Athletes of the Week Jan. 10

January 10, 2025

Ally Diehl

A quiet confidence that comes with speed and athleticism, no wasted words, but in her own words after being slashed above the eye as a freshman, a cut that required stitches, Ally left the field smiling, explaining her demeanor, “I’m just always happy.” Ally was presented with the Unsung Hero Award at the state championship field hockey banquet at Baywood Greens. She was a starter on the backline, sometimes moved up to midfield, sometimes flipped sides to utilize her speed. She just did whatever it took to help Cape win games. Ally is just a sophomore. She has earned three rings, one pair of shoes and is unsung no more; all Cape fans know the name Ally Diehl.

Doug Horton

A senior captain for a young Sussex Academy wrestling team, Doug opened the holiday tournament circuit by grabbing first place Dec. 14 at the Delmar Invitational. Although he did not place in the competitive Beast of the East, Horton placed fourth at Sussex Central's King of the Castle. He turned some heads last year with a third-place finish in the Henlopen Conference tournament and is looking to improve on that mark this year. The senior is a man of few words and lets his actions speak for themselves. Whether he is pinning a guy for six points or chasing down fly balls in center for the baseball team, Doug is even-keeled when executing an array of acrobatic moves.

Atia Sabbagh

Just a sophomore, this 15-year-old captain and leader on Cape’s 2024 state championship field hockey team was part of the power down the middle for the young squad. “Atia is the team MVP because of all the things we asked her to do,” said coach Kate Austin. “She could have been a scorer, but we just needed her strong presence in the middle of the field. Everyone knows she saved the 2023 state championship game with a defensive save on a corner, and this year she was just such a strong player every game.” Atia was all-state and All-American, and is already on the radar of several Division I hockey programs. Atia had two third-quarter goals to break open a scoreless game in a 3-1 home win over Sussex Academy.

Ty Tillinghast

The wunderkind behind 302 Sports Cards, a storefront on eBay with an incredible selection of trading cards, Ty has proven with his ascent in wrestling that there's nothing standing in his way when he puts his mind to it. Ty is a seventh-grade captain on the Mariner wrestling team led by first-year coach Johnny Longo. Longo said he recently relied on Ty to provide leadership at the Junior War on the Shore wrestling tournament. Not only did Ty help guide his teammates to a total of 14 medals, he also won the 85- to 92-pound bracket in the novice division. He said it felt good to grab the top honors in the first tournament he ever placed in. Ty gets a thrill when he takes his opponent down and his adrenaline gets going.