Now I just found out that the games have moved to Seaford at 1 and Laurel at 300 pm on Sunday. Just for the record, I know that a lot of people are now officially angry at the U of DE and are now planning to boycott events there. Sign me up for that one also. After all, they declined my request to LEASE the facilities there for the 2003 Diamond State Games. They raised all the students tuition after a state funding cut, but won't try to develop other sources of revenue to replace it..even IF SOMEONE COMES KNOCKING ON THE DOOR WANTING TO GIVE IT. Now this debacle over some snow....buy a shovel.

St. Marks Chad Darlington and Brandywine’s Jessica Leitsch were named the runners of the year in Cross Country at the XC banquet. Tower Hill coach Cherie Martinez and Newark’s Mike Mooney were named the coaches of the year.

It’s cold outside so let’s go inside now to take a look at what we might expect to see on the high school sports scene for the 2002-2003 winter season.

We’ll begin with wrestling and list the projected returning wrestlers with any key additions we were able to dig up. Wrestlers are listed with their recent state and conference championship achievements.

Blue Hen Conference

Alexis I DuPont Tigers
Jesse Wencius, 2nd in 2002 Blue Hens and 3rd in 2002 States
Tyler Jordan, 4th in 2002 Blue Hens
Mike Grant, 2nd in 2002 Blue Hens, 6th in 2002 States
Chris Terranova, 5th in 2002 Blue Hens
Bill Buckley
Mike Paulish
Rob Snowberger

Brandywine Bulldogs
Corey Trainer, 3rd in 2002 Blue Hens and 6th in 2002 States
Bradd Gregg
Mike Miller, 5th in 2002 Blue Hens
Brandon Council, 6th place in 2002 Blue Hens
Andrew Snodgrass, 3rd place in 2002 Blue Hens
Anthony Davis, 6th in 2002 Blue Hens
Steve Giorgi, 5th in 2002 Blue Hens
Tom Gregg
Dimetrius Stokes
Mike Botelho
Nick Ranalli
Jake Johnson
Billy Dee Williams

Charter School of Wilmington
Sean Faux Dugan
Tyler Faux Dugan, 5th in 2002 Blue Hens
Aaron Williams
Andrew Lopolito
Ben Binder Maccloud
Mike Sisler
Phillip Simpson
Marcus Long
Tom Liskiewicz

Christiana
Greg Davis, 5th in 2002 Blue Hens
Jerry Davis, 3rd in 2002 Blue Hens
Ken Hall 3rd place in 2002 Blue Hens
Ken Thomas, 4th place in 2002 Blue Hens
Eric Denemark
Josh Krahn
Kyle Reed
John Morris
Tom Mayne
Jason Jeffers
Bruce Taylor
James Jones

Concord
Justin Croney
Steve Lennon, 2nd in 2002 Blue Hens and 5th in 2002 States
Anthony Consenzo, 6th in 2002 Blue Hens
Floyd Evans, 5th in 2002 Blue Hens and 5th in States
Jeremy Reilly
Mike Carter
Isiah Mays
Steve Ottinger
Charles Purse

Delcastle
Brandon Lindell, 6th place in 2002 Blue Hens
Mike Shellam, 5th place in 2002 Blue Hens
Darren Shellam 6th place in 2002 Blue Hens
Tom Chance
Dylan Charles
Paul Kenny
Roger Phillips
Zack Gamie
Kyle Mundy
Jake Weitznecker

Dickinson
Josh Riley
Pat Wheeler
Kevin Hemphill
Ryan Moore
Randy Santabarbara
Pat Wheeler
Chris Page
Charles Reed

Glasgow
Dan Cascino

Hodgson
Louis Cirineo, 2nd in 2002 Blue Hen Conference and 6th in 2002 States
Brian Welsh, 2002 Blue Hen and State Champion, 3rd in 2001 States
Scott Hinderer, 5th in 2002 Blue Hens and 3rd in 2002 States
Adam Agostinelli
Larry Cylc, 2002 Blue Hen Conference and 2002 State Champion
John Pachisin 5th place in 2002 Blue Hens
Maria Charles 103


Howard
Mike Billic 3rd in 2002 Blue Hens

Anthony Austin, 6th in 2002 Blue Hens
Ed Baise 6th in 2002 Blue Hens
John Laughlin 3rd in 2002 Blue Hens
Charles Tarver
Andrew Rossi
Juan Rivers
Joe Meyers

McKean
Eric Strasser
Josh Santobianco, 3rd in 2002 Blue Hen
Ross Hockrow
Hamilton Evans, 5th in 2002 Blue Hens
Chris Litchford
Mike Gao
Mike Brainard
Phil Savini
Sam Locklear
Ryan McGinnis

