Athletes of the Week Sept. 13
Marcella Sabbagh
No surprise in her hometown that Christopher Newport University freshman field hockey player Marcella Sabbagh won a starting defensive position and helped lead the Captains to a 4-0 start to the season and a No. 12 ranking in Division III. Marcella was named CAC Field Hockey Defensive Player of the Week for her play against DePauw and No. 5 Johns Hopkins. During the 2-1 win over Hopkins, Sabbagh had two defensive saves, becoming only the fourth freshman in school history to have two defensive stops in the same game and only the fourth Captains player to have two saves against a top-ranked opponent. Marcella also had an assist off a penalty corner versus Hopkins. Marcella has started all four games for the 4-0 Captains who next play Sept. 13 at Concordia University in Wisconsin.
Katie Kuhlman
This freshman started her varsity cross country career by running a 20:27 overall and was Cape’s No. 1 runner, placing fifth overall in the varsity A race. Katie has come up through the feeder system, running as a youth for the Seashore Striders and coach Tim Bamforth, and at Mariner Middle School for coach Kenny Reidel. Katie was just 19 seconds behind Smyrna first-place runner Kelly Barr and helped the Cape girls place second overall in the team competition. “Katie is so confident and knowledgeable about her own abilities,” said Cape coach Matt Lindell. “She is going to have a great high school running career.” Bamforth said, “Katie K has more cross country experience at the regional and national levels than most runners in the state, and her game plan she learned with the Striders is always the same - go to the front and stay there.”
Julian Callaway
A sophomore cross country runner for Cape who ran the 400 meters for coach Tim Bamforth at Beacon, Julian used his natural speed to place fourth in the varsity A race at the Lake Forest Invitational with a time of 17:58. It was Julian’s first time breaking the 18-minute barrier as the Vikings placed second in the team competition to Caesar Rodney. “Julian was a 400-meter runner, then last spring I moved him up to the 800; now cross country his first year running may be his best sport,” said coach Matt Lindell. “I felt really strong at the end but my ankle was hurting, so I know I can run faster,“ Julian said. “Julian is one of those rare runners we have had in the past that has a combination of speed and endurance, and if he figures out how to race 5,000 meters, he could find himself under 17 minutes,” said Bamforth.
Jordan Baines
A sophomore and tough football player with natural talent and instincts you just can coach, Jordan had a solid game on the defensive side of the football against St. Georges, making 10 solo tackles and forcing a fumble. The sophomore inside backer tandem of Baines and Merek Harringan-Ferro combined for 18 tackles. “That was a good Friday night of football for those two sophomores,” said coach J.D. Maull. Baines also carried the ball three times for 14 yards. “I hurt my ankle on the last play of the game, so I’m still waiting to get cleared for the William Penn game,” Jordan said. A great-great-uncle on Jordan’s mom’s side is the father of Joe Klecko, who is the father of Dan Klecko, both former NFL guys.
