Cape’s Mariner places fourth in middle school invitational
The Mariner boys’ cross country team rode a bevy of breakthrough performances to a fourth-place finish at the DAAD Invitational Oct. 29 at the 2.1-mile Browns Branch County Park in Harrington. Eighth-grader Cole Quillen placed 10th in a field of more than 200 boys to put an exclamation point on a season in which he was Mariner’s top finisher in five of six races. He was chased to the line by seventh-grader Levi Clifton, who ran an aggressive race to place 13th and earn a medal of his own. Sixth-grader L.B. Harrington took nearly 20 seconds from his personal best and finished in the top 30 thanks to a furious finish, while steady eighth-grader Logan Dominick set a strong early pace and held on to a top 40 spot. Hunter Tyndall, Chase Boyle, Bryan Ciabattoni, Christian Partlow, and Connor Hitchens all placed in the top 60, as Mariner put its depth on display and defeated several teams it had lost to earlier in the season. Also running their hearts out for the Vikings - and logging personal bests in many cases - were Gabriel Garcia, Mason Fluharty, Dyquan Snead, Jaliel Perry, Shamar Snead, Cameron Daniels, Colby Dominick, Ronan Dutton, Jonathan Capparell, Liam Leishear, and Maxwell Merwitz.
Sussex Academy seventh-grader Blake Hundley shattered the Browns Branch course record by more than 40 seconds to claim the individual title in 11:40, while teammate Brock Diaz finished just two spots back. SAAS placed second among 17 teams, falling just short of powerhouse Postlethwait. MOT Charter took third-place honors.
On the girls’ side, Mariner sixth-graders Lindsay Rambo and Fallon Moore finished eighth and ninth, respectively, in a field of nearly 200 runners. The talented youngsters brought home two medals for the Vikings despite the fact that they were Mariner’s only competitors. Rambo, undefeated this year on the dual-meet circuit and running her fourth race in six days, cemented herself as one of the area’s brightest young stars with another solid showing. Moore ran without an ounce of fear and delivered a 30-second personal best, picking off 10 runners in the final mile.
Beacon stalwart Olivia Brozefsky finished fifth overall in the girls’ race, passing 15 runners over the last mile or so to earn hardware.
The Mariner boys and girls close out their season Monday, Nov. 3, when they host Smyrna. Full results will be available at www.marinermiddlesports.com.
Fifer edges Mariner 27-28
Despite a heroic effort by eighth-grader Cole Quillen, Mariner fell by the slimmest of margins in a 27-28 defeat at the hands of Fifer at the 2.1-mile Brecknock Park course. Quillen came within a few seconds of the individual win, crossing the line second in a Mariner record and personal best of 12:48, equivalent to a 12:11 time in the two-mile. Fifer’s 1-3-4 finish at the front barely bested brilliant pack running by the Vikings, as Levi Clifton took fifth in 13:41 and was followed home by L.B. Harrington (sixth, 14:14); Hunter Tyndall (seventh, 14:23); and Logan Dominick (eighth, 14:35). Mariner harriers claimed seven of the top 12 spots in a 36-runner field. Quillen; Harrington; Tyndall; Dominick; Connor Hitchens (11th, 14:50); Bryan Ciabattoni (12th, 15:17); Jaliel Perry (16th, 16:06); Cameron Daniels (20th, 16:35); Shamar Snead (21st, 16:44); Mason Fluharty (22nd, 16:50); Ronan Dutton (25th, 17:35); Jonathan Capparell (28th, 18:10); Liam Leishear (32nd, 19:38); and Maxwell Merwitz (35th, 21:09) all notched personal best two-mile equivalents for Mariner, which fell to 3-4 on the season despite its best race of the year.
Sixth-grader Lindsay Rambo romped to a runaway win at the 2.1-mile Brecknock Park course, clocking 13:57 (a pace of 6:38 per mile) to set a new personal best and Mariner record. Rambo outraced her closest competitor by 88 seconds on the way to her fifth win in as many races. Sixth-grader Fallon Moore, an up-and-coming talent herself, continued to impress by placing fourth in 15:58. Mariner fell to Fifer in the team results 23-38.
RBRC Skirt Chaser 10 Miler
A unique road race will hit the streets, Saturday, Nov. 15, as the first Skirt Chaser 10 Miler will take place, starting and finishing at the Rehoboth Beach Running Company on Fourth Street and Rehoboth Avenue. The race will begin at 8 a.m. with the female runners heading off the line; at 8:30 the male runners will start. The out & back course will head north to Gordons Pond and take the new trail to Herring Point, turning around in front of the Biden Center. Awards will go to the top three finishers in each age group, but the twist is that award winners in the top three could be male or female. Visit seashorestriders.com for race information.
Sea Witch 5K sets record
The Cape Region has turned into a road race mecca, with runners coming from all over the East Coast to participate nearly every weekend. The Seashore Striders hosted the 25th Annual Sea Witch Fall 5K Classic Oct. 26 with nearly 100 young boys and girls under 13 years old in the race. Over 60 percent of the participants were dressed in costume, which adds a lot of fun to the event. Costumed runners, custom spooky awards, bake sale, long-sleeved tech Ts, and a fast and flat course are a few of the highlights in the event. Results can be found at seashorestriders.com.
Upcoming Races
1 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 2, Mariner's Bethel 7M & 5K, Camp Barnes.
8:30 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 9, East Coast XC Championships 5K, Killens Pond State Park.