Middletown
Brandon Boulden, 5th place in 2002 Blue Hens
Mike Aruano
Eric Carlson, 3rd place in 2002 Blue Hens
Seth Riblett, 3rd place in 2002 Blue Hens
Matt Goodman
Mike Clay
Brett Gibson

Mt. Pleasant
Darren Carter, 6th in 2002 Blue Hens
Matt Yost, 4th place in 2002 Blue Hens
Marty Carroll, 6th place in 2002 Blue Hens
Josh Sharp

Newark
Jason Reeder
Mike Marra, 2nd in 2002 Blue Hens and 4th in 2002 States
Andy Van Veen, 4th in 2002 Blue Hens
Steve Woolridge, 3rd in 2002 Blue Hens
Tyler Streit, 3rd in 2002 Blue Hens
BJ Roth, 3th in 2002 Blue Hen Conference
Rich Kostes
Eric Wolfe
Brett McKane
Sean Stepp

William Penn
Matt Vitalo
JC Crooks, 4th in 2002 Blue Hens
Nick Lagrelli, 6th in 2002 Blue Hens
Clay Hewes
David Hewes, 5th place in 2002 Blue Hens
Mike Morgan, 4th place in 2002 Blue Hens
Kevin Burnett, 2nd in 2002 Blue Hens and 4th in 2002 States
Nick Lagarelli
Mike Mckinney
JT Laws (transfer from Caravel Academy) 2nd in 2002 Independents and 5th in 2002
States

Henlopen Conference

Caesar Rodney
Sean Corea, 2nd in 2002 Henlopen Conferences and 2nd in 2002 States
Matt Shelor, 6^th place in Henlopen Conference
Garrett Faulkner, 2nd in 2002 Henlopen Conference and 2nd in 2002 States
Josh McGregor, 2nd in 2002 Henlopen Conference
Dan Rigby, 3rd in 2002 Henlopen Conferences and 5th place in 2002 States
Steven Crew, 5th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference
Eric Looney
Mark Reynolds, 2002 Henlopen Conference and 2002 State Champion
Mike McKenna, 2nd place in 2002 Henlopen Conference
Steve Bilbrough, 2002 Henlopen Conference Champion and 2nd in 2002 States

Cape Henlopen
Kyle Hopkins, 2nd in 2002 Henlopen Conferences and 3rd in 2002 States
Bobby Hopkins, 4th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference
Brock Charles, 3rd place in 2002 Henlopen Conference
John Longo, 3rd place in 2002 Henlopen Conference

Dover
Mike Broadway, 6th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference
Josh Fostmire, 5th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference

Indian River
Pat Devine, 5th place in 2002 Henlopen Conferences
Tyrice Nocks, 5th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference
Gene Midgett, 2nd place in Henlopen Conference

Lake Forest
John Hummell, 2002 Henlopen Conference and 2002 State Champion
Tyler Lapinsky, 2nd in 2002 Henlopen Conference and 2002 State Champion
Leroy Hubbard, 4th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference
Tony Spencer, 6th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference
Martin Stoken, 4th place in 2002 Henlopen
Nate Leuterio, 6th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference

Laurel
Jared Allen, 4th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference
Bobby Otwell
Jamiel Matthews, 4th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference
DW Horsey, 5th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference
Jeff Downs
Ben Ralph, 2nd place in 2002 Henlopen Conference and 6th place in 2002 States
Scott Givens
Kiante Walker
Estan Ennis, 4th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference
Zach Slatcher
Wil Saylor, (transfer from Indian River) 2 time Henlopen Conference Champion and 2001 State
Champion along with 3rd in 2002 States

Milford
Josh Chilcote, 4th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference
Josh Abraham, 6th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference
Keith Brown 4th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference
Brandan Miller, 2002 Henlopen Conference Champion
Dan Madanat, 6th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference

Polytech
Wally Jones, 6th place in Henlopen Conference
Greg Robinson
Wayne Ridgeway
Chris Sherman, 5th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference and 6th in 2002 States
Clyde Hibbler, 5th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference

Seaford
BJ Jenkins, 3rd in 2002 Henlopen Conference
Todd Brooke, 5th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference
Jason Enders, 4th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference
Grant Gray, 2002 Henlopen Conference and 2nd in 2002 States
Beau Moore, 6th place in 2002 States

Smyrna
Mike Crain, 3rd place in 2002 Henlopen Conference
Mike Crain, 2002 Henlopen Conference Champion and 2nd in 2002 States
Andrew Ribolla
Brian Fletcher, 3rd in 2002 Henlopen Conference and 5th place in 2002 States
Russ Revel, 3rd place in 2002 Henlopen Conference
Pat Blisard, 2nd place in 2002 Henlopen Conference and 4th place in 2002 States
Scott Cahall
Josh Cherriman, 2002 Henlopen Conference and State Champion also placed 4th in 2001 States
Mike Hartnett, 6th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference

