Cape double downs Dover, boys 120-44 and girls 121-48
Look at the Dover High swim team, and it’s easy to think back to the field hockey team. Last fall, fielding the most Afro-American field hockey players in the state, the Senators made it to the quarterfinals of the state tournament before losing to Wilmington Christian. And now a large nontraditional turnout of Afro-American swimmers is on a rebuilding team, and that can only be good, not only for sports but the overall climate in the school.
“The word at the new school is respect,” said junior Dorian Baker, a first-year swimmer who also does football and track and is an honor roll student. "We want to project a good image for our school. The younger kids want to try new things like field hockey and swimming. It has been great.”
Cape won the boys' meet easily 120-44, and the Cape girls ran their unbeaten streak to 44 with a 121-48 victory. But overall the theme, “It’s been a long time coming, but change is going to come,” gave the competition a nice feel that the sport of high school swimming may be expanding.
Freshman Michael Straker of Dover, who started swimming at the Dover Y when he was 8 years old, won both the 50-yard freestyle in 24.06 and the 100-yard freestyle in 55.87.
Cape’s top gun Alex Hochrein was on a cruise with his family. "A first-time and most likely only-time family cruise vacation,” said Jen Hochrein. “After the year we had with Brent being sick, we decided we earned a family vacation.”
“Yes, I knew their top guy wasn’t there, but my races are all starts and turns,” Straker said. “I swam pretty fast, so I’m happy.”
Winners for the Cape boys were Ricky Brokaw in the 200 freestyle, 2:15.63; Josh Toback in the 200 individual medley, 2:26.18; Jack Weeks in the 100 butterfly, 57.47; Josh Toback in the 500 freestyle, 5:55.33; and Mike Schrock in the 100 breaststroke, 1:16.77.
James Kramer of Dover won the 100 backstroke in 1:15.06.
Cape won the 200 medley relay with a team of Weeks, Schrock, Brokaw and Will Geppert in 1:55.51; the 200 freestyle relay with a team of Geppert, Erik Stancofski, Ben Conrad and Weeks in 1:41.64; and the 200 free relay with a team of Chase Toback, Adam Delp, Austin Mendes, and James Heid in 4:38.31.
Winners for the Cape girls were Sarah Rambo in the 200 freestyle relay, 2:15.63, and the 100 backstroke, 1:05.51; Molly Weeks in the 200 individual medley, 2:20.24, and the 100 butterfly, 1:06.24; Amelia Nigh-Johnson in the 50 freestyle, 27:54, and the 500 freestyle, 6:03.28; and Sarah Hyde in the 100 freestyle, 57.66, and the 100 breaststroke, 1:11.69.
Cape won the 200 medley relay with a team of Rambo, Hyde, Sarah Spicer and Grace Brokaw in 2:00.00; the 200 free relay with a team of Brokaw, Rambo, Hyde and Devon Warner in 1:58.84.
Dover captured the 400 free relay with a team of Cydney Barnes, Maura Gast, Dionne Stevenson and Taylor Steed in 4:29.90.
Cape returns to action Thursday, Jan. 7, swimming against Milford at the Boys & Girls Club.
