiled: “I’m just out of high school, and I’ll attend Navy prep school in the fall for a year before enrolling in the Naval Academy the following year.” Lauer ran a 4:18 mile in the spring and a 1:57 800 meters on a relay leg and about a 9:30 for 3,200 meters. “I’d like to run mid-15s here today, but I’m not really in top shape,” he said. Lauer caught a stitch and looked in pain upon finishing, but still managed a time of 17:48, good for fourth place.
