Athletes of the Week May 10

May 10, 2024

Elizabeth Downer

E, as she is known, demonstrated a big reason why the future is bright for Cape girls' soccer. In the annual Beacon-Mariner contest May 8, E opened up the scoring in the first half with a goal. She then set up fellow eighth-grader Lindsay Hassel twice in the second half before scoring twice to clinch a hat trick. E began playing soccer about 8 years ago and has been a striker ever since. She does play right back on her travel team, Salisbury United. A vocal leader on the team who enjoys playmaking and scoring equally, E shouldered a lot of responsibility during her Beacon playing career, but she loves the game so things came naturally for her in that role. When she's not kicking a ball around she enjoys hanging out with her friends. Her pre-game ritual includes listening to a variety of music to get herself pumped up.

Kelsey Huling

This 2020 Cape grad will get her political science diploma next week from Cabrini University in Radnor, Pa., where she will be in the last graduating class from the private Catholic university. She was a utility player in the purest sense at Cabrini, as she played four years for the Cavaliers softball team and played a different position each season. This season, she held down the hot corner and had 282 put outs and garnered a .966 fielding average. She had a .305 career batting average, a .495 slugging percentage and finishes her career with six home runs and 65 RBIs. One of her homers was on Senior Day, while another came in the playoffs versus Centenary May 4. Kelsey was a member of the Cabrini Honors Program, Alpha Lambda Delta and National Society of Leadership and Success.

Jay'Lyn Slater

A senior on the Cape softball team, Jay'Lyn has been the primary catcher and No. 3 hitter in the batting order. She has reached superwoman status during the Vikings’ current six-game winning streak. She recently had a walk-off two-run homer in a 4-3 win over Caesar Rodney. In the following game with Smyrna, she pounded a two-run homer to pace the Vikings to a 4-0 win. Most recently, she slammed two homers in the same inning and followed it up with two doubles in a win over Seaford. She is hitting .333 and has a .812 slugging percentage with a team-leading six homers and 17 RBIs. "Jay'Lyn has really matured and has grown into one of the leaders on our team," said Cape coach Mike Tkach. "She has been experiencing a lot of success at the plate and with hitting the long ball this season." Jay'Lyn will continue her softball career at Delaware State University.

Callie Short

On the same night Sussex Academy girls’ lacrosse honored Callie Short, the Lynchburg-bound senior paid back their gratitude with an 11-point (four goals, seven assists) performance in a 23-3 win over Polytech. Already a member of the 100-goal club prior to the season, Callie has added 31 goals and 29 assists to her career totals. Callie doesn't mind passing or shooting, and she enjoys getting her teammates involved as much as possible. If she chooses to go, look out because her inside roll is a thing of beauty. Callie is looking forward to the state tournament, but will get right back into field hockey as soon as the season ends. Before Lynchburg kicks starts their field hockey pre-season in early August, Callie will be playing in several leagues. She is grateful for the opportunities playing at Sussex Academy has afforded her and says she has had great teammates and coaches along the way.