Sussex Central
Derek Waughen
Josh Lowe, 3rd in 2002 Henlopen Conference and 4th in 2002 States
Richard Dondarski, 2002 Henlopen Conference Champion and 5th place in 2002 States
Jason Dickerson, 3rd in 2002 Henlopen Conference and 6th in 2002 States
Brett Cordrey, 6th in 2002 Henlopen Conference
Lewis Day, 6th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference

Sussex Tech
Charles Nelson, 5th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference
Pat Hughes, 5th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference
Matt Holton
Matt Davis, 6th place in 2002 Henlopen Conference and 6th place in 2002 States
Anthony Bacon, 3rd place in 2002 Henlopen Conference and 3rd place in 2002 States
Ed Vicks, 5th place in 2002 Henlopen Conferences
AJ Brooks, 4th place in 2002 Henlopen Conferences

Non Conference

Archmere
Joe Corsini, 2002 Independent Champion
Nick Civitella, 2nd in 2002 Independents and 4th in 2002 States
Adam Speen, 5th in 2002 Independent
Matt Burns, 3rd in 2002 Independent
Brett Soper, 4th place in 2002 Independents
Pat Gallelli, 4th place in 2002 Independents
Phil McAtee, 5th place in 2002 Independents

Wilmington Friends
Nate Hoffman, 3rd in 2002 Independent Conference
Kyle Mellor, 2nd in 2002 Independent Conference
Drew Vincent, 3rd place in 2002 Independent Conference
Richard Vincent, 3rd place in 2002 Independent Conference

Saint Andrews
Ty Grove, 5th place in 2002 Independents
Alex Matthews, 4th place in 2002 Independents
Charles Stayton, 5th place in 2002 Independents
Ray Demere, 5th place in 2002 Independents

Saint Elizabeth
Bryan Mossey, 4th in 2002 Independents
Joe Barbato, 2nd place in 2002 Independents
Jason Norvall, 4th place in 2002 Independents
Ron Williamson, 4th place in 2002 Independents
Francis Soja, 5th place in 2002 Independents
Pat Baird, 3rd place in 2002 Independents
Paul Rizzo, 5th place in 2002 Independents

Saint Marks
Mike Moyer, 4th place in 2002 Independent Conference
Ed Quinn, 2002 Independent Conference Champion and 3rd place in 2002 States
Pat Atkinson, 2 time State Champion and 2 time state runnerup
Kyle Skinner, 2002 Independent Champion
Andrew Jordan 2nd place in 2002 Independents
Matt Axe, 2nd place in 2002 Independents
Brian Willis, 2002 Independent Champion and 3rd in 2002 States
Logan Kelly, 2002 Blue Hen Conference Champion-transfer from John Dickinson High School

Salesianum
Mark Degliobizzi, 2002 Independent Champion and 4th place in 2002 States
Andrew Lazartic, 3rd in 2002 Independent Conference and 5th in 2002 States
Brett Shavack, 3rd in 2002 Independents
Mike Brazill 3rd in 2002 Independents and 4th in 2002 States
Eric Buchanan, 4th place in 2002 Independents

Sanford
John Cattie, 5th place in 2002 Independent

Tatnall
Eric Katzenstein, 2nd place in 2002 Independents
Ian DiDonato, 5th place in 2002 Independents
Ben Leschinski, 3rd place in 2002 Independents

Tower Hill
Ray Lewis, 5th place in 2002 Independents
William Wright, 4th place in 2002 Independents

Smyrna will have a lot to say about that of course and the buzz right now is that the Eagles are the team to beat in Division 2.

Hodgson Vo-Tech will be interesting to watch for a couple of reasons. First, there is a new head coach in town by the name of Stan Spoor, a former state champion for St. Marks. Second, there is a nice chance that Hodgson will send the very first female wrestler to the state championships in Delaware. Maria Charles, at 103 lbs, is the one to watch. She isn’t eligible to wrestle until the 24^th because of the new weight restrictions, but when she comes back and if she stays interested and motivated to continue to compete at this level, she will be the Silver Eagles 103 pounder. A girl has never reached the state championship tournament, but again, Charles may very well be the one.

With all of this in mind here is the preseason top ten.

1. Caesar Rodney
2. St. Marks
3. Smyrna
4. William Penn
5. Hodgson
6. Laurel
7. Sussex Central
8. Newark
9. Brandywine
10. A.I. duPont

Girls Basketball

Even though John Fiorelli has left St. Marks, the Spartans are in good hands with George Chellew. He has a state championship under his belt and is familiar with the Spartans since he is already with the program. This makes the Spartans the easy choice to start the new year as they ended the last one, at #1.
The Spartans return Christine Armstrong, who should have been a first-team all-stater last year, as one of the early candidates for player of the year this year. They only lost one senior to graduation, and according to our information, lost one other player to transfer (Melanie Malone to Wilmington Friends). So it’s hard not to choose the Spartans to repeat here with Jenna Logan (5’10" senior), Andrea Hochstuhl (6’ senior), Erin Mahoney (5’5" senior) and Natalie Bizzarro (senior) helping out.

