Athletes of the Week May 22
Amanda Atkinson
A 2015 Cape graduate, this first-love soccer athlete also played the left outside midfield position on Cape’s 2014 state championship field hockey team. There were no 50/50 balls in Amanda’s world; she owned the turf in her neighborhood. “I had more of a passion for soccer, but the atmosphere of Cape hockey was one of my favorite parts of high school. Being a part of that team was amazing,” Amanda said. Post high school, Amanda has graduated cum laude with a BS in nutrition and a 3.5 GPA from East Carolina University, and been commissioned in the U.S. Army as an active-duty second lieutenant and engineer officer. She also graduated from Air Assault School, was awarded the Army Achievement Medal and ran a marathon just to prove she could. She’s also a graduate of Sapper School, a joint service course designed to create elite combat engineers. Back on Aug. 23, 2014, she played midfield for Cape hockey at an afternoon play day at Polytech, then midfield in the Hispanic Women’s Soccer League Championship at Sussex Tech later that night.
Chris Dawson
A current Cape district and Lewes resident, Chris works in management in the poultry industry. He graduated from Seaford High School in 1991 where he played football for Captain Dick (the late Ron Dickerson) and threw the shot put and discus for coach Rob Perciful, a 40-year veteran of coaching track at both Seaford and Cape. Chris is the only four-time conference champion in the shot put in Henlopen Conference history. In Chris’s senior year at Seaford, he was the indoor state champion in the shot at 49-feet-2 ½-inches, and outdoor state champion at 50-feet-2 ¼-inches His personal best is 52-4. He also threw the discus more than 140 feet. He and his wife Tasha have two daughters: Lauria, entering 10th grade at Cape, and Tara, who will be a sixth-grader at Beacon. Lauria does track while Tara has been with the Sussex Dance Academy for six years. “Chris was quick across the circle and just showed up in big meets,” Perciful said.
Caitlin McGroerty
A graduate of Seaford High School class of 2004, Caitlin is now working the front lines as a nurse at Beebe Healthcare. She was a distance runner in high school with a personal best of 11:44 in the 3,200 meters, which is still the school record at Seaford. Caitlin was also the No. 2 runner on the 2000 Division 2 state champion cross country team. At the University of South Carolina, where she ran for legendary coach Curtis Fry, she owned a personal best of 19:58 for the 5K and 24:23 for the collegiate 6K distance. Caitlin was contacted out of the blue by Fredman on a tip from her high school coach Rob Perciful, and she responded, ”Reliving the glory days – that would be fine. Let me know what you need.” She added, “Prior to this outbreak, I was training for the Delmarva Dash, but that is on hold now. [There are] lots of athletes on the front lines working for all of us during this outbreak.”
Robbie Myers
Robbie is a 9-year-old second-grader at Shields Elementary School who started running last spring, keeping his mom Alison, Cape school board president, company during 5K races. Last month, Robbie completed the Seashore Striders virtual challenge of six races, posting the following times: one mile, 8:25; 5K, 25:35; 10K, 1:04:44, 10-mile, 1:47:18; and half-marathon, 2:22:01. He also completed the team challenge Second Grade Sprinters with Brady Sherman and Kai Mundok, running his five-mile distance in 44:38 and half-marathon in 2:15:28. Look at Robbie Myers and “The Athlete” jumps out at you. His dad Rob is a cardiologist who played quarterback (backup) at University of Delaware and was a minor league pitcher with the Twins and the Orioles. Uncles include GR Myers, a basketball coach at UD and Dover; Golden Myers, quarterback at Lake Forest and Wesley; and Rocky Myers, free safety at Wesley and Gagliardi Award winner as Outstanding Player in Division 3. Robbie plays Pop Warner football, The Factory basketball, and Lewes Little League and Bagel Bombers baseball. His siblings are Bella, Aubrie, Rylie and Bryn.
