Athletes of the Week Jan. 31

January 31, 2025

Will DiPaolo

Will captured the Henlopen Conference pole vault championship two weeks ago by clearing 12 feet, a height where he is close to automatic. Last weekend in Virginia, Will placed third, once again clearing 12 feet. Will trains at the Philadelphia Jump Club near Valley Forge, Pa. “It's a big, old insulated warehouse,” Will said. “Sam Young sometimes coaches us there. I’m ready to get to 13 and then 14 feet. I just need to work on the wait phase of my jump to get more bend in the pole. Indoors is a whole lot tougher than outdoors, and every venue is different.” Will takes all honors, Advanced Placement and Academic Challenge classes.

Jaxen Edwards

Jaxen is a Cape freshman straight out of Mariner who already holds school records in the 200 individual medley, the 200 freestyle and the 500 freestyle. The Cape boys beat Sussex Academy Jan. 27, with Jaxen winning the 200 IM in 2:00.31 and 100 breaststroke in 1:03.77, and a part of the 200 medley relay (1:43.43) and the 400 free relay (3:26.21). The Cape boys’ team won the team meet 123-47. “My goal is to be conference Swimmer of the Year and to reach the podium in the state meet in multiple events,” Jaxen said. Jaxen also trains with Delaware Swim Team at the Milford Boys & Girls Club.

Mia Jaoude

A transfer from Worcester Prep, this Cape sophomore is a top-level swimmer who has already broken the school record in the 50 freestyle that was set in 2009. Mia won the 50 free in 24.75 and 100 butterfly in 59.68 in a Jan. 27 showdown of unbeaten teams against Sussex Academy. Mia also swam on the winning 200 relay (1:46:01) and 400 relay (3:52.37). Sussex Academy won the meet 94-76. Mia is also a musician at Cape, playing with the wind ensemble as a percussionist. “I’ll try out for the jazz band next year,” she said. “I started swimming with the Lewes Yacht Club before switching to the YMCA. I still swim for the Y.”

Matthew Perchiniak

A senior on the Sussex Academy swim team, Matthew opened up some eyes Jan. 21, when the Seahawks took on Caesar Rodney. With his relay team trailing by nearly half a lap, Matthew said he swam the fastest 50 of his life to give Sussex Academy a lead they would not relinquish. Eager to conquer challenges, Matthew is in AP statistics, psychology and chemistry while taking Spanish and physics honors classes. He carries a weighted GPA of 4.74, and would like to pursue a career that combines data statistics and biology. Matthew also swims club and was recently awarded the Emily Schindler Memorial Scholarship after competing in the Winterfest International at the University of Maryland.

Carson Tuer

A Cape freshman wrestling in 165-pound weight class, Carson is on the upside of .500 after hard-fought consecutive wins in matches against Smyrna and Sussex Central. Against the Golden Knights, Carson took an 8-6 decision over Cruz Mota. Carson was 145-pound champ last season wrestling for Mariner at the Middle School Wrestling Classic in Milford. Carson was 34-8 his eighth-grade year counting all dual-meet and tournament bouts. “My goal this season is to make the top four in conferences to qualify for states,” he said. Carson is an honors student who also likes to surf and hang out at the beach with his friends.