Sussex Academy fall athletes honored for academics and sports

As the fall sports season concluded, Sussex Academy’s student-athletes received a number of accolades acknowledging their efforts on the field as well as in the classroom.

In addition to earning athletic honors, many students also were named to the Sussex Academy honor roll for achieving a grade of 83 or higher in all classes, or to the distinguished honor roll for achieving a grade of 93 or higher in all classes.

Head of School Kyle Bentley said Sussex Academy provides its students with opportunities to excel both on and off the field.

“This fall, our student-athletes not only demonstrated outstanding performance in their respective sports but also excelled in the classroom,” Bentley said. “We are excited to celebrate their dedication, discipline and drive, which are a true testament to what it means to be a student-athlete at Sussex Academy."

Sussex Academy’s 17-2, back-to-back DIAA Division II boys’ soccer state champion team also won the Henlopen and Henlopen South championships. Senior keeper CJ Norton received first-team All-Henlopen South and All-State, DIAA Top XI and All-Mid Atlantic Regional honors. CJ was also named to the honor roll.

Senior forward Andres Romero-Nieto, junior forward Chase Ballinger and junior midfielder Liam Stegall earned first-team All-Henlopen South and All-State, and forward junior George Sapna was named to the first-team All-Henlopen South and second-team All-State. Liam was also named to the distinguished honor roll.

Named to the All-Henlopen South second team are senior Aiden Villar, defense; senior McKenna Danahy, defense; and junior Ruendi Ortiz-Santos, midfield. Senior Aleks Danilenko earned honorable mention for defense/midfield. Aiden and McKenna were also named to the honor roll.

Sussex Academy’s 13-4 field hockey team reached the DIAA semifinals. Midfielder seniors Rilyn Lehman and Shelby Manlove received first-team All-Henlopen South and All-State honors, senior attack/midfielder Morgan Leeper earned first-team All-Henlopen South honors, and midfielder junior Ryan Lowe received All-Henlopen South and second-team All-State honors. Shelby and Morgan were also named to the distinguished honor roll, and Ryan made the honor roll.

Named to the All-Henlopen South second team are senior Emma Campbell, attack; senior Madison Jones, defense; junior Shea Danahy, midfield; junior Kacie Rawlings, goalie; and sophomore Elizabeth Layton, defense. Sophomore Meredith Schiff, midfield, earned honorable mention. Emma was named to the distinguished honor roll, whie Rilyn, Kacie, Meredith and Madison were named to the honor roll.

In girls’ volleyball, Sussex Academy won the DIAA sportsmanship award. Senior libero Savannah Montgomery and sophomore outside hitter Maya Hastings earned first-team All-Henlopen South honors, and sophomore outside hitter Grayce Glover and freshman Jopie Smith made the All-Henlopen South second team. Freshman middle blocker Nadia Ahmed earned honorable mention. Savannah and Nadia also achieved distinguished honor roll, and Joepie and Grayce achieved honor roll.

The Sussex Academy boys’ cross country team went 6-0 and clinched the Henlopen South Championship. Junior Ryan Moody earned first-team All-Henlopen honors, and senior Duncan Winger earned honorable mention. Duncan was named to the distinguished honor roll, and Ryan made the honor roll.

The Sussex Academy girls’ cross country team also earned a 6-0 record as well as the Henlopen South, Henlopen and Sussex County championships. First-team All-Henlopen selections are junior Katya Geyer, freshman Abigail Crowley and eighth-grader Jordan Blades. Sophomore Riley Moriarty and freshman Taegen Forester received second-team All-Conference, and seniors Brie Sordi and Peyton Stanislav received honorable mention. Brie, Abigail and Taegen were named to the distinguished honor roll, and Jordan, Riley, Katya and Peyton made the honor roll.