Athletes of the Week Nov. 19
Alicia Guajardo
Alicia, a sophomore, was chilling Sunday morning, part of the Sussex Tech water crew at mile 22 on the Coastal Delaware Marathon. Alicia, whose mom is a Padua Panda, was Sussex Tech’s No. 2 runner this year. Alicia is straight out of Millsboro Middle School, where she first flashed her running talents. “She is a hard worker and wants to make it to the nationals with the Seashore Striders team,” said Ravens assistant coach Martin Rodriguez. Alicia ran 21:21 at the Sand Hill Invitational, 22:09 at the Sussex County Championships, 22:41 at the Henlopen Conference Championships and 23:39 at states on the hilly course at Brandywine Creek State Park. Ravens coaches believe Alicia has just scratched the surface of her talents.
Hailey Hassell
Just a freshman on the Cape girls’ cross country team, Hailey has dropped her time by minutes this season to be a regular top-five runner for the Vikings. Hailey ran a personal best time of 21:19 at the Sussex County Championships as Cape’s No. 4 runner, helping the Vikings secure a narrow victory over Sussex Academy. Hailey ran 21:02 at the Henlopen Conference Championship for 12th place, but was Cape’s No. 2 overall runner. Hailey was selected to the second-team All-Henlopen Conference. Assistant coach Rob Perciful said, “Hailey came to us from Reno, Nev. She had never done any competitive running prior to coming out for cross country, but was a competitive 500-meter long-distance swimmer. Because of the move across the country, Hailey missed the first two weeks of practice. Her first race was the Lake Forest Invitational, where she ran 29:16. At the conference meet, she lowered her time to 21:02. Hailey will swim this winter, but promises to run in the spring.”
Colin Kay
Sussex Tech’s No. 1 cross country runner put together a great season. Colin began his career as a freshman running in the 19-minute range. As a senior, he is a 16:40 runner for the 5K. He is studying HVAC at Sussex Tech, but is looking to major in business in college. He is a middle- to long-distance runner in spring track. Colin was the overall winner at the Sand Hill Invitational in 16:45, placed sixth at the Sussex County Championships in 16:44, placed eighth in the Henlopen Conference meet in 16:46 and took eighth in the Division I state meet on the hilly course at Brandywine Creek State Park in 18:07. Colin’s mother Kathy Kay is a triathlete, while his uncle John Wells is Sussex Central’s football and softball coach. Colin is a top-tier student for the Ravens. He will be competing for the Seashore Striders in Paris, Ky., this weekend.
Arina Varrato
Arina, just a junior, is Sussex Tech’s No. 1 cross country runner on the girls’ side. Her dad Tony and brother Dylan are excellent runners as well. This is just her second year running cross country. She also runs spring track in any distance from the 800 to the 3,200. Arina was the overall winner at the Sand Hill Invitational in 20:20, placed third at the Sussex County Championships in 20:14, took eighth at the Henlopen Conference meet in 20:42 and placed 18th at states in 22:42. “Next year she will be a runner to look out for,” said assistant coach Martin Rodriguez. “She is very coachable and one of the top students in the school.” Arina will be traveling to Paris, Ky., this weekend to run with the Seashore Striders at the cross country nationals.