But with Steve Johnson now at the helm of Ursuline Academy, expect the Raiders to be fundamentally sound this year. This is Johnson’s first girl’s team experience, but he knows how to win having taken two different boy’s schools to the top of the heap (St. Marks and William Penn). I like this Raiders team and games between the Raiders and Spartans are going to be worth heading over to see. Kate Mills is now a junior and another early candidate for player of the year. The 6’0" sophomore Sarah Williams, who will likely play the point and may be the best athlete Ursuline has in its school right now, assists her. Rachel Pawlikowski returns to the hardwood after a year off from basketball to give the Raiders strength and grit and a winning attitude. Kelly Mark, 5’10", returns to forward also, so the Raiders will be tall, more experienced, and they now have a Volleyball championship under their belt which shows they know how to finish and to win. The 6’ Alex Flanders will not play with the Raiders this year, at least the last time I asked.

The William Penn Colonials finished 18-7 a year ago without a single senior. Madeline Baker, Princess Sirmins, and Johnita Davis should lead Penn to the top of Flight A.
The Seaford Blue Jays were a group of loose cannons who head coach James Wearden said didn’t take to the court with any set plays. They basically just played street ball….all the way to the semifinals. They return Ashlee Burbage, Shirelle Tingle, and Roniece Williams.
The Riders of Caesar Rodney will be tall up front with the 6’2" Micaela Younger and the 6’1" April Jackson. It will up to Katie Miller to get those two the ball and handle the ball herself as much as possible.
The Hillers of Tower Hill will be an interesting team to watch as they return Megan Mills, Elizabeth Pierce, Kelly Hocutt and Suzanne Johnson. The word is that sophomore Kristin Phillips (5’11") is going to be a key to this team. The Hillers will be without their spark plug Nikki White from last year. White is still rehabilitating an injury suffered during soccer season last spring.
The A.I. duPont Tigers return Markeda Hollingsworth for her senior year. She is one of the more exciting players to watch but has been inconsistent at times. Her ability to play with more consistency is key to the Tigers success. Emily Gunter can hit it from the outside as well as Monique Babes. Lorraine Sutton is the other Tiger key player.
The Glasgow Dragons return two stars in Lindsey Dyal and Kristin Hines. Both can shoot the lights out, and will need to, to keep the Dragons winning all year.
The Sanford Warriors will be talented, but short. They have an incoming freshman to watch in Deana D’Amico who will help Courtney Kendall, Ali Crouse, Ashley Sammons, and Jordan Moon.
The Polytech Panthers are lead by Tyresa Smith, an early candidate for player of the year. The Panthers went to the Bob last year on her back and might do so again although she’ll have some experienced players to help her at least. Seniors Kim Rowley and Junior Nikki Hayes both stand at about 5’11" and should be able to provide the defensive help that will give the Panthers the edge in the Henlopen Conference. Senior Dena Dempster also returns to captain the Panthers.
The Bucs of Caravel return Jodi Otteni and Kanesha Brown but they did lose five seniors and might be a little short up front to do a whole lot of damage on the boards.

Other players to watch…Concord’s Brittany Ford; Khadija Rushdan and Angel Henderson at St. Elizabeth; Charter’s Courtney Irving; Amanda Young, Red Lion Christian; April Yanacek, McKean; Jessica Amandola, Delcastle; Tykisha Stanford, Concord; Morgan Reilly, Charter; Yvette Grier, Hodgson; Syreeta Brown, St. Elizabeth; Courtney Slowik, Archmere; Toni Jones, Cape Henlopen; Melissa Morris, Sussex Tech; Chari Bryant, Smyrna; Serena Thomas, Delmar; Emily Lyons, Indian River; Andrea Carey, Cape Henlopen; Caroline Rush, Dover; DeNeatra Barkley, Milford; Sara Lawrence, Sussex Central; Jaime Townsend, Sussex Tech; Lenona Stancell, Laurel; Kay Binetti, Friends; Liz Hardwick, St. Andrews; Athena Manolakos, Tatnall; Lizzie Burns, St. Andrews; Tyra Lusby, Brandywine;

So here are our preseason picks….

1. St. Marks
2. Ursuline
3. William Penn
4. Polytech
5. Seaford
6. A.I. duPont
7. Tower Hill
8. Sanford
9. Glasgow
10. Caesar Rodney
    

Picking a winner in boy’s basketball is rather easy this winter. There is no need to look much past Sanford and Will Sheridan, the reigning state champions. We’ll take him Dexter Matthews, Mitchell White and Joe Dyson with the points…however many they may get along the way.

