Athletes of the Week Aug. 4
Nick Arnold
A rising junior at Division II Wingate University, this 2021 Cape all-star recently helped the Cape Alumni Club team to a 15-0 win over the Dewey Beach squad at the DE Turf Sports complex. "It’s great to have a defender of Nick’s caliber on the team," said Cape Alumni goalie Franc Cook. "From locking down the opponent’s best player to picking up a tough ground ball amid a crowd of bodies, you just know something good is about to happen when he gets involved." Nick was voted all-conference and all-region this season for the Wingate Bulldogs, who play in the South Atlantic Conference. He holds a 3.2 GPA and is majoring in sports management and marketing. In his spare time, he works in the gym to stay in shape for lacrosse and relaxes at the beach.
Ayden Jester
Pitching for the Lewes 8-10 All-Stars July 29, Ayden threw 5.1 innings of a six-inning game against the Middletown-Odessa-Townsend all-star team, striking out four and allowing three earned runs in Lewes’ 6-1 loss in the state tournament. Lewes was eliminated in the championship round at the Camden-Wyoming Little League Complex. Jester faced 26 batters in the game and threw 46 of 75 pitches for strikes. Ayden is a rising fifth-grader at Love Creek Elementary School. He has a sister, Rayvin. Lewes won the District 3 championship earlier this summer to earn the right to compete for a state championship. Lewes manager Blake Hershelman dedicated his team's performance in the tournament to the late Terry Megee.
Sydney Pizza
A rising senior at the University of Delaware, this local Dewey Beach skimboarder has made quite the impression since turning pro at the Outer Banks Skim Jam in 2022. She recently took top honors at Jackalope Skim Festival in Virginia Beach June 3-4. The skim camp manager at Alley Oop Skim Shop, Sydney recently directed a girls-only clinic where 12 girls were able to glean skim pointers from her, along with World No. 1 Chabe White and World No. 4 Julia Diaz. "Sydney is great," said Alley Oop owner Jason Wilson. "I couldn't find a harder worker to manage the skim camps." Besides the camps, Sydney also teaches private lessons. She will graduate after just three years at UD with a degree in business management.
Cierra Lewis
Cierra Lewis has been Team Delaware’s most prolific power hitter during the Senior League Softball World Series. As a pitcher, the rising Selbyville Middle School eighth-grader has held opponents to a .228 batting average and sports a 2.45 ERA through three games. Striking out 22 over 20 innings, Lewis has mixed in a deceptive change-up. In Delaware’s 8-5 opening win against the Pennsville, N.J. squad, Lewis struck out seven and allowed no earned runs. She said having confidence in her defense boosts her composure. At the plate, she went 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs. Lewis also plays travel ball for TNT. When not on the diamond, she plays basketball and enjoys spending time with family.
