Seahawks field hockey eyes a successful 2024
Having punched a ticket into the second round of the DIAA Division II state tournament with their 10th win of the year in 2023, the Sussex Academy field hockey team is hoping to advance even further in 2024.
“This year, we're going to come out strong, better than last year,” said first-year coach Caitlyn Hardy. “We’ve got a lot of returning players.”
Seven seniors comprise the Class of 2024 – Julie Daniello, Rilyn Lehman, Shelby Manlove, Emma Campbell, Madison Jones, Morgan Leeper and Dutch exchange student Lente Werner.
“Since we only lost one person, it's kind of our whole lineup back together again,” Manlove said. “I think we don't even have to really start from scratch. We can just pick right back up and practice where we left off last year.”
The starting lineup will look similar, but with Leeper leaping to offense from defense. Jones anchors the defense for another season while Lehman and Manlove will partner up with junior Ryan Lowe to patrol in the midfield.
“We're still growing every single day, but we're picking up from where we left off last year, and I think doing pretty good so far,” Lehman said.
Sussex Academy’s underclassmen will be relied on to bring the valuable experience they gained in 2023.
“We've got a lot of returning talent, and we've got young girls coming up that we want to build the program with,” Hardy said.
Hardy, a former goalie, thinks while the offense may grab headlines, the defense might be as strong as it has ever been. Chemistry should also play in Sussex Academy’s favor.
“We had the summer league, so they all came out super strong for that,” Hardy said. “They did two-a-days before preseason even started. The fact that all the girls were pretty much out here getting things started just tells a lot.”
“I love that we're keeping it competitive every day,” Manlove said. “When we did our summer league all together, I think that's just really going to help translate into the upcoming games.”
“We've also been working on our endurance and speed as a whole,” Leeper said. “I feel like we'll have that as an important factor during our games.”
Some of the games the girls are looking forward to most are the annual meeting with Delmar Tuesday, Sept. 17, the Saturday, Oct. 10 game at Newark Charter and the season finale at home with Saint Mark’s Thursday, Oct. 24.
The girls will be tested out of the gate when they travel to Smyrna Tuesday, Sept. 10, before their home opener Thursday, Sept. 12, against Laurel. Sussex Academy will play Wilmington Charter in the Turf Bowl Saturday, Sept. 14.
“I feel like we're going to go all the way this year,” Hardy said.