Last year’s runner up, the Hodgson Silver Eagles may be lacking a point guard, but they have Taurean Temple, Malcom Tiller and Maurice Furrowh. Temple is one of the most exciting players in the state and is a returning first-team all-stater.
Sussex Tech will benefit from a football transfer from Delmar. Sophomore Brandon Hudson didn't exactly set the football field aflame this fall but when he teams up with Rashawn Johnson, Kevin Maull and Brandon Mann, it could be a different story. Look for the Ravens to seriously contend for downstate honors.
While Caravel’s football team was decimated by transfers, its’ basketball team might help make up for some of that pain felt throughout campus so far this year. Dureyea Garnett is only 5’7 but can shoot as evidenced by his 20 3-pointers last year. Senior Ryan Buckland pumped in 43 of them himself and has some size at 6’4". The Bucs will also turn to sophomore Willie Fowler at forward who averaged 13 points per game.
Howard may follow up their successful football season with a successful basketball season. Mike Schmidt and Reggie Hopkins will lead the way.
The Laurel Bulldogs are looking forward to basketball season as they are with wrestling season. The 6’7 Trey Elzey will combine with the 6’8 Antwan Ridley to form a formidable front court.
Newark only lost three seniors to graduation and will run behind Marzette Dollard and Steve Williams.
The Tatnall Hornets will be interesting to watch strictly because they may have the best ball handler in the state in freshman Jawan Carter who averaged 15 points per game on the varsity as an 8^th grader.
Sussex Central will try to lay claim to downstate supremacy as Drew Weatherly, Frank Roach, Josh Ward, AJ. Neal and Layton Wright comprise the projected starting five Golden Knights.
St. Marks only lost one senior from a year ago. Shannon Davis is a 6’3 senior who averaged 21 ppg last year. They have a 6’8" junior in Chris Gass to help out on the boards, but will he be ready to lead out there? He’ll need to be because the balance of the team is short.
Caesar Rodney and William Penn lost too much to graduation to think that they will blast out of the blocks tearing up the state. Only one player from the Colonials roster of a year ago (Andre Robinson) is scheduled to return.

Other players to watch: Mark Egerson, Glasgow; Shannon Jones, Glasgow; Kyle Black, Concord; Michael Lewis-Harris, Mt. Pleasant; Corey Scott, Mt. Pleasant; Brandon Bryant, Middletown; Tyrell Moss, Dover; Ira Daniel, Polytech; R. J. Chandler, Milford; Vince Stewart, Delmar; Darron Johnson, Lake Forest; Virgil Greene, Seaford; Emillio Perry, Woodbridge; Danny Bloom, Friends; Mike D’Amico, Friends; Jimmy Fox, Tower Hill; Donnie Roberson, Archmere; Dan McAlaine, St. Andrews; Rob Testa, Salesianum; Britt Williams, Seaford; Jack Owens, Salesianum; Matt Dugan, Archmere.

After Sanford, Sussex Tech, Sussex Central, and Hodgson, there looks to be a steep drop to the next level down. With that in mind, here is our preseason top ten:

1. Sanford
2. Sussex Tech
3. Sussex Central
4. Hodgson
5. Newark
6. Caravel
7. Laurel
8. Glasgow
9. Howard
10. Concord

Girls Swimming

Since Delaware Sports has been around, St. Marks has won every team championship. There is no reason to think that they won’t do so again this year even despite a head coaching change. Erica Iffland,  Kelly Bree, Austine Enderle, Andrea Denney, Christina Ruggierio, Audrey Lopez, Bridget Miller, Annie Deakyne, and Susan Malone are all returning state qualifiers.
The Newark Yellowjackets will once again lay claim to that second position and will once again give the Spartans a run for the money in dual meet competition. The Jackets may be a little deeper this year than last though, so again, this is the meet to attend later in the year. The Jackets return Lauren Beck, Jessica Lampkin, Christy Williams, Tessa Bates, Katie Davis, Amber Walker, Sarah Zomchick, Jamie Pieniaszek, Abby Grube, Jennifer Baird, Rebecca Malley and Allison Rash and have the Spartans outnumbered in returnees.
The Concord Raiders should match their third-place finish from a year ago led by senior Chelsea Ademski. She is teamed up with returning qualifiers Jen Gilbert, Julia Bonfante, Marny and Katie Hearn, Leslie Keane, Lauren MacLachlan and Amy Chernekoff.
The Brandywine Bulldogs have excelled during the regular season only to fall flat in the state the last couple years. Looking to keep that from becoming a tradition are returning qualifiers Alison Sanchez, Sabrina Kinard, Jessica Leitsch, Sola Johnson, Adrienne Peoples, Emily Kazaba, Veronica Payne, Heather Pembleton and Britt Eckstrand.
Ursuline Academy only has 225 girls in its high school yet field basketball, track and swim teams that will all compete successfully. The Raiders return Laura Bull, Kara Mullin, Melissa Ferguson, Jill Smiley, Dana McCreary, Julia Kane, Lisa McCreary, Christiana Ryan, Kathryn Tinklepaugh and Jenna Rastelli, which is nearly the entire team from a year ago. They also have a talented transfer in Michelle Stephens from St. Marks.
Caesar Rodney returns Kristina MacLeish and Erin Courtney. Those two seniors win meets all by themselves for the most part and helped guide the Riders to a 5^th place finish overall last year. Helping them out on relay teams are Leigh Askin, Andrea Cole, Jennifer Dunkle, Casey Howard, and Heather Rogers.
I like Tower Hill to make a strong showing after their 12^th place finish a year ago. They return Laura Goeller, Julia Bianco, Brooke Matsanka, Alexandra Albright, Ashley Cornforth and perhaps Lisa Klein who may once again do double duty on the indoor track as well.

