Athletes of the Week Nov. 8

November 6, 2024

Jason Baker

Cape junior Jason Baker won the Henlopen Conference individual title last weekend at Killens Pond State Park, racing across the finish line in 15:55 to lead the Vikings to the team title. Coach Matt Lindell, who coached older brother Ryan as well, said Jason has a great shot this weekend at the individual title in the DIAA state meet. Lindell also believes Cape has a chance to win the team title. “Jason is a student of the sport with a gift for uplifting others around him,” said Lindell. “He is a natural leader who is not only driven to succeed individually, but he is also all in on wanting the team to be successful as well.” Jason ran 15:39 at the Carlisle Invitational earlier in the season. Jason and Ryan Baker are the only brothers combo to win conference titles. Ryan is currently a sophomore running for Lehigh University in northeast Pennsylvania, where he recently posted a personal-best 24:43 for 8K at the Patriot League Championships.

Debbie Isser

Local runner Debbie Isser finished second in her age group and was the first American woman finisher at the NYC Marathon. Debbie broke the state record by an hour. “Almost every race, she breaks a state record,” said Israel Colon, a fellow road runner. Debbie, 70, ran 3:58.12 to take second in the 70-74 age group out of 91 runners. Her pace was 9:06 per mile for 26.2 miles. Debbie came through the half-marathon in 1:58:57. Overall, she placed 18,020 out of 55,523 runners. Isser owns Delaware 70-74 age-group records in the 5K (22:06), 10-mile (1:20:56) and full marathon (3:58). Debbie also holds the full marathon state record for the 65-69 age group (4:01:37), set earlier this year. Debbie graduated from Germantown High School in Philadelphia in 1972. She is the mother of three children, including 34-year-old twin daughters and a 39-year-old son. The beach scene has been blessed with some extraordinary age-group runners.

Emily Wells

Cape’s field hockey offense is like a Hamilton Beach hot air popcorn machine – you never know which kernel is going to pop. In the semifinals of the Division I field hockey tournament Nov. 4, it was Emily Wells who scored both goals in a fast and physical 2-1 win over the Charter School of Wilmington. Emily settled the ball with her back to the goal, then turned and fired, catching the far post with 2:20 left in the first quarter. That one shot held up until Wells scored again at 4:52 of the third period on an assist from Teagan Baker. Emily is a sophomore who also plays for the Shorebirds travel team. Like a lot of her teammates, her academic profile includes honors and AP classes, and the Academic Challenge program. It’s always hunting season when Emily is inside the scoring circle. Saturday’s state championship will be the fourth straight year Cape will face Smyrna in the final. Runners and gunners on both teams. Get your popcorn ready.

Lente Werner

A senior foreign exchange student from Rotterdam in the Netherlands, this honor roll student has fit right in with the Sussex Academy field hockey squad, helping to lead them to a DIAA semifinal appearance against Delmar. Having nine goals on the 2024 season, Lente scored both of the Seahawks’ goals in the 3-2 overtime loss to the Wildcats Nov. 6. "Lente came to us on the first day of preseason with fire on her stick," said Seahawks head coach Caitlyn Hardy. "She is an amazing athlete and a wonderful person. She cheers the team on and builds the team up. She is 100% our fighting forward line." In her spare time, Lente likes spending quality time with her friends and family, and doing things such as eating out or watching soccer. She is thinking about studying at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences to become a physiotherapist.