Athletes of the Week Oct. 8

Reagan Ciabattoni

“Reagan is Reagan. The bigger the game, the better the performance,” said Cape hockey coach Kate Austin when asked about her dominating midfielder who has verbally committed to Duke University for field hockey. Cape is coming off two grueling games versus Smyrna and Polytech, a pair of 4-1 victories in which Reagan played a prominent role. Combining her stats, she had four goals and two assists. Two of her goals were heard and not seen, unassisted slap shots from the top of the circle. Reagan has been a starter since her freshman season. And her defense and talent for reversing the field are crucial in those contests against the better teams. 

Albert Norman

A freshman at Delaware State University and a cross country runner straight out of Sussex Central High School, Albert hit the college trails by winning the Shore Cross Country Invitational Sept. 25 with a personal best time of 25:57 for 8K. Albert was named MEAC Cross Country Runner of the Week. He came back and placed third in the Don Cathcart Invitational at Salisbury University in another best time of 25:33. Albert was captain of both the cross country and track teams his senior year at Sussex Central. He placed seventh in the Division I state championship meet with a time of 16:26, earning all-state honors. He placed second in the Henlopen Conference Championship meet with a time of 16:23 for the 5K distance. He holds the school record in the 3,200 meters at Sussex Central of 9:58. “My favorite college cross country workout is called The Michigan,” Albert said. “Which consists of a fartlek and short-tempo run combination.”

Lulu Rishko

She’s a smooth operator. “Go Lu!” can often be heard from the sidelines as Cape’s sophomore forward on the right-hand side pushes the ball toward the end line, causing havoc for the defense and often drawing corners. Lulu had a crucial assist on a Mack Brown goal in the third quarter versus Polytech to give the Vikings their first lead, 2-1. She also had an assist in Cape’s 5-0 win at Tower Hill. Lulu always looks to assist first and to just keep the offensive pressure on the goalie. “What she does doesn’t show up in the stats,” said coach Kate Austin.

David Wootten

Another distance runner, cross country and track athlete out of Sussex Central High School, David is now a freshman cross country runner for the Mansfield University Mountaineers. David ran distances of 800, 1,600 and 3,200 in high school, and also competed on the 4-by-800 relay team. He was first-team all-state in cross country (2020) and state medalist in track and field three times. He broke six school records while at Central. He plans to major in secondary education, and wants to be a teacher and coach. David placed 22nd at the Don Cathcart Invitational with a time of 28:14, Mansfield’s top finisher. David ran a 5K time of 16:40 at the Mansfield/Bloomsberg dual meet and was the first Mountie across the finish line, with a time of 27:34 at the LHU invitational.