Other swimmers and divers to watch- Kaitlin Brady, Mt. Pleasant (of course..she owns state records here after all), Kim Rusk, the two-time diving champion from A.I. duPont; Sarah Horstman, diving, A.I. duPont; Rachel Maran, St. Andrews, diving; Melanie Swift, diving, Charter; Caitlin Meade, Middletown; Colleen McCarthy, Charter; Katie Hilovsky, Sussex Central; Kelly Brooks, Archmere; Geri Johnson, Sussex Central; Danielle Buckley, Middletown; Liz Lingo, St. Andrews; Laura Jane Penneys, Archmere; Lauren Funk, McKean; Mallory Onisk, Glasgow; Lindsay Ringstrom, Charter; Rebecca Neaton, Dover; Julie Macklin, Sussex Central; Devon Fegley, Charter; Tara Potter, Seaford; Catherine Hammond, Dickinson, diving; Kelly McConnell, A.I. duPont; Emily Smathers, McKean; Kelly Brooks, Archmere; Katie Swain, A.I. duPont; Stacey Mack, Archmere; Christina Lindemer, Cape Henlopen; Lauri Moore, Cape Henlopen; Danielle Morello, St. Andrews; Christine Jaffee, Sanford; Kelly Sherwood, Padua; Erika Gennusa, Charter; Christine Dierickx, McKean; Liz Purnell, Cape Henlopen.

With all that in mind, here are our top ten preseason teams:

1. St. Marks
2. Newark
3. Concord
4. Ursuline
5. Caesar Rodney
6. A.I. duPont
7. Charter
8. Brandywine
9. Tower Hill
10. Sussex Central

Salesianum should once again cruise to a state championship victory. Led by junior Rory Connell, the Sals will simply continue to rack up points and medals. The question is who will be #2.
Returning with Connell are Dave Montgomery, Nick Minutella, Dane Grenda, Daniel Mazur, Sean Fitzgibbon, Chris Campbell, Rob Kuderka (diving) Jeff Falini (diving) Kyle Bailey, Jason Minderlein, Greg Schieffer, Adam Blakeley and Jeff Bloxom from last year’s state qualifiers. The Sals picked up 416 team points which was 166 more than McKean, which was in second place.
The Highlanders will try to fend off Newark and Concord once again to secure a moral victory with a second place finish. Returning are Brent Deputy, Brad Pierce, Ryan Ennis, Todd Kitchen, Andrew Zinn, Max Evers, Andrew Wentling (diving) and Ian Morrison. Deputy, Kang and Kitchen are your three top point scorers.
The Newark Yellowjackets will rely on Garrett Arant, Chris Harper, Chris Drew, Joe Hitchcock, Dave Shinton, Ethan Wolkowicz, and Andrew Hitchcock to try to overcome the Highlanders. Joe Hitchcock placed in the top six in two events last year and is the team star heading into the new season.
The Concord Raiders finished 4^th overall last year and were a fairly young team. They return enough to the waters to offer a great deal of hope for improving upon that placing a year ago. Ray Carr, Craig Eckbold, Daniel Bachovin, Ben Chamish, Matt Dunbar, Mike Hopkins, Joe Virion, Ryan Walker, Kevin Vansuch, Drew Amis, Sanjay Nagarkar, and Matt Mariner are the returning qualifiers.
The St. Marks Spartans have a star in Junior Doug Fallon, the reigning 500 meter freestyle champion. After Fallon, Matt Kuczmarski, Matthew Weaver, Allen Gula, Peter Nellius, Daniel O’Connell, Kevin Whitlock, Adam Jensen (diving), and Todd Morrison (diving) fall in line.

