Four Local Athletes Making a Name for Themselves On the Biggest Stage

This post was originally written by Digital Content Intern Patrick LaPorte. LaPorte is a senior media communications major at the University of Delaware, working as a news and sports reporter for The Review and sports director for 91.3 WVUD at UD.

The sports landscape is scattered with talent from across the nation, even the first state. While there are more athletes from Delaware than the four listed, these athletes have made headlines as of late.

• Nah’Shon Hyland – St. George’s High School, VCU, NBA Prospect

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  In two seasons as a guard at VCU, Hyland took a giant step up in his game between the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons. Hyland averaged 9 points per game in his first year as a Ram. After earning a spot as a starter entering year two, Hyland averaged just under 20 points per game and was a top 30 scorer in the country. The St. George’s graduate recently declared for the NBA Draft with analysts believing Hyland could be drafted by a team in the first round. In late June, Hyland played in a scrimmage game at the NBA Draft Combine and scored a game-high 17 points to go along with six rebounds.

• Betnijah Laney – Smyrna High School, Rutgers, WNBA Player

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  Laney’s journey in the WNBA has seen her jump between multiple teams. Since entering the league in 2015, Laney has played for a total of five different teams in six seasons. Her first four seasons saw her best year come in 2019, when she averaged just under six points and just over four rebounds a game. The past two seasons Laney has taken a leap in her play, scoring 17.2 points per game with the Atlanta Dream in 2020. Through 19 games in 2021, the now member of the New York Liberty is scoring a career-high 19.6 points per game. On top of that, the Smyrna native earned her first spot on a WNBA All-Star Team.

• Madison Brengle – Dover, International Tennis Player

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  Of the four athletes on this list, Brengle owns the longest tenured career as a professional athlete. In 2007, the Dover native earned her first invitation to a Grand Slam tournament. In 2015, Brengle earned was ranked 35th in the world among all women’s tennis players. She is currently ranked 82nd in the world. Most recently Brengle competed at Wimbledon and advanced to the third round of the world’s arguably most famous tournament. Her run in Wimbledon came to an end at the hands of Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic.
• Troy Reeder – Salesianum High School, Penn State/University of Delaware, NFL Player

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  In just two years of being an athlete at football’s highest level, Troy Reeder began to make a name for himself as a member of the Los Angeles Rams. In his rookie year, Reeder made an appearance in all 16 games finishing the year with 58 total tackles. The following 2020 season saw even more improvement out of the former Blue Hen and Sallies grad. He once again would make an appearance in all 16 games and would improve upon his tackling totals. He finished the season with 81 total tackles to go along with a total of three sacks. With the NFL Preseason beginning in just over a month, expect Reeder to continue to make plays all over the football field.