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Athletes of the Week Oct. 15

October 15, 2021
Kayla Brady 

This college sophomore from Millsboro is the starting field hockey goalie for the University of Lynchburg. She was named Old Dominion Athletic Conference field hockey Player of the Week Oct. 4. Kayla played high school hockey at Sussex Tech. She was in goal for three Lynchburg victories, including wins over Roanoke 3-1, Dension 3-1 and Kenyon 2-1. Brady now holds a goals-against average of 1.48 and has made 46 saves in nine games for the Hornets. Kayla also played soccer in high school. She is studying to be a physical therapist.

Hannah Maney

This sophomore field hockey midfielder who plays on the right side for the Cape Vikings is “Uncanny Maney,” or as she was known on a spring track team, “Hannah Money.” During the Delmar game Oct. 7, Hannah caught the attention of fans not accustomed to paying attention to high school field hockey. “Who’s No. 18?” “Hannah makes great decisions; she can handle the ball and is precocious in finding the open player,” said coach Kate Austin. Maney will be a flexible performer on Cape’s indoor track team, running 800s and 400s with an occasional 1,600 thrown in. Track coach Gilbert Maull says, “That girl can run. I'm serious. Maney is always money!” Hannah is money in the classroom as well. A person who plays that smart has got to be rocking a high IQ.

Francisco Puac

Running Down a Dreamer Francisco, a native Guatemalan who lives in Georgetown, started running a few years ago to stay in shape for soccer. This week, he ran his first Boston Marathon, a crowded and challenging course where it's next to impossible to run a personal best. Francisco turned in a time of 2:48:21. Puac was 1:25:16 at the half, which means that he recorded a negative second-half split of 1:23:05. The second half of the Boston course is where the hills are, which makes Francisco’s performance even more impressive. Training partner and friend Martin Rodriguez feels that with proper training, Francisco could be in the 2:30s: “Francisco ran a great race, but with the right combination of mileage, I think he could be much faster, possibly under 2:40.”  

Martin Rodriguez

No runner trains more relentlessly and joyously than Martin Rodriguez. In every 5K he has ever run, he is at the front in the first 200 meters. Greyhounds would be chasing him. The story is well known. He was the overweight high school kid who discovered running to lose weight, and now fitness and running are at the core of his life. Martin held a 6:45 mile pace through 21 miles at the Boston Marathon and then cramped up, struggling home to Boylston Street in a time of 3:02:57 to place 1,000th in his division. “I am trying to peak for the Rehoboth Marathon in December and was using Boston for an up-tempo training run,” Rodriguez said. “I felt great through 21 miles, and then everything cramped up and my day was done.” Rodriguez has won more races at the beach in the last 10 years than anyone else who toes a Seashore Striders starting line.

 

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