Athletes of the Week Feb. 28

Will DiPaolo

This Cape junior pole vaulter captured the Henlopen Conference title then won his first state championship last weekend at the Ott Center in Philadelphia. Will has been on the track team for three years, but this is his first year vaulting. Will cleared 12-feet-6-inches to add his name to a long list of Cape state champions. Will has a personal best of 13 feet, and makes the drive to Philly Jumps twice a week. He’s coached by Cape alumnus Sam Young, a UVA graduate. “I started vaulting almost exactly a year ago and have been hitting 14 feet at practice consistently now,” said Will. “This state title means quite a bit to me, as I am carrying on a legacy of state-level pole vaulters from Cape. I am looking forward to spring, and focused on improving for the next state meet more than anything.”

Katya Geyer

A junior at Sussex Academy, Katya won her first individual state championship in the high jump last weekend at the Ott Center in Philadelphia. She cleared a personal-best height of 5-feet-4-inches for the gold medal in the field of 16 jumpers. Katya also scored in the triple jump in 32-feet-11-inches. Standing just 5-feet-4-inches tall, Katya was able to clear her height on the big stage. Katya has been a major factor in the Seahawks’ cross country success at the conference and state levels. Katya led her team with a time of 19:52 last fall to win the Sussex County cross country team title, and ran 20:00 for the Seahawks to win the Henlopen Conference team title, showing her versatility as a jumper and distance runner, a combination one does not see often.

Stephen Hart

This Cape senior high jumper won his first individual state title last weekend at the Ott Center in Philadelphia, where he cleared a personal-best height of 6-feet-4-inches on his second attempt to secure the gold medal. Stephen has been on the track team for four years, and started high jumping as a sixth-grader at Beacon Middle. Stephen also jumped 21 feet in the long jump and has recently jumped 42-feet-8-inches in the triple jump. “It felt good to win my first state title, and I won the conference earlier this season at 6-0,” said Hart. “Right now, I am focused on jumping higher and going 6-6, and I am deciding where to go to college between Purdue, Florida, Alabama and Virginia to major in economics.” Stephen has also run cross country and looks like a high hurdler. 

Anna Mumford

An honors, AP and Academic Challenge student at Sussex Academy, this sophomore rocked the DIAA swimming championships with wins in the 200 free and 500 free events. She finished five seconds ahead of second place in the 200 and had a crushing 15-second win in the 500. Her win in the 500 was a repeat from the 2024 championships and is an All-American consideration time. She also swam the butterfly on the Seahawks' medley relay team and was a member of the the 400 free relay squad. "Anna is a natural leader," said Seahawks head coach Tom Martiner. "She possesses a calm confidence that is infectious amongst her teammates. She's a great swimmer and a really nice person." Anna swims for the Delaware Swim Team travel squad and likes to read, surf and hang out at the beach with her friends. In her spare time away from the water, she volunteers at the Delaware Food Bank in Milford.