Athletes of the Week May 10

Shauna Brittingham

When Shauna, a 5-foot-7 lean and athletic senior, walks into the Cape Henlopen High School office, it appears she could represent any sport, from track to lacrosse or field hockey, maybe even be a triathlete. But her thing for the last 14 years has been competitive cheer and dance. She was a Cape football cheerleader and on a competition team in the winter, all the while dancing at Coastal Dance Academy, where she is also a teacher for the little kids. Shauna recently applied to the Boyer School at Temple University and had to pass a dance audition while also being accepted into Temple. Two weeks later, she received a $9,000 scholarship. Shauna is a college prep student who gets straight As. Temple is ranked in the top 20 in the nation in competitive dance.

Jake Brown

A talented laxer on attack, Jake played for Cape and graduated in 2018. Then he was off to Chatham University near Pittsburgh. Jake was recently selected as first-team all-conference in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. His coach Phil Dodson said, “Having only played the position for one season, Jake has developed into a tremendous attackman. He came up with some key goals for us in PAC play, and it's great to see him recognized by the league. I'm really looking forward to watching him grow as a player and leader on this Cougars squad.” Jake started 12 of 16 games, scoring 34 goals with 18 assists for 52 points, second on the team. The Cougars of Chatham were 9-7 on the season.

Carleigh Knotts

Cape lax beat Polytech 15-3 May 3, and one of the players of the game was Panthers goalie Carleigh Knotts, a junior with 16 saves of the real-deal variety. “She is tough,” said Cape coach Lindsey Underwood. Carleigh was awesome for Polytech, and Cape never went spread yellow to slow it down. Carleigh was the riddle that Cape never quite solved. She also plays basketball and was on the floor when Poly upset Cape 53-50; in fact, she made the winning free throws. Just a junior, she’s described by coach Lynn Richardson as a great kid. Poly will be a top 8 seed in the state tournament with a goalie who can keep them in games.

Karissa Worley

Karissa transferred to Cape from Northern High School in Calvert County, Md., becoming a starter on a lacrosse defense that lost two all-state athletes in Jody Boyer and Annie Judge. Karissa has signed with Lasalle University, a D1 program, and will pursue a degree in nursing. “The Cape girls were so great in accepting me. The flow and unity on our team is special,” Karissa said. Karissa wears a helmet when she plays, having suffered three concussions, including one in her sophomore year that sent her to Baltimore shock trauma. “I have a 4.0 average this year,” she said. “A senior superlative my classmates wrote for me says, ‘Bleeds Blue and Gold.’ I just love supporting all the athletes in all sports.”