Other swimmers to watch include- Dave Drysdale, A.I. duPont; Jonathan Hough, Charter; J.C. Osbourne, Brandywine; Nick Hanes, Charter; Stuart Barr, Milford; Patrick Boyle, Dover; Chris Koppel, Archmere; Michael Nelson, Middletown; Dan MacLeish, Caesar Rodney; Nick Kinney, St. Andrews; Ryan Phifer, Mt. Pleasant; John Beatty, Brandywine; Matt duShuttle, Caesar Rodney (100 Freestyle Champion); Steve Wray, Archmere (50 Freestyle Champion); David Gruber, Cape Henlopen; Greg Derevianko, Brandywine; Dan Biddle, Dickinson; Dan Biddle, Brandywine; David Hendrickson, Lake Forest; Morgan Lightcap, Mt. Pleasant; Richard Duong, Glasgow; Brett Molash, A.I. duPont; Eric Dunn, Tatnall; Brett Hummel, Charter; Sean Lyons, Brandywine; Scott Champagne, Tatnall; Jason Plummer, Christiana; Brad Lands, Lake Forest; Jeffrey Boehmer, Sanford; Eric Hastings, Mt. Pleasant; Chris Sparks, Tatnall; Matt Eckrich, Sussex Central; Matt Oberholzer, Brandywine; Max McPike, Cape Henlopen.

So here are our top ten preseason teams-

1. Salesianum
2. McKean
3. Concord
4. Newark
5. St. Marks
6. Brandywine
7. Charter
8. Tatnall
9. Middletown
10. Archmere

Scheduled to return for the indoor track season for the boys are the following…(and Im just going to put up another list here, ok?)

55 meter hurdles:
Odun Balogun, Dover (returning champ)
Eric Mayo, Hodgson
Charles Brittingham, Seaford
Bruce Day, Polytech
John Carter, Concord

55 meter dash:
Akeem Pierce, William Penn (champ)
Michael Downes, Delcastle
Scott Vari, St. Marks
Omar Williams, Christiana
Bruce Daye, Polytech

1600 meters:
Ryan Hamill, Salesianum (champ)
Joe Donnelly, Salesianum
P.J. Meany, Salesianum
Patrick Wilcox, Newark
Gary Smith, Dover
Mike Grafton, Hodgson
Zak Golladay, St.Marks

400 meters:
Marcus Morris, Sussex Tech
Brandon Reeves, Newark
Kevin Ellis, Christiana
Sam Sackey, Dover
Eric Brooking, Salesianum

800 meters:
Alan Pearson, Glasgow
Patrick Ruff, Charter
Peter Roth, A.I. duPont
Tsering Alleyne, Christiana
Rob Netta, Newark
Mike Zeberkiewicz, Salesianum

200 meters:
Michael Downes, Delcastle
Marcus Morris, Sussex Tech
Brandon Reeves, Newark
Scott Vari, St. Marks

3200 meters:
Ryan Hamill, Salesianum (champ)
Richard Worley, Dover
P.J. Meany, Salesianum
Chad Darlington, St. Marks
Andrew Frangakis, McKean
Mike Zeberkiewicz, Salesianum
Mike Grafton, Hodgson

Long jump:
DeShawn Battle, Dover
Devon Streett, Cape Henlopen
Yasher Tolliver, Salesianum

Triple jump:
Durell Eastland, Hodgson
Christopher Hill, Caesar Rodney
Devon Streett, Cape Henlopen
Yasher Tolliver, Salesianum

High jump:
Charles Brittingham, Seaford
Sam Sackey, Dover
Eric Blount, Dover

Shot put:
Kris Cooper,Christiana
Gabe Gigliotti, Salesianum
Kyle Fray, Delcastle
Edward Stevenson, Christiana
Van Shorts, Glasgow
Mike Minkiewicz, Salesianum

Pole vault:
James Handley, Caesar Rodney
Matt Wroten, Glasgow
Dan Derico, Christiana
Peter Roth, A.I. duPont
Mike Zeberkiewicz, Salesianum
Ben Hastings, Seaford

Notice a considerable lack of William Penn athletes in this list. The Colonials were second a year ago and lost their weight coach Brad Lane, at least for this year. Cape Henlopen may suffer as well as they did in cross country this year. Dover is without Jason Lilly for the first time in four years, but Balogun is a top runner and hurdler. Expect to see him in the 55 dash or 200 as well. Salesianum’s distance stars look to give the Sals the upper hand early on in this ranking. There will be four Tower Hill meets this year, which athletes can qualify for states instate. They will be held January 11, 18, 25, February 8. The states are currently scheduled for February 22, which is the same day as the swimming and wrestling championships. This was scheduled this way last year, but track moved. Hopefully it will move again so that more people can watch more state championship activity for the winter season.

