The Cape boys used depth to spread out over the course of the six-hour Pat Russo Invitational and score enough points to capture the team title with 74. Kent Island was second with 65 points and Sussex Tech was third with 48 points.
“The meet was an overall success,” said coach Ellis Gaulden. “This was a meet that Cape has never won before. So for these boys to come out and step up to the challenge was a step in the right direction so far this season. It took a group effort to get this win.”
The Vikings did not have an event winner, but they scored big with three second-place performances for 24 team points. Dane Palmer was second in the high jump with a season-best 6-feet-even, while Josiah Miller tossed the shot put 40-feet-10-inches for second and Giovanni Bendfeldt jumped 11-feet-6-inches in the pole vault. Sophomore Isaiah Fillyau was third in the hurdles in 8.55 seconds, while the 3,200-meter relay team of Owen Allen, Kolbe O’Donnell, John DiStefano and Ethan Edery also finished third in a time of 9:03.0.
“A few athletes stepped out of their comfort zones to compete in events they’ve never competed in,” said Ellis. “That says a lot about their character.”
Palmer returned to finish fifth in the 300-meter dash in 38.41, while Allen was fifth in the 800 meters in 2:13.9. DiStefano finished fifth in the 3,200 meters in 10:49.5, while the mile relay team of Cody Workman, Christian Partlow, Jordan Clark and Allen ran 3:48.1 for fourth. O’Donnell also finished seventh in the 800 meters in 2:18.1 and sixth in the 1,600 meters in 5:04.2. Daniel Adili-Khams was sixth in the 3,200 meters in 10:50.0, while Cape finished fifth in the 1,600-meter relay in a time of 3:54.7. Pat Tkach was sixth in the shot put in 38-feet-6-inches, while Bryan Ciabattoni was seventh in the 3,200 meters in 11:02.2. The Cape boys will return to Snow Hill on Wednesday, Jan. 2.
Cape girls place fourth in Snow Hill
The Cape girls’ indoor track & field team placed fourth in the Pat Russo Invitational, scoring 71 points in the 20-team meet, while Smyrna won the title with 112 points.
“This is the closest we have ever been to what seems like a loaded Smyrna team,” said coach Gilbert Maull. “We have only three seniors and two juniors, and the rest are freshmen and sophomores, so we are real happy with where we are. The girls are competing hard and setting personal records every week, and gaining valuable experience in the meets we are taking them to. Sometimes we coaches have to remind ourselves that they are so young.”
Defending state champion Ce’yra Middleton led the team with the only individual championship, as she threw 35-feet-7-inches to win the shot put. Second place went to senior teammate MacKenzie Parker with a toss of 34-feet-3-inches, as the duo gathered 18 big points for the team. Senior sprinter Alia Marshall was second in her first indoor 300 meters in 44:13, fourth in the 55 meters in a season best of 7.71, and she also anchored the winning 800-meter relay with junior Timesha Cannon, freshman Noelle Sabbagh and junior Sawyer Walker, as they ran a season-best time of 1:54.28. Walker was second in the high jump with a leap of 4-feet-10-inches, while sophomore Taylor Johnson was third in the 800 meters in 2:37.5.
The 1,600-meter relay of Sabbagh, freshman Ariyanna Dabney, Maren Buckaloo and Johnson ran 4:39.96 for fourth place, while the 3,200-meter relay of Johnson, freshman Elizabeth Melson, sophomore Fallon Moore and freshman Mia Nuebling ran 10:59.2 for fifth place. Nuebling returned to place fifth in the 3,200 meters in 12:54.7, while Sabbagh was sixth in the 55-meter hurdles in 10.25. Melson placed seventh in the 1,600 meters in 5:53.6. Marshall led the Vikings with 14 points on the day. The Cape girls will return to Snow Hill on Wednesday, Jan. 9.
Race into the New Year 5K
The 16th annual Race into the New Year 5K and quarter-mile kids run will be held at noon, Monday, Dec. 31, in Rehoboth Beach.
Runners will check in at the Bandstand beginning at 11 a.m. Race-day registration will also begin at 11 a.m. for $25, with T-shirts guaranteed to the first 250 registered participants. Awards will be presented to the overall, masters, and top 3 in five-year age groups. The 5K will begin on the Boardwalk and run north to North Shores and back. Online registration will be open through 6 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 30.
