Athletes of the Week Sept. 16

Ryan Baker

Cape’s all-time fastest cross country runner began his senior season with a bang Sept. 10 in Felton, winning the 20-team Lake Forest Invitational by clocking a time of 16:11 over five kilometers at Killens Pond. Baker’s time represents a 26-second improvement over his performance at last year’s event, a harbinger of good things to come. Four days later, at a five-team dual meet with Sussex Academy and others, Ryan cruised 16:25 on the Sandhill Fields course to lead the Vikings to victory. “A dream season for me would obviously start with the team winning states,” Baker said. “I’m also gonna try to break 15 [minutes] for 5K and win the individual state title.” If he does dip under 15 minutes – his current PR is 15:23 – it will be the quickest 5K in state history. Ryan also stars in the classroom, where he takes AP and Academic Challenge courses. He hopes to run at the Division I level and pursue an engineering degree next year.

C.J. Fritchman

A senior six-sport athlete after factoring in surfing and fishing to go with football, wrestling, lacrosse and lifeguard beach olympics, C.J., the outside linebacker, was Cape’s leading tackler in the Sept. 8 42-26 home victory over Woodbridge. C.J. was not on the field for any of the Woodbridge points, as he retired from the game when the score was 42-0. Fritchman is an outside linebacker with closing speed, an honor roll student with high athletic IQ, a wrestler with balance, and he has no problem taking down running backs. He joined the team a week late this season after coming back from California, where he led off a Dewey Beach Patrol sprint team that won a national championship. Fritchman has been a one-way defensive player just to cut down on the hits his body takes over all his sports. He is a ramblin’ wrecker and a mean go-getter.  

Katie Kuhlman

Katie has been Cape’s girls’ cross country low stick since the day she set foot on campus, delivering three top 20 showings at the DIAA state meet and consistently cracking the 20-minute barrier for the 5K. She blazed to a personal best time of 19:03 at last year’s Sussex County meet, a school record, but early results this year indicate that she may be ready to go lower. Kuhlman opened her senior season Sept. 10 by placing seventh overall at the Lake Forest Invitational, and her time of 20:13 was nearly a minute faster than she managed there in 2021. She followed it up with an easy win (20:12) in the Vikings’ five-team dual meet Sept. 14. “I’ve started better than any other year,” she said. “I feel like I’m better prepared for this year, especially the state meet. I’m excited to see how the season goes.” Katie has Virginia Tech and Delaware on her short list of colleges.     

Lexi Truitt

A senior backline defender on the Cape field hockey team, Lexi also inserts on corners then sets up at the near post to see what happens, from tips to rebounds to pushing the ball to an open person in unsettled situations. Lexi’s body language never changes; she is ice when the ball is hot. Sept. 10 versus Severna Park, winner of 25 Maryland 4A state championships, Lexi scored two goals in a 4-0 Cape victory. “The ball just found my stick, then I found the cage,” Lexi said. “'I just played in the moment.” Sept. 13 at Sussex Tech, Cape powered to a 3-0 win as Truitt notched an assist hat trick. “We needed the ball to move because Sussex Tech was packing it in,” said coach Kate Austin. Truitt has a sixth sense – when a defender is in your face, push the ball to open space.