Here are our top ten:

1. Salesianum
2. Dover
3. Christiana
4. Hodgson
5. Newark
6. Delcastle
7. St. Marks
8. Glasgow
9. Charter
10. Polytech

Kamilah Salaam from Glasgow and Mandy Stille from McKean are two big names to watch during the girls winter season. Both are friends and hurdlers. Stille has been ever so close to catching Salaam in hurdle races both indoor and outdoor, and this could very well be the year she catches her. Stille has been taking acceleration training, which should give her just enough to secure her a track scholarship somewhere soon. If she beats Salaam along the way, she can write her ticket. Kamilah has already agreed to attend Penn State, so it is to be seen how motivated she can stay all season to keep Mandy from nipping her at the line of a 55-meter hurdle race or two.

By category, here are the other girls scheduled to return—

55 dash:
Kamilah Salaam, Glasgow (champ)
Brittany Hackett, Padua
Aysha Gregory, Brandywine
Patricia Singleton, Hodgson
Winifred Scott, Dover
Kate Ianelli, Ursuline
Inashay Washington, Archmere

400 meters
Kamilah Salaam, Glasgow (champ)
Maureen Lafate, Glasgow
Jessica Schultz, Caesar Rodney
RaShonda Dennis, Caesar Rodney
Keyana Hill, Woodbridge

1600 meters
Enya Spence, Newark
Lisa Klein, Tower Hill
Julie Pike, Tower Hill (wasn’t running as of two weeks ago)
Maggie Trefney, Seaford
Elizabeth Paul, Caesar Rodney
Amanda Haxton, Cape Henlopen
Valerie Howell, Hodgson

55 hurdles:
Kamliah Salaam, Glasgow (champ)
Mandy Stille, McKean
Katherine Devilbiss, Cape Henlopen
Rachel Salter, Glasgow
Patrice Gear, Delcastle
Natasha Green, Cape Henlopen
Rhonda Ferguson, Cape Henlopen

200 meters:
Jessica Schultz, Caesar Rodney
RaSahonda Dennis, Caesar Rodney
Brittany Hackett, Padua
Patricia Singleton, Hodgson
Maureen Lafate, Glasgow
Lauren Wallace, Padua
Katherine Devilbiss, Cape Henlopen

800 meters:
Rebecca Singh, Sussex Tech (champ)
Julie Taylor, Ursuline
Valerie Howell, Hodgson
Renee Salter, Glasgow
Maggie Pederson, Cape Henlopen
Kate Hendrickson, Padua

3200 meters:
Lisa Klein, Tower Hill (champ)
Kaitlin McGroerty, Seaford 
Julie Pike, Tower Hill
Jackie Reifschneider, A.I. duPont
Lisa Klein, Tower Hill
Leslie Wason, Brandywine
Michelle Spadaro, St. Marks

Shot put:
Aysha Gregory, Brandywine (champ)
Charli Tabler, Cape Henlopen
Sheena Thompson, Delcastle
Charita Gardner, Howard
Tyra Culver-Frazier, Hodgson
Nicole Youse, Woodbridge

Long jump:
Mandy Stille, McKean
Lauren Wallace, Padua
Joia Jackson, Polytech
Samantha Adams, Padua
Sarah Hammond, Newark
Jenn Gioffre, Brandywine

Triple jump:
Mandy Stille, McKean (champ)
Susan Neumann, Ursuline
Julia Janes, Ursuline
Jenn Gioffre, Brandywine
Megan Moore, Woodbridge
Ritka Samant, Charter

High jump:
Mandy Stille, McKean (champ)
Rebecca Hollingsworth, Cape Henlopen
Christon Dillard, Dover
Samantha Fitzgerald, Seaford
Pole vault:
Katherine Devilbiss, Cape Henlopen
Christie Tobin, Seaford
Jackie Reifschneider, A.I. duPont
Phylicia Korzeniwsky, Christiana
Amanda Haxton, Cape Henlopen

Also keep an eye out for Brandywine’s Anna Brousell and Padua’s Samantha Lichtner in the distance events.

Here is the preseason top ten:

1. Glasgow
2. Padua
3. Caesar Rodney
4. Brandywine
5. McKean
6. Tower Hill
7. Cape Henlopen
8. Seaford
9. Newark
10. Ursuline

That about wraps it up for now. That should keep everyone busy for a little while. Feel free to drop a line to comment or to let me know who isn’t in a place where I put them, or if someone extra should have been mentioned along the way somewhere.

There are now 13 events scheduled for the 2003 Diamond State Games. We just added Paintball to the list. We are having a large meeting next week. That meeting will yield more information in the following weeks for everyone to peruse. We may be holding a press conference sometime in January after we have secured all of our field and venue permits.

Out for now….Happy Holidays!