Athletes of the Week Aug. 2

August 2, 2019

Jake Bamforth

A Sussex Tech graduate and University of South Florida senior visiting from Tampa, Jake ran stride-for-stride until the 2.5-mile mark with favorite Francisco Puac at the Dam Mill 5K July 20. Jake finished second in a new personal best time of 16:37, pushing winner Puac to his own personal best of 16:24. Jake is returning to full strength following a January bike accident when he crashed in an early morning group ride at 28 mph. Jake is prepping for the USAT Age Group Sprint Triathlon Nationals in Cleveland, Ohio, Sunday, Aug. 11. Jake’s strength in the triathlon is that he is above average in all three disciplines of the race, while most athletes are weak in one area. Running, biking, swimming, eating healthy and taking care of his body has become a focus, and he is studying public health in school with a vision of going right into a master’s program.

Kate Evick

Kate hit a two-run homer in the top of the sixth inning July 31, as District 3 beat Latin America 10-0 to improve to 3-0 in pool play at the Senior Softball World Series at the Lower Sussex Little League complex in Roxana. The game was called after six innings due to the 10-run rule. Evick also registered a single and a double for a three-hit, three-RBI game. Evick is a catcher who was first-team all-state as a freshman at Sussex Central last spring. She also played for Delaware South in Carpenter Cup and played volleyball. Mike Evick is her dad and coach. He was a catcher for Cape Henlopen in 1992, while his younger brother Ben was a pitcher and is the current Cape baseball coach. Mike Evick was winner of the Mike Snell Friendship Award in 1992.

Brian Fuller

The oldest and fastest of the three Fuller brothers, this 2009 Penn State graduate is faster at age 33 than he was at age 18. At Sunday’s Penn State Day 5K in Dewey Beach, he established a new record for all Ten Sisters 5K races, running a time of 15:09 to break the record of 15:15 held by Mike Wardian. Kevin Fuller, 31, was third in 16:31, while Mark Fuller, 28, was fourth in 16:48. Emily Fuller, 30, was the female winner in 18:23, while Katie Fuller placed third in 19:53. The Fullers are from Mechanicsburg, Pa. Brian has been busting wins at the beach for the last 15 years. Brian won the Taco Toss 5K at the Lighthouse in 2004, when he ran 15:41 as an 18-year-old. Mark has won 14 Races2Run events since 2014, including the Harry K Foundation 5K in 2017 with a time of 15:10.8.

Gracie Maughan

This 13-year-old Lewes swimmer spends as much time as she can in the pool, practicing her strokes for Sussex Family YMCA, Lewes Yacht Club and hopefully Sussex Academy this winter. Swimming for Lewes Yacht Club, this rising eighth-grader at Sussex Academy won the 13-14 breaststroke at the Delmarva Swim Association championship July 27. She also added two fifth-place finishes at the event. She won three events at the DSA championship last year in the 11-12 age group. This summer she set eight new LYC records for the 13-14 division. Swimming for the YMCA, she won the breaststroke district championship for 2018 and 2019. Gracie started swimming when she was 8 years old for the Otters in Georgetown. When not in the pool, Gracie plays field hockey and also enjoys riding the bike trails with her friends.